Lead Robotics Software Engineer Jobs in Houston, TX

Houston, TX (East Downtown). On-site, working around the robots in the lab. 

Rugged Robotics is on a mission to empower the construction industry to build better by innovating new approaches to tough problems using automation. Our automated layout robots combine inkjet printing, a custom positioning sensor suite, and a highly maneuverable platform to print blueprints directly on the concrete of active construction sites. Our fleet is working on job sites today, operated by our field team and leased by trusted partners, and demand is growing. 

We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join the Hardware team and own mechanical subsystems from concept through production release and sustaining. You'll apply your deep experience in actuators, electro-mechanical systems, and robotics to pull more performance and reliability out of a product already in the field, carry new prototypes through initial testing, certification, and manufacturing ramp, and shape the novel machines we design next. In this role, you will use your technical expertise to lead subsystem projects and mentor engineers. At a startup our size you'll wear many hats and work with everyone, from electrical and software engineers to field operators and manufacturing. 

• Own the full product lifecycle of actuators, structures, and enclosures: detailed design, testing, debugging, and refinement, then scaling through validation, manufacturing ramp, and deployment. Apply those lessons as we architect future generations.
• Study system behavior across mechanical, electrical, and software boundaries, chasing more performance from our sensor suites through calibration, advanced algorithms, and early failure warning signs.
• Drive reliability and safety compliance efforts to enable international expansion by planning and executing tests, root-causing failures, implementing fixes, and assembling the documentation that carries the product through certification.
• Make informed & objective engineering decisions by determining actuator load cases, specifying components (BLDC motors, speed reducers, sensors, bearings), and backing choices with analysis, simulations, and quick experiments.
• Use SOLIDWORKS to craft parts, construct assemblies, and create well-dimensioned drawings using GD&T per ASME Y14.5, spanning injection molding, CNC machining, metal casting, and sheet metal.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to the hardware team on complex engineering challenges and lead subsystem projects with minimal guidance according to company objectives.
• Engage and collaborate with international vendors to refine designs and deliver hardware to meet project timelines. 

• Experienced (6+ years) designing products involving robotics or other complex electro-mechanical systems, and well-versed in the landscape of actuators, sensors, BLDC motors, bearings, speed reducers, and other machine elements used in robotic applications.
• Seasoned in the full product development cycle from concept through production. You know firsthand what it takes to carry a new product through certification, reliability growth, and scale, and you can lead others through it.
• An analytical thinker who backs design choices with objective data, running quick tests and collecting measurements both to validate current designs and to spec components before designing.
• Comfortable selecting electro-mechanical components supported by static & dynamic analysis, determining the ideal materials & manufacturing methods, and creating part designs optimized for manufacturing & assembly.
• Familiar with the engineering analysis techniques used to develop world-class products, including tolerance analysis, FEA, motor equations, fluid flow, and thermal analysis.
• Hands-on with building and debugging electro-mechanical systems and interested in supporting your designs all the way to trouble-shooting field failures with our customers.
• Ready to lead initiatives within the team, practiced in mentoring, and motivated to make the engineers around you more effective.
• Highly collaborative across function boundaries, including Software, Electrical, Manufacturing, and Field Engineers, and comfortable working autonomously in a fast-paced environment. 

• Experience carrying a product through formal certification (e.g., UL, CE, or similar safety and compliance regimes).
• Comfortable with creating Python scripting for testing, data analysis, and debugging.
• Familiarity with thermal management of dense, highly integrated electro-mechanical assemblies.
• Exposure to fluid systems and chemical/material compatibility.
• A background in manufacturing and standing up a production line. 

Do you have a portfolio, a project site, or a robot you've built? We'd love to see it. 

This role travels occasionally to see your product in action on customer sites. 

• A full time, competitive salary with equity
• Flexible paid vacation from day one
• Paid Parental Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance
• 401k Plan available 

Rugged Robotics is headquartered in Houston, TX in the vibrant neighborhood of East Downtown. This role requires close collaboration with teammates, and we value the interactions that come from working together around the robots in the lab. 

Interested in Rugged but don't tick all the boxes? Don't see a role that meets your skills? Reach out, let us know how you think you can contribute to the team, and define your own position. 

Rugged Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at our company. All qualified candidates will receive consideration regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, identity, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or other protected legal status.