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Robotics Design Engineer Jobs in Santa Ana, CA (NOW HIRING)

FieldAI

Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Locomotion

Irvine, CA · On-site

$100K - $230K/yr

As our Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Locomotion, you'll lead the development and deployment of ... Design policy architectures, training curricula, and domain randomization strategies that close the ...

Flow Control Group

Design Engineer

Placentia, CA · On-site

$100K - $120K/yr

... in motion control, robotics, machine vision, and industrial automation components. With a ... Minimum of 5 years of Design Engineering experience is preferred Additional Information Regarding ...

Salas O'Brien, Inc.

Electrical Design Engineer

Tustin, CA · On-site

$80 - $125/hr

... robotics, and more. Our technical excellence is strengthened by an exceptional team of ... Electrical Design Engineer (In‑Person) Location: Tustin, CA (In‑Person) Travel: As needed, up ...

LettrLabs

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$97K - $133K/yr

With our own in-house handwriting robotics, we're challenging traditional direct mail manufacturing from the ground up. We're looking for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to own the mechanical ...

DZYNE Technologies

Robotics Engineer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$100K - $125K/yr

We are seeking a Robotics / UAV GNC Engineer to design, implement, and test advanced autonomy and control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles and robotic platforms. This role emphasizes robotics ...

Layup Parts

Robotics Engineer

Huntington Beach, CA · On-site

$160 - $180/hr

Design, build, and bring into production new robotic systems supporting a range of manufacturing ... engineers who handle assembly design and parts integration * Work across both hardware/actuator ...

Ford Motor Company

EDS Design Engineer

Long Beach, CA · On-site

As an EDS Design Engineer, you will be at the forefront of defining the "nervous system" for our ... Device, Robotics) Experience using 2D & 3D EDS Tooling (e.g., NX, Mentor Capital, 3DX, CATIA V5 ...

Ford Motor Company

EDS Design Engineer

Long Beach, CA · On-site

As an EDS Design Engineer, you will be at the forefront of defining the "nervous system" for our ... Robotics). * Experience using 2D & 3D EDS Tooling (e.g., NX, Mentor Capital, 3DX, CATIA V5, Zuken ...

Divergent

Industrial Robotics Engineer

Torrance, CA

Design, implement, and optimize algorithms within our planning framework, leveraging your programming skills and understanding of robotics principles. * Assist in the integration and testing of ...

Layup Parts

Robotics Engineer

Huntington Beach, CA · On-site

$160K - $180K/yr

Design, build, and bring into production new robotic systems supporting a range of manufacturing ... engineers who handle assembly design and parts integration * Work across both hardware/actuator ...

Layup Parts

Robotics Engineer

Huntington Beach, CA · On-site

$160K - $180K/yr

Design, build, and bring into production new robotic systems supporting a range of manufacturing ... engineers who handle assembly design and parts integration * Work across both hardware/actuator ...

Layup Parts

Robotics Engineer

Huntington Beach, CA · On-site

$160K - $180K/yr

Design, build, and bring into production new robotic systems supporting a range of manufacturing ... engineers who handle assembly design and parts integration * Work across both hardware/actuator ...

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All JobsRobotics Design Engineer JobsRobotics Design Engineer Jobs in Santa Ana, CA

Robotics Design Engineer information

See Santa Ana, CA salary details

$30.2K

$109.9K

$175.9K

How much do robotics design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for robotics design engineer in Santa Ana, CA is $109,890.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $86,900.00 and $132,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a robotics design engineer do?

A Robotics Design Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and testing robotic systems and components. They use principles from mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to create robots that can perform specific tasks or functions. Their work involves creating blueprints, modeling designs, selecting appropriate materials, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure the robots meet performance and safety standards. Robotics Design Engineers also troubleshoot and refine prototypes, ensuring their reliability and efficiency before deployment. This role is crucial in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and automation.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a robotics design engineer?

To thrive as a Robotics Design Engineer, you need a solid background in mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering, usually with a relevant bachelor's or master's degree. Proficiency in CAD software, programming languages like Python or C++, and experience with robotics platforms such as ROS are commonly required. Strong problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork skills help set candidates apart in this field. These skills ensure the effective design, integration, and troubleshooting of advanced robotic systems for diverse applications.

What are some common challenges faced by robotics design engineers when transitioning prototypes to mass production?

Robotics Design Engineers often encounter challenges when moving from prototype development to mass production, such as ensuring component reliability, optimizing designs for manufacturability, and maintaining cost efficiency without sacrificing performance. They must collaborate closely with manufacturing teams to refine product designs, address supply chain constraints, and ensure that regulatory standards are met. Effective communication and iterative testing are essential to identify and resolve issues early, facilitating a smoother transition to large-scale manufacturing.

What is the difference between Robotics Design Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer?

AspectRobotics Design EngineerMechanical Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Robotics, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering; often certifications in robotics or automationBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering; professional engineering license (PE) optional)
Work EnvironmentDesign labs, robotics development facilities, manufacturing settingsManufacturing plants, design offices, research labs
Industry UsageRobotics companies, automation firms, research institutionsManufacturing, automotive, aerospace, product design
Common Search/ComparisonRobotics Design Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer

Robotics Design Engineers focus on creating robotic systems, integrating sensors, actuators, and control systems, often requiring knowledge of electronics and programming. Mechanical Engineers design and analyze mechanical components and systems, with a broader scope across various industries. While both roles require engineering degrees, Robotics Design Engineers typically have specialized skills in robotics and automation, making them distinct yet overlapping with Mechanical Engineers in certain projects.

Do robotics design engineers get paid well?

Robotics design engineers typically earn competitive salaries due to the specialized skills required, such as knowledge of mechanical systems, programming, and CAD tools. Salaries vary based on experience, education, and location but generally align with engineering industry standards for technical roles.

What do robotics design engineers design?

Robotics design engineers develop and create robotic systems, including mechanical components, electrical circuits, and control software. They use CAD software and simulation tools to design robots for applications such as manufacturing, healthcare, or exploration, ensuring functionality, safety, and efficiency.

What are popular job titles related to Robotics Design Engineer jobs in Santa Ana, CA?

For Robotics Design Engineer jobs in Santa Ana, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Robotics Design Engineer jobs in Santa Ana, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Robotics Design Engineer jobs in Santa Ana, CA are:

What cities near Santa Ana, CA are hiring for Robotics Design Engineer jobs?

Cities near Santa Ana, CA with the most Robotics Design Engineer job openings:

Robotics Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Robotics Design Engineer job openings in Santa Ana, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 84% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $109,890 per year, or $52.8 per hour.

Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Locomotion

FieldAI

Irvine, CA • On-site

$100K - $230K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 25 days ago

Job description

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

About the Job
 
Field AI is building the future of autonomy—from rugged terrain to real-world deployment. We’re on a mission to develop intelligent, adaptable robotic systems that operate beyond simulation and thrive in unpredictable environments. As our Robotics Autonomy Engineer – Locomotion, you’ll lead the development and deployment of state-of-the-art controllers for legged and humanoid robots. You’ll be part of a deeply technical team advancing real-world robotic capabilities through cutting-edge research, simulation tools, and field validation. If designing locomotion systems that can navigate complex, dynamic environments excites you, and you want to work where your code hits the ground (literally)—this is your role. This is Field AI.
What You’ll Get To Do
  • Architect and implement scalable reinforcement learning (RL) pipelines for locomotion and whole-body control on legged and humanoid robots
  • Design policy architectures, training curricula, and domain randomization strategies that close the sim-to-real gap
  • Integrate GPU-accelerated, physics-based simulation environments with custom, distributed training workflows
  • Train locomotion policies from human motion data using imitation learning and motion retargeting, and distill them into compact policies that run on the robot
  • Create agile, robust, and terrain-aware (perceptive) locomotion behaviors for quadruped and humanoid platforms, and validate them on real hardware
  • Solve real-world challenges in balance and push recovery, contact-rich dynamics, high degree of freedom (DOF) whole-body coordination, and terrain variability
  • Automate evaluation across domain-randomized scenarios and maintain simulation infrastructure that enables rapid prototyping, validation, and reproducibility
  • Work closely with systems engineers, perception experts, and embedded teams, incorporating real-world telemetry and field data to continuously improve generalization
  • Lead deployment workflows from experiment through lab testing to field robot validation
What You Have
  • Master’s degree or higher in Robotics, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (PhD strongly preferred)
  • Deep expertise in reinforcement learning for continuous control
  • 2+ years of experience developing and deploying locomotion policies on real robotic systems (preferred)
  • Hands-on experience with legged robot platforms (quadrupeds, bipedal/humanoid systems, or exoskeletons)
  • Proficiency with simulation tools such as Isaac Gym, Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, or PyBullet
  • Strong command of sim-to-real transfer and a track record of bridging the gap successfully
  • Solid understanding of contact dynamics, control theory, and kinematics
  • Strong Python and/or C++ development skills in Linux-based development environments
  • Familiarity with machine learning frameworks (PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow)
  • A passion for building things that move in the real world
The Extras That Set You Apart
  • 3+ years of experience in an industry or startup robotics setting
  • Experience optimizing and deploying learning based controllers on resource constrained robotic platforms (ONNX Runtime, NVIDIA TensorRT, real time onboard inference)
  • Publications or open-source contributions in locomotion, reinforcement learning, or control (e.g., CoRL, RSS, ICRA, IROS)
  • Familiarity with ROS/ROS2 or custom middleware for real-time control
  • Background in manipulation, loco-manipulation, or whole-body coordination
  • Experience combining learned policies with model predictive control (MPC) or whole-body controllers
  • Experience with motion imitation pipelines from motion capture or teleoperation data
  • Experience debugging sim-to-real issues at scale
  • Contributions to reinforcement learning libraries or simulation platforms
  • Prior work on multi-agent learning or terrain-adaptive control systems
Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.
 
Why Join FieldAI in Irvine?
In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real-world use.
You will collaborate with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.
 
Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution
We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.
 
Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field-ready autonomy looks like.
 
We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.