Slip Robotics is hiring a Robotics Navigation and Control Engineer to own the motion planning, path planning, and control systems on our autonomous mobile robots. You will be responsible for making robot movement safe, precise, and reliable in constrained logistics environments like inside trailers and across loading docks.
What You'll Do
- Design, implement, and optimize path planning and trajectory generation for autonomous mobile robots operating in constrained logistics environments
- Develop and tune motion controllers (PID, MPC, or similar) for heavy-payload platforms with real-world dynamics
- Implement obstacle avoidance and safety behaviors that work reliably around people and infrastructure
- Own the localization stack, working with perception engineers to integrate sensor-based position estimates into the control loop
- Build simulation models and validate them against real robot behavior for faster development iteration
- Analyze and improve robot performance using field data, telemetry, and logs from deployed systems
- Collaborate with perception, hardware, and cloud infrastructure teams to deliver integrated autonomy features
- Contribute to CI/CD pipelines for controls software testing and deployment to the robot fleet
What We're Looking For
- 5+ years of professional experience developing navigation and control systems for physical robots at a robotics or autonomous vehicle company
- Strong proficiency in C++ and Python
- Deep understanding of motion planning algorithms (A*, D*, RRT variants, lattice planners, or similar)
- Hands-on experience designing and tuning controllers for mobile robot platforms
- Production experience with ROS or ROS 2 navigation stacks
- Experience with localization techniques (EKF, particle filters, scan matching, visual odometry)
- Demonstrated ability to bridge the sim-to-real gap—tuning algorithms that work on actual hardware, not just in simulation
- Comfort analyzing system behavior from logs and telemetry data
- Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in a small team
Nice to Have
- Master’s degree or higher in Robotics, Controls, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
- Experience with model predictive control (MPC) or adaptive control approaches
- Experience with AWS IoT, Greengrass, or edge computing for fleet-scale robot management
- Familiarity with Gazebo, Isaac Sim, or other robotics simulation environments
- Background in logistics, warehousing, or heavy-payload robotics
Technical Stack
- C++, Python
- ROS, ROS 2
- AWS IoT, AWS Greengrass
- Gazebo, Isaac Sim
Team & Environment
You will join a small, high-impact team where your work has direct, visible impact on shipped products. This is the chance to work on robots that are operating in production today—not a research project.
Benefits & Compensation
- Competitive salary and equity
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
- Permissive time off policy
Work Mode
This role operates on a hybrid basis and is open to candidates located in the United States.
Slip Robotics is an equal opportunity employer.
