Systems Engineer (Cambridge)

Description

Summary: RightHand Robotics is seeking a Robotics System Engineer to build, maintain, and improve robotic piece-picking platforms, ensuring reliable and scalable automation solutions. Highlights: 1. Build, maintain, and improve robotic gripper and computer systems for automation 2. Lead root cause analysis for software and hardware product failures 3. Develop internal software systems to streamline engineering workflows RightHand Robotics is seeking a Robotics System Engineer. This is a full-time (40 hours/week) professional position. Job location: 92 Cambridge St, Charlestown, MA 02129. Wage Offer: $105,000/yr. Telecommuting permitted 2 days per week within MA. What You'll Do: Build, maintain, and improve the robotic gripper and computer systems for proprietary robotic piece-picking platform to deliver reliable, scalable automation solutions to customers worldwide. This includes hands-on mechanical assembly and repair, iterative systems design improvements involving pneumatics, gearing, venturi-based suction, and custom printed circuit board (PCB) components. Manage procurement of critical engineering components, monitor global inventory levels, and work with vendors to optimize costs and lead times for custom and off-the-shelf parts. Lead root cause analysis of software and hardware product failures or recurring issues on the robot piece-picking platform, delving deep into the reason for the failure and determining solutions. Provide effective resolutions and workarounds to immediate issues for uninterrupted operation. Strategize long-term solutions for recurring problems, including root cause analysis for software defects in robot vision and control software, operating system and network level diagnostics and issue resolution, and hardware peripheral device diagnostics depth cameras, barcode scanners, robot arms, touchscreen consoles, safety control systems. Interface regularly with hardware, software, and operations teams to maintain engineering continuity across departments. Occasionally act as a public-facing technical representative during executive visits or partner tours. Develop and maintain lightweight internal software systems using cloud-based platforms (Google Workspace and Apps Script) to streamline engineering workflows and reduce third-party tool reliance. Triage and perform on-site troubleshooting for minor technical problems experienced during hardware installation and escalate when necessary. Design and implement software tools to aid in debugging customer-found issues. Based on feedback and real-world performance, making recommendations for design changes, enhancements, or replacements to ensure continuous improvements. Provide engineering-level tier 3 support for the system and components during the full product life-cycle, primarily providing non-customer facing technical knowledge and leadership to internal company departments, including deployment engineering, customer support, and customer success organizations. Cross-train RightHand Robotics team members on how to debug the robot software and hardware following new feature development and ongoing changes. REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field. 2 years of experience as a Deployment Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Systems Engineer, or a related occupation. SKILLS: Must have: 1. Two (2) years of experience with technical hardware and software support in industrial automation or robotics engineering. 2. Experience using Linux as a primary operating system. 3. Experience with mechanical assemblies. 4. Experience with ticketing systems to track work (JIRA, ServiceDesk, or Zendesk). 5. Experience triaging and troubleshooting technical problems including identifying behavioral failures in a combination software/hardware environment, examining and resolving software failure tracebacks, and using software debuggers to identify incorrect code. 6. Experience with computer networking concepts (TCP/IP, UDP, DNS, Ethernet) and diagnostic tools. 7. Experience reading and writing software code in Python and using shell scripting to automate tasks. 8. Experience with incident and defect management processes (triage, root cause analysis, and resolution prioritization). About RightHand Robotics At RightHand Robotics, we build intelligent robotic piece-picking systems that operate in real warehouses, at real scale, every day. Our robots don't live in demos or research labs; they power production fulfillment across thousands of SKUs and demanding customer environments. We are a small, highly practical engineering team focused on shipping reliable, scalable automation that delivers measurable customer value.