Director of Robotic Engineering

Location: Detroit, MI – Onsite
Type: Full-time
Security Clearance: No clearance required, must be clearable.

About the role

We are seeking a highly experienced Director of Robotics Engineering to lead the vision, architecture, and execution of advanced robotic systems. This role requires deep technical expertise in robotics combined with strong leadership, product focus, and system-level thinking. The Director will oversee end-to-end development of robotic platforms—from concept and architecture through prototyping, validation, and production—while mentoring technical leaders and driving innovation across hardware, software, and controls.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Architecture
  • Own the technical vision and system architecture for robotic platforms and subsystems
  • Lead design and integration of robotics hardware, software, firmware, and controls
  • Guide decisions across kinematics, dynamics, sensing, perception, motion planning, and autonomy
  • Ensure system-level performance, reliability, safety, and scalability
• Team & Organizational Leadership
  • Build, lead, and mentor senior robotics engineers and technical managers
  • Establish engineering standards, best practices, and development processes
  • Foster a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and innovation
  • Partner with recruiting to hire top-tier robotics talent
• Product & Execution Ownership
  • Drive roadmap execution aligned with product, manufacturing, and business goals
  • Oversee prototyping, testing, validation, and production readiness
  • Manage technical risk, trade-offs, and cross-disciplinary dependencies
  • Support critical design reviews and milestone decision points
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Collaborate with Product, Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations teams
  • Align robotics development with regulatory, safety, and compliance requirements
  • Support customer engagements, demos, and executive-level technical discussions

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Engineering, or related field (Master’s or PhD strongly preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in robotics engineering, including leadership of complex systems
• Proven track record delivering robotic systems into real-world deployment
• Demonstrated experience leading senior technical teams and large programs

Skills

Robotics Expertise (Required)

• Deep, hands-on knowledge in several of the following:
• Robotic system design and integration
• Robot kinematics, dynamics, and control systems
• Autonomous systems and motion planning
• Sensing, perception, and sensor fusion (Lidar, vision, depth, IMUs)
• Embedded systems, real-time software, and robotics middleware (e.g., ROS/ROS2)
• Hardware-software co-design and system debugging

Preferred Experience

• Industrial, mobile, medical, autonomous, warehouse, or field robotics
• Safety-critical or regulated robotic systems
• Manufacturing, reliability, and production scale-up
• Working with multidisciplinary teams across hardware, software, and AI

About the Organization

Eccalon provides global solutions to the most challenging technological issues of the 21st-century, and our evolving portfolio spans five major markets: Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Aerospace & Defense, Material Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, Sports Science, Biotechnology, and Health & Life Sciences.

Benefits

Encouraging a healthy and balanced life, we offer an extensive benefits package to support the wellness of our employees and their families. Our culture is built on inclusion, teamwork, and trust, and we are committed to offering career advancement opportunities to all employees.