Robotics Lab Technician

Robotics Lab Technician

Job Summary: Talent Software Services is in search of a

Robotics Lab Technician for a contract position to work in Redmond, WA. The opportunity will be a year with a strong chance for a long-term extension.

Position Summary: We are seeking a hands-on Robotics Lab Technician to support the daily operations, safety, and technical workflows of the Robotics Lab, a central facility for Physical AI and Robotics initiatives. This position plays a critical role in enabling hardware readiness, safe experimentation, and engineering velocity for cutting-edge robotics research and development. As robotics activity expands across autonomy, sensing, and integration workflows, this role will ensure the lab can scale safely and efficiently to support an increasing number of platforms and field-deployable systems.

Primary Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• Maintain day-to-day lab operations, ensuring organization, cleanliness, and safety compliance in accordance with standards.
• Perform robot fleet maintenance and readiness checks, including battery conditioning, software provisioning, and sensor diagnostics.
• Execute sensor calibration procedures (camera, IMU, LiDAR, etc.) and support testbed reconfiguration for various research experiments.
• Manage testbed scheduling and equipment reservations to ensure optimal use of shared resources across teams.
• Assist in setting up and tearing down hardware-in-the-loop tests, mock environments, and motion capture configurations.
• Monitor safety protocols during physical testing (e.g., isolation zones, emergency stops) and serve as the on-site contact for safety audits.
• Support prototype integration, including mechanical assembly, wiring, firmware flashing, and bring-up of new robotic platforms.
• Track and manage lab consumables, hardware inventory, and repair logs for shared robotic assets.
• Collaborate with research engineers to provide technical assistance during experiments and rapid troubleshooting during live tests.
• Support integration of cloud-connected robotics systems, AI workloads, and simulation tools to accelerate validation cycles across lab and field sites.
• Assist with deploying and monitoring data-driven experiments involving real-time robotic perception, control, and navigation stacks.
• Contribute to the technical execution of robotics systems that span software, algorithms, networking, and embedded systems.
• Collect, curate, and manage robotic datasets.

Qualifications:

• Years of Experience Required: 10 years of overall experience in the field.
• Degrees or Certifications Required: Bachelor's, Master's, PhD degree in Robotics, Computer/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or related technical field.
• Best vs. Average: The ideal resume would contain the preferred qualifications in the job description. Candidates with hobbies related to robotics, such as outreach with high schools or personal projects and volunteering, are considered valuable. These activities demonstrate a strong interest and practical experience in robotics beyond formal work or academic settings.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a robotics lab, R&D lab, or engineering prototyping environment.
• Minimum 2 years of experience with simulation environment knowledge. Understanding and experience with software-based simulation environments to safely simulate robotic actions before physical deployment.
• Minimum 2 years of experience with cloud computing or other software developments.
• Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or related technical field.
• 2 years of hands-on experience in a robotics lab, R&D lab, or engineering prototyping environment.
• Familiarity with robotic hardware systems, including mobile robots, manipulators, and perception sensors.
• Working knowledge of safety best practices in physical lab environments.
• Basic proficiency with mechanical tools, soldering, and electronics troubleshooting.
• Ability to read and follow mechanical/electrical schematics and assembly diagrams.

Preferred:

• Experience with ROS or similar robotics middleware.
• Exposure to AI-based robotic systems, data collection for algorithm development, and field deployment logistics.
• Experience with robotics simulations (e.g., Gazebo, Isaac Sim, MuJoCo) and integrating simulated agents into cloud workflows.
• Familiarity with testbed calibration tools.
• Experience supporting ML/AI or autonomy test cycles in simulation or physical hardware.
• Proficiency in cloud computing technologies and Azure services.
• Ability to manage concurrent priorities across a high-throughput lab environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to collaborate with cross-functional engineering and research teams.