Robotics Application Engineer

Rhoda AI· Mountain View· ashby· published 04/07/2026
Must-have:FullstackAISenior
At Rhoda AI, we’re building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. Our robots are designed to be generalists capable of operating in complex, real-world environments and handling long-tail edge cases, made possible by our cutting edge research and end-to-end system design. We've raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up to make generalist robotics a reality. We're looking for a mid-to-senior Robotics Application Engineer to translate real-world customer use cases into robust intelligent robot deployments. You will design, prototype, and refine grippers, end-of-arm tooling, work stations, and integration hardware — and develop efficient strategies for robot learning and data collection — working at the intersection of robotics, AI, hardware, and deployment operations. What You'll Do - Execute customer projects end-to-end — from scoping and solution design through onsite delivery, serving as the primary technical point of contact - Design mechanical solutions including grippers, EOAT, fixtures, and work-cells; rapidly prototype and validate concepts before field deployment - Drive AI model post-training and deployment on robot hardware, developing training strategies and partnering with robot pilots and data ops to build robust policies - Become a product expert — develop deep knowledge of the full stack and internal workflows to accelerate customer onboarding and inform the roadmap - Continuously improve by identifying failure patterns, building reusable design standards, and contributing to shared documentation What We're Looking For - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field - 3–6 years of experience in mechanical design for robotics, automation, manufacturing, or industrial systems - Strong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, OnShape, or equivalent) - Experience designing grippers, tooling, fixtures, or electromechanical assemblies - Hands-on prototyping experience (3D printing, machining, fabrication & assembly) - Experience debugging robotic systems - Familiarity with AI/ML concepts as applied to robotics (e.g., machine vision, imitation learning, reinforcement learning, or policy training) - Ability to collaborate cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment Nice to Have (But Not Required) - Experience working with robotic arms or humanoid systems - Hands-on experience with robot policy training, fine-tuning, or deployment - Experience integrating conveyors, AMRs, actuators, sensors, and other electromechanical devices - Experience supporting real-world deployments or field installations — scoping timelines, managing deliverables, and coordinating across teams - Experience coordinating external contractors or vendors for fabrication or integration Why This Role - Own the full customer journey — from first scoping call to live robot deployment — with direct visibility into how your solutions perform in the real world - Work at the intersection of hardware design and AI, shaping how our robots learn and operate in production customer environments - High ownership in a small team where your design decisions and deployment strategies directly influence the roadmap and scale of what we build next