Role summary
We are looking for a Lead Plant Robotics Engineer to develop the manufacturing solutions that allow us to mass-produce solid rocket motors. As the lead, you will own the robotic handling strategy for our pilot plant, from the first layout concept through commissioning and scale-up, and you will lead the robotics team.
This is a unique opportunity to define how rockets are built at scale. The pilot plant is the blueprint for the production lines that follow, and the robotic cells you lead will handle containers, motor casings and energetic materials every day.
Responsibilities
- Own the robotics architecture of the pilot plant: robot selection, cell layouts, end-effectors, and handling concepts for buckets, transport boxes, motor casings and carriers.
- Lead the development of robotic handling solutions for dosing, mixing, casting, curing and demolding stations, including the explosion-protection concept (enclosure, pressure-resistant encapsulation or ATEX-certified equipment).
- Define robotics requirements for the full line and manage the interfaces with automation, process engineering, ERP/MES and external integrators.
- Lead the robotics engineering team and external suppliers, including specification, tendering, factory acceptance tests (FAT) and site acceptance tests (SAT).
- Drive cycle-time, throughput and availability targets using offline programming, simulation and data from the pilot line.
- Lead the risk assessment and safety concept for robotic cells together with safety engineering (Machinery Directive, ISO 10218, ISO 13849).
- Significant professional experience (typically 3+ years) designing and commissioning industrial robotic systems, ideally in manufacturing or process environments.
- Lead-level experience: you have led technical teams or acted as technical authority on a robotic project from concept to production.
- Strong knowledge of industrial robot platforms (ideally ABB, Fanuc), including programming, offline programming and simulation.
- Solid understanding of machine safety (Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, ISO 10218, ISO 13849) and of structured risk assessment.
- A hands-on engineering mindset: you can move from a concept sketch to a CAD layout, and you can debug a cell on the shop floor.
- The ability to work with autonomy and at pace, and to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- A degree in robotics, mechatronics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent practical experience may also be relevant.
- Robotic handling in explosion-protected or hazardous environments (Directive 2014/34/EU, TRGS 720 ff.), or with powders, pastes or chemicals.
- Vision systems, force-torque sensing, or automated quality checks (X-ray or CT integration).
- Multi-robot coordination, gantry systems, or AGV integration at production scale.
- Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES) and PLC integration.
- Experience building production capability from zero in a startup or scale-up environment.