---
title: 'Lead Forward Deployed Software Engineer at Flink Robotics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-forward-deployed-software-engineer-flink-robotics-zurich-dmfj3anb66w5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-05'
---

# Lead Forward Deployed Software Engineer at Flink Robotics

- **Company:** Flink Robotics
- **Location:** Zurich, Switzerland
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/flink/2f7cd7b3-8e88-438b-9f2b-d44be10584a9

## Job description

Flink Robotics is a fast-paced startup, out of ETH Zürich's Computational Robotics Lab, building autonomous robots that can handle any item - including ones they’ve never seen before. We're revolutionising material handling, from stacking boxes to sorting parcels and unloading goods.

We're looking for a Lead Forward Deployed Software Engineer who loves debugging systems and turning real-world data into working software. You'll be out with our field team at customer sites, owning the adaptation and troubleshooting of our autonomy stack as it meets the conditions of each deployment.

## Who you are

- Eager to join a VC-backed startup and take real ownership from the start
- Passionate about robotics: from perception and motion to autonomy and control
- An experienced problem-solver who can make decisions under ambiguity and mentor others as the team grows
- Proactive, curious and a clear communicator (fluent English, additional languages are a plus)
- Ready to travel around 50% of the time, to get the best performance out of our deployed robots

## What you bring

- 5+ years of professional experience and a degree in maths, computer science, or a related field
- Experience deploying C++ code in production
- Self motivated, and thriving in entrepreneurial environments (startups, professional services, big tech)
- Proven experience diagnosing and resolving complex system issues in short turnaround cycles
- Low-ego collaboration; people love working with you

## What you'll do

- Optimise robot performance after installation and ensure smooth customer handover
- Quality control and deploy incremental and major software upgrades across robot fleet
- Define and own the remote supervision process
- Guide and filter feedback from customers to the product teams
- Build out and manage the forward deployed software engineering team

## Why join

- An ambitious team building a product with huge potential
- Cutting-edge robotics problems, with direct, high-stakes customer impact
- Competitive salary, equity, and top-tier gear
- Based in Zurich, with travel to partners worldwide

Apply now if you're ready to push boundaries and help shape the future of robotics!

Swiss/EU citizen, existing Swiss work permit, or a degree from a Swiss university; able to work in Switzerland without visa sponsorship

## About Flink Robotics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Flink Robotics builds physical intelligence software that turns industrial robots into plug-and-play, adaptive material-handling systems for logistics.
- **Entity Type**: Private (spin-off, Venture Kick-backed, seed-stage)
- **Headquarters**: Zurich, Switzerland
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Moritz Geilinger (CEO), Simon Huber (CTO), with Prof. Stelian Coros (Scientific Advisor)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Robotics engineering, logistics automation, industrial hardware-software solutions.
- Target customers: B2B, enterprise – parcel carriers (e.g., Swiss Post, DHL, Österreichische Post), warehouses, distribution hubs, and manufacturers handling diverse products.
- Mission or purpose statement: "Automating real work" – deliver intelligence to robots and automate physical work for anyone, anywhere.

## Products & Services
- **[Flinkbot](https://www.flink.so/)**: A large autonomous logistics robot (1 m² footprint, <300 kg) capable of singulating, loading, and unloading items. Uses LIDAR for safety (no cages), handles awkward/heavy items, coordinates with multiple bots for 2× lift or speed.
- **[Flinkbot Mini](https://www.flink.so/)**: A smaller variant (0.5 m², <150 kg) optimised for dense pick zones and small, high-mix items. Both operate fully autonomously with no supervision.
- **Pricing model**: Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) at €12,000 per month (all‑inclusive). A six‑month friction‑free trial offered for €50,000.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed; total funding of ~$170,000 (USD) in two rounds (corporate round 2023, seed round July 2024 led by Venture Kick, plus a grant).
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $170,072 as of mid‑2025. Revenue not publicly available.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Venture Kick (lead investor, CHF 150,000 prize), Swiss Post (first customer and testbed), interest from DHL and Österreichische Post.
- **Growth Signals**: Team grew from 3 to 17 employees within two years (+16.7% monthly growth on LinkedIn); active job postings; featured in ETH Zurich news; awarded Venture Kick and multiple innovation challenge wins.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Software‑first adaptability**: Robots can be re‑tasked to new objects and workflows within minutes (no costly reprogramming) using a proprietary "physical intelligence" layer.
- **Multi‑bot coordination**: Algorithms enable multiple robots to collaborate on lifting and moving items without fixed infrastructure.
- **Safety built‑in**: No safety cages or exclusion zones needed – LIDAR‑based safe motion.
- **Plug‑and‑go deployment**: Minimal setup time; drops into existing workflows without infrastructure changes.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale deployments** beyond the initial pilot with Swiss Post and expand to other European logistics hubs (DHL, Austrian Post).
- **Enter adjacent verticals** such as final packaging (e.g., chocolate, cosmetics manufacturers) where high‑mix, low‑volume items are still packed by hand.
- **Refine general‑purpose technology** by solving concrete high‑demand use cases, growing the team carefully to maintain agility.

## Why Work Here
- **Impact at scale**: Work on robotics that solve real‑world problems (packages, logistics) – your code ships and runs on actual hardware in distribution hubs.
- **Tight, agile team**: Current staff of ~17, with a culture of "building things yourself" and seeing direct impact weekly.
- **Cutting‑edge technology**: Close proximity to ETH Zurich research; team leaders have PhDs in physical AI and machine learning. Projects span perception, control, and motion planning.
- **Work environment**: Hybrid/on‑site likely (Zurich-based); regular customer site visits. Benefits include direct collaboration with founders and a "tough challenges, fast execution" atmosphere.
- **Open roles**: As of mid‑2025, actively hiring a Hardware/Field Robotics Engineer Intern, with plans to grow further.

## Sources
1. [flink.so](https://www.flink.so/)
2. [flink.so/about](https://www.flink.so/about)
3. [LinkedIn – Flink Robotics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/flink-robotics)
4. [ETH Zurich News – Readying robots for new tasks](https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/03/readying-robots-for-new-tasks.html)

## Other roles at Flink Robotics

- [Student Job - Robot Assembly](https://feeny.ai/job/student-job-robot-assembly-flink-robotics-zurich-aq80x1fr348h) — Zurich, Switzerland
- [Forward Deployed Software Engineer - Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-software-engineer-intern-flink-robotics-zurich-ff9005wtyb1s) — Zurich, Switzerland
- [Field Robotics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/field-robotics-engineer-flink-robotics-zurich-65fb1ndppsyy) — Zurich, Switzerland
- [Speculative Application](https://feeny.ai/job/speculative-application-flink-robotics-zurich-2ywd38t6q9zf) — Zurich, Switzerland