---
title: 'Robotics Research Engineer at Foundry Robotics Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-research-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-03gepw9eft6r'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Robotics Research Engineer at Foundry Robotics Inc.

- **Company:** Foundry Robotics Inc.
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $150k–$250k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-03-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/foundry-robotics/47b129d4-9efe-4dac-9ac0-af915af79c56/application

**Skills:** ROS2, Python, Machine Learning, Control Theory, Robotics, Vision-Language-Action Models, Hardware Integration, Dual-use systems, DoD-related systems, Safety-critical robotic systems

> Design, implement, and deploy intelligent robotic systems for manufacturing using ROS2, VLA, and hybrid control architectures. The role involves building modular autonomy stacks, tuning controllers, and shipping production-grade systems to factory floors.

## Job description

Robotics Research Engineer

## About Us

We are reimagining manufacturing through advanced robotics. Our mission is to rebuild the American manufacturing industry as an AI-first, assembly-focused, dual-use contract manufacturer. We aim to empower manufacturers with intelligent, efficient, and adaptable robotic systems that redefine productivity and quality. As a founding member of our engineering team, you will have a direct and significant impact on our product, culture, and ultimate success. This role is 100% in-person at our office in the mission, SF.

## The Role

We are hiring a Robotics Research Engineer to design, implement, and deploy intelligent robotic systems for manufacturing. This is not a purely academic role — and not a generic software role. You will work across:

- ROS2-based system architecture
- Manipulation and navigation
- Perception and VLA-based control
- Traditional controls fused with learned methods
- On-site deployment in production manufacturing workcells

You should be equally comfortable reading robotics papers, tuning controllers, debugging sensor calibration, and pushing production code to robots running on a factory floor.

## Key Responsibilities

Robotics Systems & Architecture

- Design and implement distributed robotic systems in ROS2
- Build modular autonomy stacks for manipulation and mobile platforms
- Own system-level performance, latency, and reliability

Robotics Foundation Models (VLA)

- Develop and integrate Vision–Language–Action models for robotic control
- Design data collection pipelines and fine-tune foundation models for assembly tasks
- Benchmark and evaluate real-world performance

Controls + Learning

- Fuse traditional control with learned policies
- Implement hybrid perception–planning–control architectures
- Improve robustness, repeatability, and safety in physical systems

Manipulation, Navigation & Deployment

- Develop algorithms for dexterous manipulation and industrial navigation
- Ship systems from prototype to production
- Debug real-world edge cases (lighting, calibration drift, wear, latency) and maintain deployed robotic cells

## What We're Looking For

Deployment Mentality

- Experience shipping systems into real environments (not just lab demos)
- Comfort debugging hardware–software integration issues
- Ability to own systems end-to-end

Ownership

- Thrives in high-velocity, ambiguous environments
- Takes full technical ownership of complex systems
- Willing to get into the weeds of mechanical, electrical, and software challenges

## Nice to Have

- PhD in Robotics or related field
- Experience working on dual-use or DoD-related systems
- Ability to obtain a government security clearance
- Experience with safety-critical robotic systems

Growth Opportunities

- Define the technical direction of robotics foundation model deployment in manufacturing
- Build and lead the autonomy team
- Shape the next generation of AI-driven assembly systems
- Become a core technical interface with defense and industrial partners

Why Join Us? This is one of the only places where world-class manufacturing operators, mechanical engineers, robotics researchers, and software engineers sit in the same room — building production systems together. We are committed to being deeply embedded in the U.S. industrial base. Our focus is simple: build adaptive robotic assembly systems that make American manufacturing scalable, resilient, and competitive again. If you want to publish papers, this may not be the role. If you want to build and deploy the systems those papers were meant to enable — this is it. The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of San Francisco is: $150,000—$250,000 USD Compensation packages at Foundry Robotics for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Foundry Robotics employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, and generous PTO.

Foundry Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

## About Foundry Robotics Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Foundry Robotics is an AI-first, assembly-focused robotics company rebuilding American manufacturing with advanced automation and production systems.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2026
- **Founders**: Adarsh Kulkarni

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Robotics Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, Defense & Dual-Use Contract Manufacturing
- **Target customers**: B2B, primarily defense contractors, hardware startups, and industrial companies needing flexible, small-to-medium scale assembly
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "AI-first, assembly-focused robotics that rebuilds American manufacturing—faster, more flexible, and ready for what’s next."

## Products & Services
- **Battery Pack Assembly**: Small to medium-scale battery pack assembly that streamlines the path from prototype to full-scale production, enabling faster iteration and secure domestic manufacturing.
- **Advanced Hardware Sub-Assemblies**: Rapid construction of complex mechanical assemblies for next-generation and legacy hardware using AI-driven robotic cells, eliminating the need for bespoke factories.
- **Defense & Dual-Use Robotics**: Modular robotic cells for defense and dual-use applications that enable rapid assembly of critical infrastructure through secure and resilient American supply chains.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — $19M in seed funding (announced April 2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Khosla Ventures, Hanabi Capital, Red Glass Ventures, Zero Shot Fund
- **Growth Signals**: The company has grown from 14 employees to over 20 builders in a short period, with a monthly headcount growth rate of +26.7%. It opened its San Francisco HQ in May 2026, just 21 days after the space was still being opened with a sledgehammer. Website traffic is growing +128.4% month-over-month.

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-first, assembly-focused approach**: Unlike traditional contract manufacturers that require bespoke factories, Foundry uses modular, AI-driven robotic cells that can be rapidly reconfigured for different products.
- **Dual-use capability**: Serving both defense and commercial applications, which opens up a large addressable market and provides mission-driven work.
- **Speed of iteration**: The company can go from prototype to full-scale production faster than traditional manufacturers, as demonstrated by opening its HQ in under a month.
- **Team pedigree**: The founding team includes talent from Tesla, Blue Origin, Scale AI, Google DeepMind, and the UPenn GRASP Lab.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling the engineering and manufacturing platform**: The company is actively hiring across robotics, AI, software, operations, and quality engineering roles to scale its platform.
- **Rebuilding American manufacturing**: Foundry is focused on creating a domestic, secure, and resilient supply chain for critical infrastructure, particularly for defense and dual-use applications.
- **Rapid iteration and deployment**: The company prioritizes speed, moving from concept to production floor in weeks, not years.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: Employees directly contribute to rebuilding American manufacturing and strengthening national security through advanced robotics.
- **High-caliber team**: The team includes builders from Tesla, Blue Origin, Scale AI, Google DeepMind, and the UPenn GRASP Lab, offering a steep learning curve and exposure to cutting-edge technology.
- **Hybrid workspace**: The company operates a hybrid model with a strong in-office presence at its San Francisco HQ, which includes a factory floor where robots are built and deployed.
- **Early-stage impact**: As a seed-stage company, employees have significant ownership and influence over the product, culture, and direction of the company.
- **Rapid growth environment**: With a 26.7% monthly headcount growth rate and a focus on scaling, the company offers fast-paced career growth opportunities.

## Sources
1. [foundryrobotics.ai](https://foundryrobotics.ai/)
2. [LinkedIn - Foundry Robotics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundry-robotics)
3. [Built In - Foundry Robotics](https://builtin.com/company/foundry-robotics)
4. [Remix Reality - Foundry Robotics Raises $19 Million](https://www.remixreality.com/foundry-robotics-raises-19-million-to-build-ai-first-robotics-for-manufacturing/)
5. [Ashby - Foundry Robotics Careers](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/foundry-robotics)

## Other roles at Foundry Robotics Inc.

- [Founding Marketing Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-marketing-lead-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-72p3hewtt90m) — San Francisco, CA
- [Network Engineer, Autonomous Factory](https://feeny.ai/job/network-engineer-autonomous-factory-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-d0q4ta3kfnwv) — San Francisco, CA
- [Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/infrastructure-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-jhhav7qbccvg) — San Francisco, CA
- [Physical AI Deployment Strategist](https://feeny.ai/job/physical-ai-deployment-strategist-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-zze5bv4das57) — San Francisco, CA
- [Head of Security](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-security-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-352vqv4gk28v) — San Francisco, CA
- [Head of Talent](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-talent-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-terq8j6fpkkw) — San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Robotics Control Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-robotics-control-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-h08vzav6496s) — San Francisco, CA
- [Lead Robotics Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-robotics-platform-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-xzw9gcg2b008) — San Francisco, CA
- [Staff Full-Stack Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-full-stack-software-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-zaamfcr5f34y) — San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Quality Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-quality-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-san-francisco-r3bjndngc4xy) — San Francisco, CA