Robotics Engineer (Software)

At Jacobs, we'll inspire and empower you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow and succeed – today and into tomorrow. With more than 55,000 people in 40+ countries, working at Jacobs offers an exciting range of opportunities to develop your career within a supportive and diverse team who always strive to do the right thing for our people, clients and communities.

People are Jacobs’ greatest asset, and we offer a competitive package to retain and attract the best talent.

In addition to the benefits you’d expect, UK employees also receive free single medical cover and digital GP service, family-friendly benefits such as enhanced parental leave pay and free membership of employee assistance and parental programmes, plus reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships. We also give back to our communities through our Collectively program which incorporates matched-funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations.

Work-life balance and flexibility is a key focus area for Jacobs. We’re happy to discuss hybrid, part-time and flexible working hours, patterns and locations to suit you and our business.

About the Opportunity:

Jacobs’ Robotics Development Team offers start-to-end full system design, research, development and testing for integrated electro-mechanical and software systems. We focus on building smaller and smarter robotics systems to solve complex inspection and maintenance challenges across multiple heavy industries. We are looking for a creative and innovative Robotics Software Engineer to join our team at the Birchwood campus.

Responsibilities of the role include:

• Conducting research and development in the field of mobile robotics, including algorithm development, embedded firmware, and system integration.
• Developing software solutions for mobile robotic platforms, such as underwater, ground, and bespoke vehicles, with a focus on autonomy, perception, and control.
• Collaborating with other team members, including hardware engineers, mechanical designers, and system integrators, to ensure the seamless integration of software and hardware components.
• Testing and validating software solutions, both in simulation environments and on physical robotic systems, to ensure robust and reliable performance.
• Contributing to the development of new algorithms and techniques for mobile robotics, including computer vision, machine learning, and path planning.
• Participating in the full system design and development process, from requirements gathering and specification, to prototyping, testing, and deployment.
• Providing support and maintenance for existing robotic systems, with a focus on troubleshooting and debugging issues, and implementing software upgrades and enhancements.

We are looking for candidate with some of the following skills and experiences:

• Proven experience of developing and implementing software solutions for robotics systems, ideally with a focus on mobile and/or autonomous robotics.
• Proven experience with distributed computing architectures and message brokers such as ROS or MQTT.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as C++, Python, and C#, as well as experience with software development tools and version control systems.
• Experience with software testing and validation techniques, including unit testing, integration testing, and simulation-based testing.
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills, with the ability to identify and resolve complex software issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team environment and to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• A creative, innovative, and proactive approach to solving problems.

Experience in the follow areas would be advantageous:

• Iterative refinement of early-stage prototypes into commercial products, including product ownership.
• Awareness of and experience with Lean-startup and Agile principles.
• Self-sufficiency when rapidly prototyping and/or debugging robotics hardware.
• Ability to encourage, inspire and motivate the team around them.

Our Culture:

Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and diversity. We put people at the heart of our business and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected, and if we are diverse, we’re more creative. We accept people for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, mental health, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. This is reflected in our wide range of Global Employee Networks centred on inclusion and diversity – ACE, Careers, Enlace, Harambee, OneWorld, Prism, Vetnet, and Women’s – find out more about our employee networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. For greater online accessibility please visit www.vercida.com to view and access our roles. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role

If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team.

Your application experience is important to us and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. We welcome feedback on our recruitment process and if you need more from us before deciding to join Jacobs then please let us know.