Senior Robotic Systems Engineer

Mkind is an early-stage robotics startup on a mission to automate the most critical and demanding jobs in industry. We are building a fully flexible, intelligent robotic work cell designed specifically for the hardest manual industrial tasks — surface finishing, welding, and coating. Small, ambitious team in Munich pushing the boundaries of what robots can do in real-world industrial environments.

A foundational member of our technical team. You will own the core robotics systems that power our intelligent work cell — from motion planning and robot control to system integration and real-world deployment. Hands-on role with enormous scope: you will shape the architecture of our robotics stack from the ground up and see your work deployed in industrial settings solving real problems.

You will work at the intersection of hardware and software, collaborating closely with the founders to build systems that are robust, safe, and performant in demanding manufacturing environments. If you want to build robots that actually matter — not in simulation, but on the factory floor — this is the role for you.

• Design, develop, and maintain the robotics software stack powering our work cell.
• Develop and optimize motion planning, trajectory generation, and robot control algorithms (with a near-term focus on setting up and maintaining simulation).
• Integrate perception systems (cameras, force/torque sensors, LiDAR) with robot control pipelines.
• Build and maintain system integration between robotic arms, tooling, and external hardware.
• Define and implement safety concepts and fail-safe behaviors for industrial operation.
• Lead end-to-end testing, calibration, and commissioning of robotic systems on-site.
• Contribute to architecture decisions and help establish engineering best practices.

• 5+ years of experience in robotics engineering or a closely related field.
• Strong hands-on experience with real robot hardware (industrial or collaborative arms), EOA tooling, and sensors.
• Solid understanding of kinematics, dynamics, motion planning, and control theory.
• Experience integrating sensors (vision, force/torque) into real-time robot control loops.
• Proficiency in C++ and/or Python for robotics development.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modelling (SolidWorks / CATIA / similar).
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment with high ownership.
• Fluent in English; German is a plus.

• Experience in surface finishing, welding, or coating automation.
• Background in machine vision and 3D perception.
• Familiarity with industrial communication protocols (EtherCAT, OPC-UA).
• Experience deploying robotic systems in real industrial environments.

Location: Munich, Germany (on-site, 5 days/week)
Equity participation as an early team member.