Lead Software Engineer - Dexterous Manipulation
Company: Apptronik
Location: Austin
Posted on: April 2, 2026
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Job Description:
Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing
AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our
flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate
thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as
manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in
healthcare, the home, and beyond. We operate at the cutting edge of
embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack
to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a
team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the
complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass
production to change the world for the better. JOB SUMMARY The Lead
Software Engineer - Dexterous Manipulation is a core contributor to
our robot’s ability to interact with the world with human-like
precision. This role is responsible for leading the development of
learning-based dexterous control algorithms that unlock the full
potential of state-of-the-art robotic hand hardware. This role will
bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and scalable, reliable
production software. Whether leveraging reinforcement learning,
imitation learning, teleoperation retargeting, or classical
control, they will ensure our robots can perform complex, high-DOF
tasks in both simulation and reality. As a technical lead, they
will not only design the core software architecture but also
influence hardware design to achieve world-class manipulation
capabilities. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Strategic
Ownership: Serve as the technical authority for dexterous
manipulation. Create the long-term technical roadmap, ensuring hand
control and multi-fingered coordination capabilities outpace
industry standards. Architectural Definition: Design and enforce
the foundational software frameworks for manipulation. Own the
decision-making process for balancing autonomous logic with
high-fidelity teleoperation, ensuring the architecture is scalable
for future hardware generations. Research & Innovation: Perform and
direct the integration of state-of-the-art research. Select and
deploy the specific learning-based policies and vision-integrated
systems that will define system physical capabilities. Sim-to-Real
Ownership: Lead the strategy for high-fidelity simulation. Set the
standards for success in virtual environments to optimize policy
transitions to physical fleet hardware. Hardware Design Influence:
Drive the specifications for next-generation hardware. Define the
requirements for sensing, degrees of freedom, and torque profiles.
Production Excellence: Oversee the transition from experimental
research to fleet-wide deployment. Ensure performance and
reliability of C++/Python code running on production-level assets.
Technical Leadership & Culture: Act as a force multiplier across
the organization. Beyond code reviews, foster a culture of
technical rigor, setting the bar for architectural excellence and
mentoring the next generation of robotics leaders. SKILLS AND
REQUIREMENTS Technical Skills (Must-Have) Dexterous Manipulation:
Deep expertise in multi-fingered hand control, grasp planning, and
in-hand manipulation, with a strong track record of successful
hardware deployment. Advanced Control & Learning: Proficiency in
learning-based control for robotics (e.g. flow/diffusion-based
visiomotor policies, reinforcement learning, reward modeling,
etc.). Software Engineering: Proficiency in Python , with
experience building real-time robotic software stacks. Simulation
Environments: Experience with physics engines such as IsaacSim,
MuJoCo, or Drake for policy training and validation. Good to Have
Robotic Kinematics: Strong foundation in spatial transformations,
Jacobian-based control, and constrained optimization.
Teleoperation: Experience with VR/haptic interfaces and retargeting
algorithms for human-in-the-loop control. Tactile Sensing:
Experience integrating tactile/haptic feedback into manipulation
pipelines. Computer Vision: Familiarity with 6D pose estimation,
point cloud processing, or visual-servoing. Hardware Bring-up:
Experience with the initial calibration and tuning of high-DOF
robotic end-effectors. EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE BS/MS/PhD in
Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related
field. 5 years of relevant experience (or 3 years with a PhD)
specifically focused on robotic manipulation or complex motion
control. A proven track record of taking complex algorithms from a
research/simulation environment and successfully deploying them on
physical hardware. *This is a direct hire. Please, no outside
Agency solicitations. Apptronik provides equal employment
opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and
prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard
to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability
status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic
protected by federal, state or local laws.
Keywords: Apptronik, Austin , Lead Software Engineer - Dexterous Manipulation, Engineering , Austin, Texas
