Senior Robotics Applications Engineer

Job Description

Location: Singapore, CNC

Organization: Service Technologies Lab

About

Applied Materials is establishing the Service Technologies Lab in Singapore-an innovation space focused on the future of automated servicing, robotics, and cobot‑enabled service solutions.

The Senior Robotics Applications Engineer is an experienced technical contributor responsible for developing, integrating, and deploying advanced robotic and cobot applications. This role operates at the intersection of robotics software, hardware integration, and systems engineering, with a strong emphasis on translating prototypes into robust, repeatable, and maintainable robotic systems.

The position requires a hands-on engineer who can work independently in ambiguous environments, make sound technical judgments, and apply appropriate engineering rigor while maintaining execution velocity.

Key Responsibilities

Robotics Application Development

• Design, develop, and validate robotic and cobot applications using industrial robots, collaborative robots, and automation platforms.

• Develop application software using robotics frameworks and/or vendor provided SDKs.

• Integrate motion execution, sensing, IO, and peripheral devices to deliver working robotic applications.

• Debug and resolve complex, cross-disciplinary problems spanning robotics software, hardware integration, and system behavior.

• Systems Integration & Architecture

• Own the end-to-end technical integration of robotic systems platforms, including definition of interfaces between software, hardware, and external systems.

• Apply system level thinking and robotics fundamentals (e.g., kinematics, reference frames, calibration, safety constraints) to guide architecture and implementation decisions.

• Evaluate and integrate off-the-shelf components such as grippers, sensors, and perception systems.

• Ensure robotic systems are observable, diagnosable, and maintainable.

• Engineering Discipline & Quality

• Develop and maintain excellent technical documentation, including system architecture, interfaces, and design rationale.

• Follow best practices for source control, testing, CI/CD, and configuration management appropriate for robotics systems.

• Balance rapid prototyping with long-term maintainability and scalability.

• Apply appropriate robot safety, risk assessment, and collaborative operation constraints during development and deployment.

• Collaboration & Technical Leadership

• Work closely with Technicians, Engineers, Product, Field Services and other cross functional partners to execute hands-on development and integration activities.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship as needed.

• Interface with internal teams and external suppliers to resolve technical challenges and influence system design choices.

Core Technical Capabilities

• The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate strength in several of the following areas, applied in real world robotic systems deployments:

• End‑to‑end development and deployment of industrial or collaborative robotic applications, such as automation, maintenance, inspection, servicing, or related real‑world use cases.

• Hands‑on ownership across multiple layers of the robotics stack, including robot programming, system integration, controls, perception, and application logic.

• Experience with vendor‑specific robot programming environments (e.g., UR PolyScope, ABB RobotStudio, TMflow, or similar), including commissioning and troubleshooting.

• Hands on experience with offline programming, simulation, or virtual commissioning tools (e.g., RoboDK, RobotStudio, Gazebo, Isaac Sim, or equivalent) used to validate robotic applications.

• Experience with manipulation, motion planning, and task orchestration frameworks (e.g., MoveIt, behavior‑tree‑based systems, or skill‑based automation approaches) in real world applications platform (not simulation only).

• Integration of vision systems, force sensing, end‑effectors, safety systems, PLCs, and equipment interfaces in robots or cobots.

• Practical experience with calibration, motion planning, collision avoidance, task sequencing, error handling, and commissioning in operational environments.

• Strong understanding of robot safety, collaborative operation constraints, reliability, and maintainability in industrial or lab settings.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related fields.

• 7+ years of hands-on experience developing, integrating, and debugging robotic or automated systems on physical hardware (not simulation only roles).

• Strong practical understanding of robot kinematics, coordinate frames, and motion execution, sufficient to diagnose and correct real-world robot behavior.

• Experience developing robotics applications using ROS or ROS2, including:

• Node based architectures, message passing, TF

• Integration of robot drivers, sensors, and end-effectors

• Hands-on experience integrating and operating robots, end-effectors and sensors, such as:

• Force/torque sensors and torque-controlled tools (e.g., torque wrenches)

• Vision systems (RGB, RGB‑D, or industrial cameras)

• Proximity, safety, or ranging sensors (e.g., LiDAR, Ultrasonic or similar subsystems)

• Strong software development experience in Python and/or C++, including debugging multi-process systems on Linux-based platforms.

• Experience integrating COTS hardware and vendor SDKs where documentation may be incomplete or inconsistent.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Robotics or related discipline.

• Proven experience commissioning and deploying industrial or collaborative robot arms (e.g., Universal Robots, KUKA, FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa, or equivalent), including:

• Tool definition (TCP), payload modeling, and mass/inertia configuration

• Frame management, calibration, and repeatable motion execution

• Depth in one or more robotics domains (e.g., motion planning, perception, human robot interaction, system integration), combined with demonstrated cross disciplinary capability.

• Experience building or extending robotic software stacks beyond vendor's out-of-the-box functionality.

• Familiarity with motion planning frameworks, perception libraries, or robot safety concepts relevant to collaborative robotics.

• Hands-on experience with one or more applicable robotics, machinery safety, semiconductor equipment, or cleanroom standards (e.g., ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, ISO 12100, ISO 13849, IEC 62061, SEMI S2/S8/S22, ISO 14644) is a plus

Prior responsibility for establishing or contributing to engineering practices such as:

• Source control strategies

• CI/CD pipelines for robotics software

• Automated testing, logging, or system observabilityExperience working within large, matrixed, or regulated engineering organizations where documentation, traceability, and design intent are required

Additional Job Description

• Comfortable working hands-on with physical robotic systems.

• Able to operate independently and make sound technical judgments in ambiguous or evolving environments.

• Willingness to mentor and coach others and augment the combined organization knowledge base through knowledge sharing initiatives.

• Values documentation, clarity, and engineering rigor as enablers of scale and long‑term success.

• Balances execution speed with quality, safety, and maintainability.

• Comfortable setting technical standards and influencing others without formal authority