Head of AI Robotics R&D

• Pay or shift range: $275,000 USD to $325,000 USD The estimated range is the budgeted amount for this position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications and other job-related reasons.

Janicki Industries is an innovative, family-owned aerospace company located at the foot of the Cascades. We focus on engineering and manufacturing complex projects for companies in the aerospace, defense, and space industries. We are looking for a Director of AI Robotics to join our growing team.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

This position is located on-site in Bellingham, Washington State.

Janicki Industries is seeking a Head of AI Robotics R&D to lead a team of AI Engineers responsible for the research, development, and deployment of object perception systems that enable our robots to recognize, locate, and interact with parts, tooling, pallets, and other objects across our factory floors. This leader will guide the Research and Development to determine the technical direction of 3D object detection and six-degree-of-freedom pose estimation efforts using frameworks such as NVIDIA Isaac Perceptor, Foundation Pose, and OpenCV, while building and mentoring a high-performing engineering team.

Objects handled by these systems range from standard pallets to one-of-a-kind composite tooling weighing up to 50,000 lb, requiring perception solutions that perform reliably across an unusually broad range of object scale, geometry, and material.

The following essential job functions are performed as the Head of AI Robotics R&D:

• Set technical direction and roadmap for object perception R&D, including 3D detection, classification, and pose estimation model strategy.
• Guide architecture decisions for multi-sensor perception pipelines integrating RGB cameras, depth cameras, and LIDAR.
• Review and approve calibration methodologies (camera-to-LIDAR, camera-to-robot-frame) and production monitoring/testing frameworks for perception accuracy.
• Evaluate emerging perception technologies, sensors, foundation models, and synthetic data generation approaches, and make build-vs-buy recommendations.
• Personally engage in hands‑on technical work as needed, including model evaluation, architecture reviews, and troubleshooting production issues.
• Hire, mentor, and manage a team of AI Engineers, setting clear goals and providing regular performance feedback.
• Build team capability through training, technical growth planning, and structured onboarding.
• Foster a culture of rigorous experimentation, documentation, and knowledge sharing within the team.
• Manage team workload, priorities, and project timelines across multiple concurrent perception initiatives.
• Partner with navigation and controls engineering leadership to ensure perception outputs translate into effective robot behavior.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering and operations stakeholders to prioritize perception use cases based on production impact.
• Represent the perception team in program reviews, technical roadmap discussions, and budget planning.
• Communicate technical progress, risks, and resource needs to senior engineering and program leadership.
• All Other duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Vision, Robotics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or related field.
• 10+ years of relevant engineering experience spanning robotics and AI required.
• Deep hands‑on experience with industrial robot programming, integration, and deployment
• Proven track record shipping applied AI/ML solutions (object detection, model training/re‑training loops, reinforcement learning, etc.) in real‑world environments
• Strong background in robot perception (cameras, LiDAR, structured light, force sensing)
• Expert‑level Python, common AI ecosystems (PyTorch/Tensor Flow, OpenCV, PCL, ROS/ROS2), and modern dev‑ops tooling (Git, Docker, CI/CD)
• Comfortable installing, configuring, and troubleshooting Linux/Windows systems, VMs, and complex development environments
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and lead technically without formal authority
• Due to our ITAR and EAR regulations, applicants must be a US Citizen or of Legal Permanent…