Senior​/Lead Robotics & Automation Engineer

Industrial Robotics | Intelligent Manufacturing | Autonomous Factory Systems

About iRocket

Innovative Rocket Technologies (iRocket) is an aerospace and defense technology company developing advanced propulsion systems, solid rocket motors, and next-generation automated manufacturing capabilities.

Our mission is to transform how critical aerospace and defense hardware is manufactured by combining industrial robotics, precision machining, artificial intelligence, machine vision, and intelligent factory automation.

We are building a scalable manufacturing platform designed to enable high-rate, repeatable, and increasingly autonomous production.

We are seeking an exceptional Senior / Lead Robotics & Automation Engineer to take technical ownership of developing and integrating our next generation of automated manufacturing systems.

This is a hands‑on engineering position for someone who enjoys building real hardware, writing software, troubleshooting equipment, and taking complex automation projects from concept through commissioning.

You will work with industrial robotic arms, CNC machining centers, automated material‑handling equipment, machine vision systems, and industrial controls to create integrated production environments.

The successful candidate will help develop automation capabilities that connect individual manufacturing cells into an intelligent, coordinated factory.

We are looking for a builder and problem‑solver, not someone who only manages automation projects.

Robotics & Industrial Automation

• Design, develop, program, integrate, and commission industrial robotic systems for automated manufacturing.
• Program and integrate robotic arms, including FANUC, Universal Robots, or comparable industrial robotics platforms.
• Develop automated CNC machine tending, robotic loading/unloading, pick‑and‑place, material handling, and assembly applications.
• Design robotic workcells, including tooling, end effectors, sensors, and control interfaces.
• Optimize robotic movements, production cycle times, operational reliability, and equipment utilization.

Automation, Controls & Software

• Develop and integrate industrial automation software, PLC controls, machine interfaces, and supervisory control systems.
• Establish reliable communication between robots, CNC machines, sensors, mixers, inspection equipment, and supporting manufacturing systems.
• Develop software for machine coordination, equipment status monitoring, workflow sequencing, and fault recovery.
• Integrate manufacturing equipment with MES, MRP, ERP, and production data systems.
• Support development of centralized factory‑management software capable of coordinating multiple automated production cells.

Machine Vision & Intelligent Manufacturing

• Develop or integrate computer vision systems for automated inspection, part identification, quality verification, and process monitoring.
• Implement industrial cameras, sensors, and machine vision software to improve production quality and consistency.
• Support AI‑enabled monitoring, predictive maintenance, and data‑driven optimization as manufacturing data and system maturity allow.
• Develop automated data collection and traceability across manufacturing operations.

Advanced Manufacturing & System Development

• Support development of modular, scalable, and deployable automated manufacturing cells.
• Evaluate and integrate autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated material‑transport systems where appropriate.
• Lead prototype development, integration, debugging, testing, and commissioning.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, propulsion, software, and quality engineering teams.
• Establish appropriate industrial safety controls, equipment documentation, operating procedures, and…