The Opportunity A rapidly growing, multi-site e-commerce and logistics company is seeking a Head of Robotics to build and lead its internal robotics engineering organization. The company is investing in goods-to-person robotics to transform how inventory is stored, moved and picked across its distribution network. An initial proof of concept is currently underway using autonomous mobile robots and mobile shelving, with plans to develop the technology into a reliable production platform capable of supporting larger fleets and multiple facilities. This leader will own the robotics strategy, software architecture, systems integration and deployment roadmap. They will also recruit and lead the engineering team responsible for connecting the company's internally developed warehouse-management system with robots, warehouse-execution software, workstations and other automation technologies. This is a hands-on technical leadership position—not solely a vendor-management role. The ideal candidate has a strong software engineering background and experience taking robotics or autonomous systems from early development into real-world production. Responsibilities Define the architecture and roadmap for the company's robotics and warehouse-automation platform. Lead the integration of robotics systems with the company's internally developed WMS. Build software capabilities for task allocation, mission dispatching, traffic management, charging, prioritization and exception recovery. Determine which technologies should be developed internally and which should be provided by external vendors. Recruit and lead a high-performing robotics engineering team. Establish engineering standards for architecture, testing, deployment, monitoring and incident response. Develop simulation and testing environments to validate system performance before production deployment. Lead the commissioning and expansion of robotic systems across multiple facilities. Establish performance standards for throughput, availability, mission completion and manual intervention. Evaluate robotics manufacturers, software platforms and systems integrators. Ensure robotic systems are deployed safely and in accordance with applicable industrial standards. Work closely with software, operations and executive leadership to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions. Required Experience Significant software engineering experience, including hands-on development earlier in your career. Experience leading teams that build production robotics, autonomous systems or industrial automation software. Experience deploying autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles or similar technologies in operational environments. Strong understanding of distributed systems, APIs, messaging, state management and event-driven architecture. Experience with fleet management, task allocation, routing or multi-robot coordination. Proficiency with technologies commonly used in robotics. Experience with ROS or ROS2. Experience integrating robotics or automation platforms with a WMS, WES, ERP, MES or comparable enterprise system. Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop and lead technical teams. Ability to work effectively with engineers, warehouse operators, executives and external vendors. Willingness to spend meaningful time at the initial deployment facility and travel to other company locations. Preferred Experience Experience with goods-to-person, shelf-to-person or Kiva-style warehouse automation. Experience operating fleets of dozens or hundreds of mobile robots. Experience developing warehouse-execution or fulfillment-optimization software. Experience with robotics simulation, digital twins and automated testing. Familiarity with cloud and edge infrastructure, observability and industrial networking. Understanding of industrial mobile robot safety standards. Experience building a robotics capability or engineering organization from an early stage. Equivalent production experience will be valued more heavily than academic credentials alone. What Success Looks Like The successful candidate will: Define the production architecture for the robotics platform. Establish clear ownership between internal systems and external vendors. Recruit the initial robotics engineering team. Deliver reliable integration between the company's WMS and robotic systems. Establish simulation, testing, telemetry and operational-support capabilities. Demonstrate stable performance under real warehouse conditions. Create a repeatable plan for expanding the technology across the company's distribution network. Why Consider This Opportunity This is an opportunity to build a major robotics program within an established and rapidly growing operating company. The organization has real facilities, meaningful transaction volume, an internally developed technology platform, executive support and a live robotics proof of concept. The person in this role will have significant influence over the architecture, team, vendor strategy and deployment model. The technology developed by this team has the potential to reshape material handling and fulfillment across the company's entire network. Compensation The company offers competitive executive-level compensation, including: Competitive base salary Performance-based incentive compensation Comprehensive employee benefits Relocation assistance where appropriate Compensation will be based on experience and demonstrated ability to build and lead a production robotics engineering organization. Confidential Search This search is being conducted confidentially. Additional information regarding the company, its operations and the robotics initiative will be shared with qualified candidates during the interview process. The company is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Employee discount Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Retirement plan Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person