Robotics Engineer - Learning for Manipulation

About the role

At Bota Systems, we build force/torque sensors and the tools that let robots learn from touch. We’re now building a platform for training robot AI that combines vision and force sensing, and we’re looking for an engineer to help robots learn contact-rich manipulation from real-world data. Position: Robotics Engineer - Learning for Manipulation Location: Zurich, Switzerland Start Date: As soon as possible What you’ll do: • Train, fine-tune, and deploy learning-based manipulation policies (imitation learning, diffusion policies, VLAs) that use both vision and force/torque as inputs • Build and run data-collection pipelines on real hardware, including kinesthetic teaching, teleoperation, synchronized multi-modal recording, and dataset curation • Integrate force-aware, physics-consistent simulation for training and evaluation • Design the software architecture that connects sensors, robots, and learning stack, with a focus on reliability and scalability • Work directly with our hardware and embedded engineers to bring models from experiment to working robot What you bring: • A degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, ideally 1–3 years of relevant experience (industry, research, or a substantial thesis) • Hands-on experience in training and fine-tuning ML models, ideally for robotics • Strong Python skills and working knowledge of C++ • Experience with ROS 2 and with real robot hardware • Clear communication and enjoyment of working across disciplines Nice to have: • Experience with robot learning frameworks (e.g. LeRobot), policy architectures such as ACT, diffusion policy, or VLAs, or multi-modal/tactile learning • Simulation experience (MuJoCo, Isaac Sim/Lab, or similar) • Experience with force control, impedance control, or contact-rich tasks What we offer: • Real ownership of a core part of our product, with direct impact on what we ship • Daily access to state-of-the-art sensors, robots, and teleoperation setups • A small, highly technical team in Zurich Benefits: • Opportunity to work on exciting projects at the forefront of robotics. • Mentorship from experienced professionals in the field. • Hands-on experience with robotic systems and technologies. Apply with your CV and a short note on a manipulation or robotics project you’re proud of.