Senior Applications Engineer (West Coast)

About Standard Bots

Standard Bots is building the next generation of industrial robots -- hardware that's powerful, affordable, and designed to scale. We're the largest U.S. industrial robotics company by robots shipped, and our robots are showing up on factory floors everywhere from independent machine shops to NASA and Lockheed Martin.

Note: This role is technically remote, but you must live on the west coast (preference for California). This job is customer-facing and requires up to 50% domestic travel, Monday through Friday. If that makes you nervous, this probably isn't the right fit. If that sounds like a perk, read on.

Also note: This is not a software engineering role. If you're looking for a job where you sit at a desk and write application code, this is the wrong job description. If you want to actually build things, wire things up, and watch them run -- keep reading.

The Role

The Senior Applications Engineer is one of the rarest profiles in industrial automation -- and one of the most important roles at Standard Bots.

You're not a mechanical engineer. You're not an electrical engineer. You're not a software engineer. You're all three, and you know how to make them talk to each other. You can look at a customer's production line, understand what's broken or slow or manual, and figure out how to fix it with a robot. Then you build the proof of concept, get on a plane, and go install it.

From pre to post sale, you're the one working closely with the sales team to make the solution real. You'll build the proof of concept, design the integration, write the python scripts, build the fixture, run the wiring, and commission the cell -- then train the customer's team on how to use it. You'll also help run demos at trade shows, support trainings at customer sites and in our shop, and be the technical backbone for every customer engagement that requires hands-on expertise.

This is a builder's role. Tinkerers welcome. People who get bored at a desk are strongly encouraged to apply.

What You'll Do

• Solution Design & Proof of Concept
• Work with the sales team and customers to understand automation goals, production constraints, and integration requirements
• Design practical, buildable solutions around Standard Bots' hardware -- and build the proof of concept yourself to validate it works before anyone signs anything
• Develop application notes, sample code, and supporting documentation that help customers and internal teams understand how to replicate and scale solutions
• Field Installation & Integration
• Travel to customer sites to install, program, wire, and commission robotic cells
• Own the integration from mechanical setup through software configuration -- fixtures, I/O, PLC handshakes, safety, test, sign-off
• Troubleshoot on-site when things don't go as planned (and sometimes they don't) -- you stay until it works
• Customer Training & Support
• Train customer operators and technicians on Standard Bots hardware and software -- both on-site and at our facility
• Support customers post-install as they find new applications and push the limits of what the robot can do
• Be a trusted technical resource for the accounts you've worked with -- they'll call you when something comes up
• Trade Shows & Demos
• Represent Standard Bots at industry events and trade shows -- build the demo, run it live, talk shop with engineers and plant managers on the floor
• Help develop and maintain demo systems that show the breadth of what Standard Bots hardware can do
• Internal Collaboration
• Feed real-world integration learnings back to our hardware and software engineering teams -- you're on the front lines and your input shapes the product
• Assist in-house engineering with testing new features, peripherals, and integrations as we expand the platform

What We're Looking For

• A genuine trifecta: you're comfortable with mechanical systems, electrical systems, and software -- not just one of the three
• 6+ years of hands-on experience with industrial automation fundamentals: PLC programming and ladder logic, pneumatics, DC power systems (you know the difference between NPN and PNP), robot programming (any platform), and Python scripting
• Proficiency with CAD -- SolidWorks preferred, but we care more that you can design and think in 3D than which tool you use
• Customer-facing experience -- you can explain a technical integration to an engineer, a plant manager, and an ops director in the same conversation and land differently with each one
• A genuine bias for getting things done in the field, not just in theory -- you'd rather build it than write about it
• Comfort with up to 50% domestic travel; this role is hands-on and on-site by nature
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline -- or equivalent hands-on experience that tells the same story
• Nice to Have
• Prior experience with collaborative robots (UR, Fanuc, KUKA, ABB, or similar)
• Familiarity with machine tending, palletizing, welding, or assembly automation applications
• Experience with vision systems, force/torque sensing, or custom end-of-arm tooling
• Background in a manufacturing or production environment -- you've worked on or near a factory floor before