Robotics Quality & Reliability Engineering Lead (m/f/d)

About the Role at RobCo

RobCo is building the category of Autonomous Industrial Robotics and we're doing it fast. We believe that automating the ordinary frees humans to do the extraordinary, and we're building the end-to-end robotics infrastructure to make that possible - hardware, software, and AI in one stack that just works.

As our Robotics Quality & Reliability Engineering Lead (m/f/d), you act as the strategic driver and operational backbone of RobCo's quality, reliability, and testing ecosystems. You bridge R&D and manufacturing to architect company-wide QA frameworks, enforce rigorous quality gates, and lead a high-performing team of engineers in elevating our physical and software products. By blending strategic vision with hands-on technical problem-solving, you ensure our field-ready autonomous robotics perform flawlessly in complex industrial environments.

Your Responsibilities

• Define Quality & Reliability Strategy: Architect end-to-end QA frameworks, test strategies, and reliability targets across engineering design, product development, and production.

• Establish Gatekeeping Criteria: Define and enforce strict gate-review criteria across Design, New Product Introduction (NPI), and Production phases to guarantee compliance with performance and safety standards.

• Bridge R&D and Manufacturing: Work closely with Engineering and Operations to integrate quality standards throughout product life cycles and End-of-Line (EOL) testing.

• Lead & Empower the Team: Mentor and grow the team of quality and test engineers, and build a strong culture of quality excellence across multidisciplinary teams. Enable teams to fully own quality and reliability in their areas of focus via transparent, metrics-based accountability frameworks and dashboards.

• Advance Test Infrastructure: Drive the evolution of testing capabilities by advancing the adoption of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulation environments.

• Establish the Tracking of Quality Metrics: Develop quality metrics and their tracking across Product Development, Production, and Field Performance Analysis (e.g., MTBF, production yield rate). Validate design expectations against field performance.

• Drive Hands-On Validation: Step into execution during critical product launches to conduct high-impact testing, audit test setups, and validate key edge cases.

We're looking for someone who has:

• Completed vocational training or a degree in Robotics, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or comparable experience.

• 6+ years of experience in quality engineering, test engineering, or systems reliability within robotics, industrial automation, autonomous systems, or complex mechatronics.

• Proven track record of building quality strategies, establishing quality gates, and leading or mentoring technical teams.

• Technical understanding of at least some of the following: hardware failure modes (thermal, mechanical, electrical/EMC), software quality principles, and automated test frameworks/scripting (e.g., Python, C++, PyTest).

• Familiarity with HIL/SIL testing concepts, functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 10218, ISO 13849), or leveraging AI/LLMs in test automation is a plus.

• Culture-aligned mindset: strong ownership mindset, growth-oriented, and a proactive, pragmatic leadership style.

• Very good English skills (German is a plus).

Why join RobCo?

• Develop modular, software-defined robotics solutions with us that set new standards in automation.

• Help us build robots equipped with state-of-the-art AI that perceive their environment, analyze data, and make intelligent decisions in real time.

• As part of a very dynamic and fast-growing scale-up, you will take on responsibility from day one, drive your own projects, and see the direct impact of your work.

• Flat hierarchies, open communication, and regular 360° feedback enable fast decisions and support your professional and personal development.

• Wellpass membership (7,200+ studios across Germany), regular team events, and a team that takes both the work and the culture seriously.

• Flexible working hours, a modern office, and—depending on the role—the option to work from home.

• Regular team events—from relaxed beer & pizza nights on the rooftop terrace to shared experiences on ski trips or at Oktoberfest.

About RobCo

Founded in Munich in 2020, RobCo leads the transition toward fully Autonomous Industrial Robotics. Our mission is to deploy RobCo in every factory - solving the industrial labor shortage through end-to-end robotics that just works. Powered by Physical AI, our solutions combine a scalable modular hardware architecture with intelligent software that adapts to your use case, improves over time, and requires zero upfront investment through our Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model.

We solve our customers' most pressing pain points - labor shortage, cost pressure, workplace safety, and national reshoring - across the full spectrum of Autonomous Industrial Robotics. With $160M raised from investors including Lightspeed, Lingotto Innovation, and Sequoia, 200+ people globally, and 2.5M+ operating hours in the field, we are deploying robots in factories across Europe and the United States - with our US operations headquartered in Austin, TX, and our RobCo Bay Area Demo Lab in San Francisco.

Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

At RobCo, applicants are selected regardless of ethnic origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation. All decisions throughout the recruitment process are based solely on applicants’ qualifications, skills, knowledge, and experience, as well as relevant business requirements.

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