AI Robotics Engineer

Company Overview

KLA stands as a global frontrunner in diversified electronics crucial for the semiconductor manufacturing sector. Nearly every modern electronic device—from laptops and smartphones to wearable technology, voice-activated gadgets, VR equipment, and smart vehicles—relies on KLA's innovative technologies. The company develops systems and solutions to facilitate the production of wafers, reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards, and flat panel displays. Emphasizing innovation, KLA allocates 15% of its sales revenue to research and development. Their multidisciplinary teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists, and problem-solvers collaborate with leading technology providers to propel the advancement of future electronic devices. Life at KLA is dynamic and engaging, offering intellectually stimulating challenges.

Group/Division

The KLA Services division, headquartered in Milpitas, CA, encompasses Service Sales and Marketing, Spares Supply Chain, Field Operations, Engineering, Product Training, and Technical Support. This service organization partners with field teams and clients across sectors to uphold product performance through a diverse service portfolio. Their services feature proactive tool management to enhance performance, expertise in optics, image processing, motion control, worldwide service engineers, around-the-clock technical support, knowledge management systems, and a global parts network ensuring availability.

Role Description and Responsibilities

• Develop vision-guided reasoning systems to enable robotic platforms to convert perception inputs into physical actions.
• Create decision-making layers that autonomously plan, sequence, and execute maintenance operations for robotic systems.
• Integrate computer vision models with robotic controls to link perception data with physical task execution.
• Collaborate closely with service engineering teams during proof-of-concept stages to grasp practical constraints and validate methods onsite.
• Design and implement safety protocols and fallback mechanisms for autonomous tasks involving precise hardware interactions.
• Establish simulation and testing environments to verify robotic behaviors prior to deployment in the field.
• Partner with the vision team to define model requirements critical for reliable robotic performance.
• Prepare detailed documentation covering system architectures, control logic, and operational procedures for practical field application.

Minimum Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, or related disciplines; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least one year of demonstrated experience developing robotics or autonomous solutions operating within real-world environments; exceptional recent graduates with validated projects or research are encouraged to apply.
• Proficiency in Python and C/C++ programming languages, along with practical experience using ROS/ROS2 or equivalent robotic software frameworks.
• Hands-on expertise integrating computer vision with robotic control systems, enabling perception-to-action pipelines.
• Knowledge of motion and path planning along with task-level reasoning for manipulation or navigation tasks.
• Familiarity with sensor fusion, state estimation, and real-time control systems.
• Strong grasp of safety engineering principles for autonomous systems, including failure scenarios, fallback strategies, and designs that incorporate human oversight.
• Ability to navigate ambiguous, early-stage projects requiring innovative problem-solving and adaptability.
• Strong analytical skills and ease working with hardware-constrained environments.
• Experience relevant to manufacturing, semiconductor industry, industrial automation, or field robotics is advantageous.
• Exposure to reinforcement learning for robotic control and sim-to-real transfer methods is a plus.

Additional Information

KLA offers a competitive and family-friendly compensation and benefits package tailored to foster an inclusive workplace environment that caters to diverse employee needs.

KLA is committed to equal employment opportunity.

Applicants should be vigilant about fraudulent job postings or recruitment scams falsely representing KLA. The company does not require any financial payment for interview considerations or employment, nor does it engage with agencies charging such fees. The official recruiting involves multiple interviews conducted in-person or via video conferencing with hiring managers. Suspected illegitimate communications or job offers should be reported directly to [email protected]. KLA takes candidate privacy seriously and safeguards personal data with confidentiality.