Hiring nowAutonomous navigation and field robotics

Field Robotics Integration Engineer

Also called Robotics Systems Integrator

A Field Robotics Integration Engineer gets autonomy software and sensors working together on a real machine outdoors. It matters because autonomy that only works in simulation does not ship, and this person closes that gap.

What they do

They take perception, localisation and planning components and make them run on a physical platform. They mount and wire sensors, calibrate cameras, lidar and inertial units, and check timing and coordinate frames. They bring up the software stack on the vehicle, then test in the yard and in the field. When something fails, they work out whether the cause is hardware, calibration, software or the environment. They keep simulators close to reality, write test and maintenance procedures, and commission the finished system for the people who will operate it.

What a strong hire delivers

In the first months, a strong hire gets an existing autonomy stack running reliably on a real platform. They leave a repeatable calibration routine, a written bring-up and test procedure, and a maintenance guide others can follow. Failures are logged and traced to causes. The team can then trust field results and spend its time improving autonomy rather than chasing wiring faults and drift.

How you can tell they are good

Ask them to walk through a system they commissioned, from bare platform to field operation. Good candidates describe specific failures, how they isolated the cause, and what they changed afterwards. Ask how they calibrated sensors and checked the result. Listen for honesty about uncertainty, safety limits and conditions where the system struggled. Vague talk of simulation success is a warning sign.

Why it is hard to fill

The title varies widely. Candidates may be called robotics systems integrator, field engineer, autonomy engineer or test engineer. Most people are strong in either software or hardware, and few are comfortable in both while also standing in a muddy field. Those with real calibration and fielding experience are in demand, and many sit in teams unwilling to lose them.

Where to find them

Look in robotics and autonomy companies that run vehicles or machines outdoors, including agriculture, mining, construction, logistics, inspection and defence. Strong candidates often come from estimation, control or perception engineering and moved towards hardware. University robotics labs and field trial teams are also good sources. Test engineers on autonomous vehicle programmes are worth speaking to.

Indicative pay

Not enough published evidence yet to give a fair range for this role, which is common for work this new. We benchmark it for you as part of a search.

Interview questions for a Field Robotics Integration Engineer

  1. Describe a sensor calibration you carried out on a physical platform. How did you know it was good?

    Strong answers name the method, the checks used and how drift was monitored over time. Look for use of residual errors or repeat tests. Worry if they treat calibration as a one-off step or cannot say how they verified it.

  2. A localisation stack works in simulation but drifts on the vehicle. How do you narrow down the cause?

    They should work systematically: timing, frames, sensor noise, mounting, then software. Good answers compare logs with simulation and change one thing at a time. Worry if they jump straight to retuning the algorithm.

4 more questions, with what a strong answer covers, are in the Role Kit.

Job description you can post

We build autonomous machines that work outside the lab. We are hiring an engineer to integrate perception, localisation and navigation software with sensors and hardware, then commission systems that run reliably and safely in the field. You will work closely with software, hardware and operations colleagues.

What you will do

  • Integrate autonomy software with sensors, compute and vehicle platforms
  • Calibrate cameras, lidar and inertial sensors and verify the results
  • Run bring-up, simulation and field tests across representative conditions
  • Diagnose faults across hardware, software and environment
  • Write commissioning, test and maintenance procedures
  • Report field reliability and safety findings to the wider team

What you will bring

  • Demonstrated work integrating autonomy on a physical robot or vehicle
  • Hands-on sensor calibration and time synchronisation experience
  • Working knowledge of ROS and simulation tools
  • Grounding in estimation, control or perception
  • Clear, careful written procedures and test records
  • Comfort working outdoors and with hardware

Nice to have

  • Experience with sensor fusion and mapping tools
  • Safety case or risk assessment experience

Free to use and adapt. If it saves you time, a link back to this page is appreciated.

Skills that matter

  • Robotics and controlAdvancedPerceive, plan and act through physical systems
  • Computer visionAdvancedAnalyse or generate visual information
  • Simulation and digital twinsWorkingBuild useful virtual representations of environments
  • Uncertainty quantificationWorkingEstimate confidence, calibration and model uncertainty

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How we wrote this

Role definitions are our own editorial work, checked against occupational classifications, standards, research and employer pages. Titles vary by company, and this is a description of the work, not a job advert.

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