Robotics Controls Engineer III

We are seeking a Robotics Controls Engineer III to own the robot programming, device integration, and commissioning of assigned portions of robotic automation cells. You will take on loosely defined tasks, work out the details, and deliver them independently from simulation through startup, working within the technical direction set for each project while building deep expertise in industrial robot programming, motion, vision, and PLC integration.

Responsibilities

• Own the robot programming and controls for assigned portions of robotic cells, such as a robot's process programs, a vision-guided pick, or a peripheral integration, from simulation through commissioning with minimal oversight.
• Take loosely defined tasks, work out the sequence, I/O, and acceptance criteria with the project team, estimate the effort for your work, and raise risks early.
• Develop, test, and simulate robotic applications in FANUC ROBOGUIDE or equivalent simulation platforms, validating reach, cycle time, and collision clearance before running on hardware.
• Create and optimize robot programs using teach pendant and offline programming for material handling, machine tending, assembly, welding, inspection, and other automation processes, following established program structure and standards.
• Integrate and configure vision systems, sensors, scanners, and other peripherals, such as Cognex and Keyence, including robot-to-camera calibration and vision-guided offsets.
• Interface robots with PLCs, HMIs, conveyors, and other production equipment, implementing the signal handshakes and I/O mapping defined for the cell.
• Set up and verify robot user frames, tool frames, and payloads, and measure the resulting accuracy.
• Diagnose and resolve robot faults, alarms, communication issues, and production stoppages to minimize downtime, and lead root-cause analysis for issues in your area.
• Recover robots from singularities, reach limitations, collision conditions, and other motion-related issues, and adjust programs to prevent recurrence.
• Commission, start up, and test your portions of the cell on site with minimal support, and run validation tests against cycle-time and accuracy requirements.
• Work within each cell's safety configuration and established safety practices, and verify that robot programs behave correctly with safety functions, interlocks, and guarding.
• Maintain robot program documentation, backups, and change records according to company standards.
• Participate actively in program and design reviews, and guide newer team members on the work you own.
• Collaborate with the software, mechanical, maintenance, and manufacturing teams to improve safety, reliability, and production efficiency, and communicate directly with customers on the technical details of your work when needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of industrial automation experience, including at least 3 years programming industrial robots.
• Strong proficiency programming FANUC robots with the teach pendant; experience with other platforms (ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa/Motoman, Universal Robots, or similar) is a plus.
• Proficiency with FANUC ROBOGUIDE or equivalent offline programming and simulation software.
• Solid understanding of robot frames, motion types, payloads, and singularities, and the basics of robot kinematics.
• Experience integrating vision systems such as Cognex or Keyence, including vision-guided robot offsets.
• Experience integrating robots with PLCs, HMIs, and industrial networks such as EtherNet/IP or PROFINET.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and I/O drawings, and understand PLC-controlled automation systems.
• Strong troubleshooting skills involving robot motion, communications, I/O, and system faults.
• Experience with backups, version control, and change management for robot programs.
• Owned the robot programming for a major portion of at least one delivered robotic cell through commissioning.
• PLC programming experience on Rockwell or Siemens platforms is a plus.
• Experience with FANUC KAREL or robot-to-PC communication is a plus.
• Awareness of robot safety functions such as Fanuc DCS is a plus.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including documenting programs, reporting test results, and discussing technical details with customers.

This position is a strong fit for an engineer who owns robot programming and integration work end to end, works through ambiguity without close direction, and wants to deepen their expertise in industrial robotics while solving challenging manufacturing and inspection problems.

The Company: 

Viable Engineering Solutions is a world-class concept-to-completion center for the industrial market. We take Research and Development to the next level providing rapid prototyping, robotics, automation, and non-destructive testing solutions in our state-of-the-art concept-to-completion facility. We are located in Orlando in the heart of the Central Florida Research Park.

Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

Viable Engineering Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer and takes affirmative action to employ and advance qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

In compliance with federal law, we encourage qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to apply. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request. As a federal contractor, Viable is committed to complying with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA).