Robotics Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
California leads the nation in robotics engineering, with major employers spanning Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and Intuitive Surgical operating across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The state's concentration of aerospace, medical device, and autonomous vehicle companies makes it one of the most active markets for robotics engineer visa sponsorship jobs in the country.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
We are building control & motion planning capabilities for high-DOF robotic manipulators operating in contact-rich environments. This role sits at the intersection of motion planning and whole body control — you will work closely with the whole body control team to develop motion planners that go beyond free-space motion, enabling robots to reliably execute tasks that involve sustained and regulated contact: precision assembly, surface finishing, polishing, and other compliant manipulation tasks.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
This is a full-time, on-site Robotics Control & Motion Planning Engineer role based in San Jose, CA. The engineer will design, implement, and optimize motion planning and control algorithms for high-DOF robotic systems, ensuring safe, precise, and efficient robot behavior in dynamic environments. Day-to-day responsibilities include the following points.
- Design, implement, test, and deploy motion planning algorithms for high-DOF manipulators, with emphasis on contact-rich and compliant manipulation tasks such as assembly and surface treatment
- Co-own the software interface between the motion planning stack and the whole body control module; define and maintain shared state representations, constraints, and control handoff protocols
- Develop planners that reason over contact modes, contact sequencing, and force/torque constraints — not just collision-free path finding
- Benchmark and evaluate planners in simulation and on real hardware across contact-rich scenarios; own reliability and task-success metrics
- Integrating control algorithms into real-time software frameworks, and conducting simulation and hardware experiments to validate performance
- Collaborate across perception, control, and hardware teams to translate physical task requirements into well-defined planning problems
- Drive software quality through code review, testing standards, and continuous improvement of engineering best practices
- Manage and communicate development schedules and milestones
- The engineer will also contribute to documentation, performance benchmarking, and continuous improvement of Flexiv’s core robotics platforms.
QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD or MS in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field — or equivalent industry experience
- 3+ years of hands-on experience with robotic systems software engineering
- Proficiency in robotics control, motion planning, and trajectory optimization, including kinematics, dynamics, and feedback control
- Strong theoretical and practical understanding of motion planning for high-DOF manipulators, including planners that operate under contact and force constraints
- Proficiency in C++ and/or Python; demonstrated experience deploying motion planning software on real robots and simulators
- Familiarity with AI or machine learning techniques applied to robotics, as well as safety standards and best practices in industrial automation, is a plus.
INTRODUCTION
We are building control & motion planning capabilities for high-DOF robotic manipulators operating in contact-rich environments. This role sits at the intersection of motion planning and whole body control — you will work closely with the whole body control team to develop motion planners that go beyond free-space motion, enabling robots to reliably execute tasks that involve sustained and regulated contact: precision assembly, surface finishing, polishing, and other compliant manipulation tasks.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
This is a full-time, on-site Robotics Control & Motion Planning Engineer role based in San Jose, CA. The engineer will design, implement, and optimize motion planning and control algorithms for high-DOF robotic systems, ensuring safe, precise, and efficient robot behavior in dynamic environments. Day-to-day responsibilities include the following points.
- Design, implement, test, and deploy motion planning algorithms for high-DOF manipulators, with emphasis on contact-rich and compliant manipulation tasks such as assembly and surface treatment
- Co-own the software interface between the motion planning stack and the whole body control module; define and maintain shared state representations, constraints, and control handoff protocols
- Develop planners that reason over contact modes, contact sequencing, and force/torque constraints — not just collision-free path finding
- Benchmark and evaluate planners in simulation and on real hardware across contact-rich scenarios; own reliability and task-success metrics
- Integrating control algorithms into real-time software frameworks, and conducting simulation and hardware experiments to validate performance
- Collaborate across perception, control, and hardware teams to translate physical task requirements into well-defined planning problems
- Drive software quality through code review, testing standards, and continuous improvement of engineering best practices
- Manage and communicate development schedules and milestones
- The engineer will also contribute to documentation, performance benchmarking, and continuous improvement of Flexiv’s core robotics platforms.
QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD or MS in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field — or equivalent industry experience
- 3+ years of hands-on experience with robotic systems software engineering
- Proficiency in robotics control, motion planning, and trajectory optimization, including kinematics, dynamics, and feedback control
- Strong theoretical and practical understanding of motion planning for high-DOF manipulators, including planners that operate under contact and force constraints
- Proficiency in C++ and/or Python; demonstrated experience deploying motion planning software on real robots and simulators
- Familiarity with AI or machine learning techniques applied to robotics, as well as safety standards and best practices in industrial automation, is a plus.
Robotics Engineer Job Roles in California
See all 402+ Robotics Engineer Jobs in California
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Search Robotics Engineer Jobs in CaliforniaRobotics Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for robotics engineers in California?
California has a dense concentration of robotics employers with established H-1B visa sponsorship histories. Companies like Intuitive Surgical in Sunnyvale, Boston Dynamics in Waltham (with California operations), Tesla in Fremont, ABB Robotics, and several autonomous vehicle firms including Waymo and Zoox have filed Labor Condition Applications for robotics engineering roles. Aerospace contractors such as Northrop Grumman and Raytheon in Southern California also sponsor regularly.
Which visa types are most common for robotics engineer roles in California?
The H-1B is the most common visa for robotics engineers in California, as the role typically qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor's degree or higher in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science. The O-1A is an option for engineers with recognized research contributions or patents. Candidates from Australia may pursue the E-3 visa, and Canadian or Mexican engineers may qualify under the TN visa category.
Which cities in California have the most robotics engineer sponsorship jobs?
The San Francisco Bay Area, particularly San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, holds the highest concentration of robotics engineer sponsorship roles, driven by semiconductor, autonomous vehicle, and medical robotics companies. Los Angeles and El Segundo are active hubs for aerospace and defense robotics. San Diego has a growing cluster around defense contractors and biomedical device companies that increasingly integrate robotics systems.
How to find robotics engineer visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to search for robotics engineer roles in California without sifting through postings from employers who don't sponsor. You can browse by location and role type to surface openings at companies with active sponsorship histories. This saves significant time compared to researching employer sponsorship records manually through government disclosure databases.
Are there any California-specific factors robotics engineers should know before applying for sponsored roles?
California's prevailing wage requirements apply to all H-1B positions, and the state's high cost of living in Bay Area and Los Angeles markets means employers typically file at Wage Level II or III for mid-career robotics roles. The state also has a strong university pipeline through UC Berkeley, Stanford, USC, and UCSD, meaning competition from OPT candidates is high. Employers in defense robotics may require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency due to security clearance requirements, which limits sponsorship availability in that segment.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored robotics engineer jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.