Career Center
PROGRAM MANAGER-R&D - SR. PROGRAM MANAGER-R&D - Physical AI - Robotics
Southwest Research Institute
Posted on 06/01/2026
Location
San Antonio, Texas
Description
Who We Are:
The Intelligent Systems Division develops automated and robotic solutions for commercial and government clients in multiple domains.
Objectives of this Role:
- Join the Robotics Department to contribute to building advanced capabilities, technologies and solutions in the field of industrial robotics and automation that solve real-world challenges faced by our customers.
- Lead novel Physical AI and Robotic application development with vision-language-action (VLA) 3D perception and complex surface reconstruction.
- Business development for new applications, industries, and clients for novel robotic capabilities; more specifically fabrication robotics (heavy industry, foundries, assembly, shipbuilding, etc).
- Technical leadership and project management of cutting edge robotics applications.
- Visit https://robotics.swri.org to learn about some of the work we do.
Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:
- Communicate effectively with internal team, external clients, and industry partners.
- Design, build, debug and implement robotic and automation solutions primarily using software skills.
- Lead technical role, project management, and customer engagement.
- Coordinate individual performance goals and objectives set by the organization as well as lead project teams to realize organizational objectives.
- Prepare proposals and cost estimates.
- Interact with customers to promote new business and develop technical requirements.
- Has a special focus on software design for industrial robotic manipulators and high degree-of-freedom mobile manipulators.
Requirements:
- Requires a Bachelors, Masters or a PhD in Robotics, Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, or other robotics-related engineering degree. Fewer years of experience may be considered for those with graduate degrees.
- 10-20 years: Relevant industry experience in robotic systems research and development in organizations to include a manufacturer, robotics company, robotics integrator, etc.
- 10-20 years: Strong software skills; C++ or Python required.
- 2-5 years: Robot Operating System (ROS) experience required.
- Strong communication skills.
- A valid/clear driver's license is required.
Special Requirements:
Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
Job Locations: San Antonio, Texas
For more information about this division, visit the Intelligent Systems home page.
For benefits information at our San Antonio location, click here.
For benefits information at all other locations, click here.
An Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and veteran statu
Major Duties & Responsibilities
Daily and Monthly Responsibilities:
- Communicate effectively with internal team, external clients, and industry partners.
- Design, build, debug and implement robotic and automation solutions primarily using software skills.
- Lead technical role, project management, and customer engagement.
- Coordinate individual performance goals and objectives set by the organization as well as lead project teams to realize organizational objectives.
- Prepare proposals and cost estimates.
- Interact with customers to promote new business and develop technical requirements.
- Has a special focus on software design for industrial robotic manipulators and high degree-of-freedom mobile manipulators.
Minimum Skills & Abilities
Requirements:
- Requires a Bachelors, Masters or a PhD in Robotics, Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, or other robotics-related engineering degree. Fewer years of experience may be considered for those with graduate degrees.
- 10-20 years: Relevant industry experience in robotic systems research and development in organizations to include a manufacturer, robotics company, robotics integrator, etc.
- 10-20 years: Strong software skills; C++ or Python required.
- 2-5 years: Robot Operating System (ROS) experience required.
- Strong communication skills.
- A valid/clear driver's license is required.
Special Requirements:
Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
Minimum Education & Experience
- Requires a Bachelors, Masters or a PhD in Robotics, Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, or other robotics-related engineering degree. Fewer years of experience may be considered for those with graduate degrees.
- 10-20 years: Relevant industry experience in robotic systems research and development in organizations to include a manufacturer, robotics company, robotics integrator, etc.
- 10-20 years: Strong software skills; C++ or Python required.
Member Since 2007
Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) provides independent expert R&D, advanced robotic system capabilities, and custom hardware designs, which include perception systems, mobile manipulation, and automation process development. SwRI curates the Robot Operating System - Industrial (ROS-I) open source project and consortium.