Associate, Robotics Field Engineer at HITT Contracting

The Research & Development Department's mission is to set the industry standard by finding new materials, methods, and technology to change the built environment and how we work. We are looking for dynamic, innovative, and passionate team members to join us in our movement to change our industry.

The R&D Robotics Field Engineer will be responsible for deploying and testing robotics solutions while working with on-site project teams to address their challenges and improve project outcomes. They will work closely with the rest of the R&D robotics team to continuously improve the autonomy and reliability of our robotic systems. This team member will support robotics initiatives from concept through completion and coordinate across interdisciplinary teams, including project teams, consultants, hardware developers, software developers, subcontractors, and suppliers. This team member will report to the R&D Robotics Lead and serve on an interdisciplinary team conducting research and developing novel robotics solutions for construction.

The ideal candidate will excel at the intersection of robotics, construction, and project management. They will routinely interface with robotics hardware & software, field testing infrastructure, 3D geospatial surveying & scanning systems, construction design software, and construction management software. While candidates are not required to have prior experience in all these topics, they should be passionate about both robotics and construction, able to learn outside of their trained competency quickly, and excited to roll up their sleeves when needed. Key to this position are strong written and verbal communication skills, project management skills, creative thinking, relationship management, and meticulous attention to detail. Most importantly, candidates should be curious and excited about operating in new territory without fear of failure.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day deployment and testing of robotics solutions in the field.

• Lead the onboarding of new jobsites including training and support for project teams as they integrate robotics into jobsite workflows.

• Continuously evaluate and drive improvements for key use cases, mission profiles, and user interfaces.

• Document results to address issues and promote continuous improvements in performance and reliability.

• Manage and maintain a growing fleet of robots for jobsite deployment.

• Support hardware and system integration of new components and capabilities.

• Provide technical support for project teams and end-users.

• Build relationships across operations, site operations, and subcontractors to understand their needs, develop goals, and ensure that robotics initiatives are aligned to the needs of our project teams.

• Support tracking project scopes, budgets, goals, and key success metrics.

• Support the management of project budgets, data analysis, and lessons learned to drive meaningful insights and improvements in the business.

• Act as brand ambassador for the firm, representing the company in industry and professional organizations.

Qualifications

• US Citizenship (as required by several of HITT's Federal Government clients).

• Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) in robotics, engineering, commercial construction, or architecture.

• Master's degree or 2 years of experience.

• Must have experience deploying autonomous robots in real-world environments.

• Previous experience on commercial job sites preferred.

• Willingness to travel to jobsites in the Northern Virginia area as needed for deployments and support, and occasionally to regional offices around the US.

• Experience working with a wide variety of stakeholders and strong interpersonal skills.

• Must be a self-starter, highly motivated, and able to work independently.

• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to prioritize tasks across multiple projects.

• Ability to effectively communicate complex technical topics in written and verbal formats to various audiences.

• Preference for candidates with one or more of the following additional qualifications:

  • Experience in mobile robot sensing, perception, localization, navigation, networking, and behaviors for aerial and/or ground robots.

  • Experience with C++, Python, Robot Operating System (ROS) or other robotics related programming languages.

  • Proficiency in construction design, management, or BIM coordination software (e.g., Revit, Navisworks, Procore, ArcGIS).

  • Familiarity with reality capture methods and providers (e.g., DroneDeploy, OpenSpace).

  • Experience in geospatial surveying or 3D laser scanning and related analysis software.

  • Experience designing, fabricating, integrating, and/or maintaining robotic hardware and sensor payloads.