Location: Remote / PL
Stage: Early-stage startup
Product: Robotics automation
About the role
We are looking for a CTO & Co-founder to co-build a startup focused on developing a cutting-edge automation platform driven by physical AI and robotics. Together with your co-founder (commercial profile), you will form the core leadership team.
This is a highly hands-on founder role, not a corporate executive position. As our resident technical robotics expert, you will be the primary builder in the early days, focusing heavily on designing, sourcing, and adapting the hardware required to unlock physical AI automation. You will play a pivotal role in transforming a bold vision into a functional, scalable product while shaping the company's hardware and technical strategy from the ground up.
Working closely with our Lead Physical AI/Machine Learning Engineer, you will seamlessly integrate intelligent software with your hardware solutions to shape the final product. Your mission is to bridge complex robotics engineering and commercial viability, laying the foundation for a high-performing hardware and engineering culture as the company scales.
Your responsibilities
Co-managing the company with the commercial co-founder and aligning technical strategy with business goals,
Hands-on development & hardware prototyping: Architecting, assembling, wiring, and commissioning physical solutions—integrating Physical AI intelligence directly with custom and off-the-shelf robotics hardware,
End-to-end physical integration & execution: Acting as a hybrid engineer/architect who can build, power up, debug, and program system prototypes from scratch, ensuring seamless communication between sensors, actuators, and controllers,
Conducting real-world validation, field testing, and hands-on commissioning of robotic systems in operational client environments,
Leveraging Physical AI models to drive process automation, optimizing operational efficiency in real-world, hardware-driven environments,
Utilizing 3D simulation frameworks and Digital Twin technologies to accelerate offline testing, path planning, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation before physical deployment,
Defining the tech stack, software/hardware architecture, and product scalability roadmap,
Monitoring robotics, AI, and automation trends to maintain a competitive technological edge,
Recruiting, leading, and mentoring a small, agile team of top-tier robotics engineering specialists (including mechanical engineers, mechatronics experts, and control systems engineers).
Translating customer feedback and market needs into robust technical requirements,
Creating an internal culture focused on code quality, ownership, rapid iteration, and high execution standards,
Establishing rigorous hardware-software co-development workflows, CI/CD pipelines tailored for robotics (encompassing firmware, ROS/ROS2, and physical AI model deployment), simulation-to-real testing frameworks, and robust safety and data compliance standards.
Who we are looking for (must-have)
Proven leadership & technical depth: At least 3+ years of leadership experience in robotics companies (e.g., Lead Robotics Engineer, Hardware Lead, Tech Lead, or CTO) or deep-tech startups,
Multi-disciplinary hands-on expertise: 3+ years of practical, "hands-on" experience blending the mindsets of an electrician, assembler, mechanical/hardware designer, and field robotics engineer. You don't just delegate—you know exactly how every harness, wire, sensor, and mechanism works,
Strong mechanical and electrical manual skills—ability to assemble components, connect wiring harnesses, power up systems safely, and troubleshoot physical hardware issues on the fly,
Deep experience in robotics engineering, including designing, prototyping, sourcing, and adapting hardware (mechatronics, kinematics, sensor integration, embedded systems, low-level control systems, and communication protocols),
Experience with modern simulation tools and Digital Twin…