Robotics Simulation Engineer

Your mission

As a Robotics Simulation Engineer, you will build and own the simulation infrastructure that underpins development and testing at NODE. You will create high-fidelity digital twins of intralogistics environments, develop and maintain robot models, and build the CI pipelines that run simulation-based regression tests against our navigation and fleet management software.
What you will do:

• Design, build, and maintain simulation environments for autonomous mobile robots in intralogistics settings
• Develop and refine robot models (URDF, SDF) including sensor simulation (LiDAR, odometry, cameras)
• Build and own simulation-based CI/CD pipelines on GitLab to automate regression testing
• Collaborate with Robotics Core engineers to close the sim-to-real gap and validate navigation and fleet management behaviors
• Evaluate and integrate new simulation tooling (e.g. NVIDIA Isaac Sim) where it improves fidelity or coverage
• Maintain and extend our custom simulation tooling alongside Gazebo

What makes this role exciting:

• Meaningful problems: real sim-to-real challenges on hardware that operates in production warehouses
• Greenfield opportunities: you shape how we build and evolve our simulation infrastructure
• Close to hardware: direct collaboration with the team building the physical robots
• Small, senior team: your work has direct impact on every release

Your profile

Must-have:

• 3–5 years of hands-on experience in robotics software development
• Strong proficiency in ROS 2
• Solid C++ and Python skills
• Experience with Gazebo (Ignition/Harmonic) — building environments, robot models, plugins
• Understanding of mobile robot fundamentals: kinematics, sensor models, localization, navigation
• Familiarity with CI/CD — specifically GitLab CI — for automated software testing

• Experience with NVIDIA Isaac Sim or other high-fidelity simulators
• Exposure to intralogistics, warehouse automation, or fleet management systems
• Multi-robot simulation experience
• Knowledge of digital twin concepts and tooling

What we offer

• Flexible Working Hours: There are no such thing as core work times.
• Public Transportation Allowance: We cover the majority of the cost of your commuter pass
• Sports: Get a free Urban Sports Club membership
• Learning Budget: A fixed yearly learning budget can be spent on anything.
• Discounts: We are part of the "Corporate Benefits" program.
• Accessibility: Our modern office space at ARENA2036 is barrier-free.

About us

Mobile robotics should enhance operations, not complicate them. NODE Robotics provides the tools to make that vision a reality. With our software and hardware products, businesses can integrate and manage mobile robots with confidence, efficiency, and ease.
Designed for seamless integration and intuitive usability, our software and hardware solutions empower businesses to get the most out of mobile robots – today and in the future.
We're a mobile robotics software company based in Stuttgart, Germany. Our team brings together expertise from diverse fields, including robotics, AI, software engineering and industrial operations.
This is what drives us besides the joint vision for easy to use mobile robots:

• As a team, our goal is to constantly improve and grow. One way we achieve this is by placing a high value on feedback and knowledge sharing. We believe that through these practices, we can learn from one another and ultimately become better as a team. This belief is reflected in our use of formats such as code review sessions and development recaps, which allow us to share our insights and experiences with one another.
• We are a team of robotics enthusiasts, we strive for daily improvement in order to maintain the edge we inherited from Fraunhofer IPA, which is Europe's leading powerhouse in robotics. Our goal is to build upon our inherited legacy and push the boundaries of robotics technology even further. With our passion and dedication to this field, we believe that we can make significant advancements and contribute to the evolution of the robotics industry.
• Our goal is to revolutionize the use of mobile robots in the industry. To achieve this, we adopt a customer-centric approach that emphasizes building mutually beneficial relationships with our clients. By doing so, we are able to gain insight into their needs and preferences, which allows us to integrate their feedback directly into the development of our products. Ultimately, this approach ensures that our solutions are tailored to the specific requirements of our customers, thereby enabling us to deliver superior value and achieve long-term success.
• As a startup, we are able to capitalize on our major benefits of speed and agility. Our team embodies a culture where every single member takes full responsibility for their impact, allowing us to gain traction on a daily basis. This combination of speed, agility, and accountability is what sets us apart and allows us to thrive in the competitive startup landscape.