Position Summary...

What you'll do...

Manager, Automation Engineering (IC) – Advanced Robotics

Req ID: R-2467367
Location: Bentonville, AR (Innovation Lab)
Travel: 10–30%
Relocation: Supported

About the Team

Walmart’s Advanced Engineering & Robotics team is at the forefront of building next-generation automation solutions that power the future of supply chain. Based in our Innovation Lab in Bentonville, this team designs, develops, and deploys Walmart-owned robotics systems. This is a high-impact, fast-growing team focused on bringing cutting-edge robotics from concept to real-world production at scale.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly technical, hands-on Manager, Automation Engineering (Individual Contributor) to develop and deploy advanced robotics systems across Walmart’s supply chain network. This role operates across the full robotics stack—from perception and modeling to system integration and field deployment. You will play a critical role in translating innovation into production-ready solutions, working at the intersection of robotics, AI, and large-scale operations.

What You’ll Do

Robotics Development & Deployment

• Design, build, and deploy robotics systems in both lab and production environments
• Lead field deployment, testing, and debugging of robotic solutions
• Transition systems from prototype to scalable, production-ready deployments

Software & Systems Engineering

• Develop and scale ROS / ROS2-based robotics architectures
• Build and optimize Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models for intelligent robot behavior
• Implement real-time, distributed systems using C++ and Python
• Optimize and deploy AI/ML models on edge devices (GPUs/accelerators)

Perception & Computer Vision

• Develop robotics computer vision systems (detection, segmentation, pose estimation, 3D vision)
• Design multi-sensor fusion pipelines (camera, LiDAR, RGB-D)
• Integrate perception with planning and control systems

System Integration & Automation

• Lead end-to-end system integration (perception → planning → control)
• Evaluate automation opportunities and contribute to automation system design
• Support integration testing, performance validation, and deployment readiness

Data, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Leverage data analysis and visualization tools to evaluate system performance and inform decisions
• Apply continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen) to optimize systems
• Use data-driven insights to improve throughput, accuracy, and reliability

Collaboration & Execution

• Partner cross-functionally with hardware, software, and operations teams
• Support project planning, execution, and delivery across multiple initiatives
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to stakeholders and influence decisions

Top Must-Have Qualifications

• Proven experience in field deployment & debugging of robotics systems (lab → production)
• Strong expertise in ROS / ROS2 architecture and development
• Hands-on experience in robotics computer vision (3D vision, perception, pose estimation)

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Robotics, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science, or related)
• 3+ years of experience in robotics (industry, startup, or research)
• Strong programming skills in C++ and Python

Experience with:

• Perception & Sensor Fusion (LiDAR, cameras, RGB-D)
• System-level robotics integration
• Edge AI / ML deployment
• Automation system design and integration

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Vision-Language-Action (VLA) or multimodal AI systems
• Background in robotics startups or advanced R&D env