Senior Mechatronics & Controls Engineer (Robotics & Industrial Automation)

Own the control system of a robotic cell that is about to leave the workshop.

Robotine is a Brisbane applied robotics company. We build practical automation for small manufacturers, starting with the Cabinet Assembler: a robotic cell that assembles kitchen cabinets from pre-cut chipboard and melamine panels, sized for joinery businesses that are too small for a conventional automation project. The same engineering team also designs precision components for competition robotics under our Offset Robotics brand.

The Cabinet Assembler is moving from engineering development toward field validation and our first customer installation. The next units are being designed for repeatable manufacture. That shift, from a working prototype to a product that runs every day in someone else's workshop with nobody from Robotine standing next to it, is the job.

The system you will own

• Beckhoff CX-series PLC running TwinCAT 3 as the cell master, sequencing every subsystem
• EtherCAT servo and stepper axes with drive-side motion profiling
• Two six-axis collaborative robots, each with its own controller, pneumatic grippers and vacuum panel handling
• A torque-controlled screwdriving unit with its own controller and a screw feeder and indexer
• A programmable safety controller for a semi-open cell on a dusty joinery floor
• Vision for locating panels and screw holes

What you will do

• Take ownership of the controls architecture, the signal list and the PLC code base, and turn prototype logic into structured, maintainable software.
• Design and document electrical systems: control panels, power distribution, wiring, and a safety architecture built on risk assessment.
• Integrate robots, drives, sensors, vision and the screwdriving controller so the cell behaves as one system, with clean fault handling and recovery.
• Build the operator HMI so one trained joinery operator can run the cell from cabinet dimensions or job data, with no hardcoded positions.
• Commission and test in our workshop, run factory acceptance testing with our manufacturing partner, and support installation at customer sites.
• Define what the machine logs and how we use it to diagnose faults remotely and prove cycle time.
• Set controls standards and mentor the engineering students who make up much of our team.

What you bring

• A degree in mechatronics, electrical or control engineering, or equivalent.
• 7+ years designing, programming and commissioning automated machines or robotic cells, with at least one project you owned from scope to site.
• Strong PLC and motion control experience. TwinCAT 3 and EtherCAT are ideal; Siemens, Rockwell or CODESYS experience is also relevant.
• Hands-on integration of industrial or collaborative robots.
• Control panel and electrical design experience, and working knowledge of machinery safety in Australia (AS/NZS 4024, ISO 13849, ISO 10218).
• Enough Python or C++ to write test tools, parse logs and connect systems.
• A product mindset. You know the difference between a machine that works once and one that can be built, installed and serviced many times.
• Comfort in a small team with incomplete processes. You create structure rather than wait for it.
• Clear English, and the ability to explain a fault to a joinery owner as well as to an engineer.

Useful, not essential

• Machine vision or torque-controlled fastening.
• Remote monitoring, IoT or cloud telemetry on industrial equipment.
• Woodworking, furniture or panel processing machinery.
• Experience working with overseas machine builders.

What we offer

• Technical ownership of a product going to market, with direct access to the founders.
• A workshop in Brisbane where you design, build and test in the same building.
• Superannuation and NES leave entitlements.
• Occasional interstate travel for installation and commissioning.

Work rights and visa sponsorship

You must already live in Australia and hold current work rights. People who have migrated to Australia are welcome to apply, including those on temporary visas. For the right candidate, Robotine will consider employer visa sponsorship.

How to apply

Applications are only accepted through our recruitment portal. Submit your CV and a cover letter here: https://jobs.robotine.com.au/senior-mechatronics-and-controls-engineer

In your cover letter, no longer than one page, tell us about a machine or robotic cell you commissioned: the controller and network, what you owned, and the fault that took longest to find and how you found it.