Engineering Manager - Robotics & Software

Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India (On-site / Hybrid possible, with strong preference for in-person collaboration at our Pashan-Sus R\&D center)

Job Type: Full-Time

Reports to: CTO

Team size managed: 10–25 engineers (direct \+ indirect reports across robotics hardware/firmware, embedded systems, software backend/frontend, perception, navigation, and fleet management)

About Us

Peppermint Robotics is an autonomous robotics company based out of Pune, India. Started in 2019 at SINE IIT Bombay, we have grown into a leader in commercial cleaning and industrial material handling robots, with operations in six countries. With offices in Pune, Dubai, and Austin, we are a passionate, engineering-driven team tackling hard robotics problems.

Our Mission: At Peppermint Robotics, our mission is to build intelligent robots that automate repetitive and mundane tasks, freeing humans to focus on higher-value work and unlocking greater human potential.

Role Overview

As Engineering Manager for Robotics \& Software, you will lead end-to-end engineering delivery for our autonomous mobile robots—from perception and SLAM/navigation stacks to embedded firmware, cloud connectivity, fleet management dashboards, and AI-driven features. Working directly with the CTO, you will scale high-performing teams, drive technical excellence, ensure reliable real-world deployments, and align engineering efforts with product and business goals in a fast-paced startup environment.

This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of robotics, software, and real-world hardware deployment—staying technically involved by contributing directly to key projects while building and scaling the team. Particularly suited for leaders experienced in both early-stage creation (0 to 1) and structured scaling (10 to 100).

Key Responsibilities

People \& Team Leadership (\~40%)

• Build, mentor, and grow a world-class team of robotics engineers, embedded/software developers, perception/AI specialists, and full-stack engineers
• Conduct regular 1:1s, career growth discussions, performance reviews, promotions, and compensation planning
• Foster a culture of ownership, psychological safety, rapid iteration, and ethical engineering
• Hire top talent in Pune and potentially remote (India-focused initially)
• Promote team well-being and sustainable pace to sustain long-term velocity

Delivery \& Execution (\~40%)

• Own reliable, on-time delivery of robot features, firmware updates, software releases, and field performance improvements
• Collaborate closely with Product, Operations, and Field Deployment teams to prioritize roadmap items
• Manage cross-functional dependencies (mechanical, electrical, production, QA, customer success)
• Remove blockers, protect the team from scope creep, and ensure sustainable pace

Technical Leadership \& Strategy (\~20%)

• Guide architecture decisions across the full robotics stack: ROS/ROS2, embedded C/C\+\+, computer vision (SLAM, object detection), path planning, fleet orchestration, cloud backend (data pipelines, analytics), and UI/UX for operators
• Remain hands-on by contributing directly to high-impact projects, prototypes, critical fixes, or architectural spikes as needed to maintain deep system understanding and lead by example
• Drive reduction of technical debt, improve system robustness for harsh industrial environments, and ensure safety certifications
• Participate in design reviews, code/architecture reviews, and critical debugging (especially field issues)
• Champion best practices: CI/CD for robots, simulation testing, versioned hardware/software integration

Collaboration \& Impact

• Partner directly with CTO on engineering vision, tech roadmap, hiring bar, and scaling strategy
• Work with global teams (USA, Europe) and support international deployments
• Contribute to company OKRs around product reliability, customer satisfaction, and innovation velocity

Requirements

Must-Have

• 8–12\+ years of experience in software/embedded engineering, with 3–6\+ years in people leadership (Engineering Manager, Tech Lead Manager, or equivalent)
• Proven track record leading robotics, autonomous systems, embedded software, or complex hardware-software products
• Deep hands-on experience in at least one of: ROS/ROS2, C\+\+/Python, computer vision/SLAM, navigation/path planning, embedded Linux, real-time systems, cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure), fleet management
• Experience shipping production robotics or IoT products to real customers
• Strong people leadership: hiring, coaching senior engineers, resolving conflicts, building inclusive teams
• Comfortable in startup ambiguity with ability to define structure and processes while staying technically involved
• Excellent communication across technical and non-technical stakeholders

Nice-to-Have

• Prior experience in commercial/service robotics, cleaning/warehouse automation, or mobile manipulation
• Familiarity with safety standards (IEC 60335, IEC 3691-4, or similar)
• Exposure to AI/ML integration in robotics (perception, predictive maintenance)
• Experience in the 0 to 1 journey (building/scaling engineering from early-stage/scratch through initial product validation and early growth)
• Proven experience managing and scaling engineering teams of 15\+ members (ideally through 10–100 growth phases)
• Background in manufacturing-adjacent domains (industrial automation)

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape the future of commercial robotics in a mission-driven company
• Direct collaboration with CTO and founders in a high-trust environment
• Competitive compensation
• Work on real-world impact: robots deployed globally in high-profile facilities
• Modern Pune office with strong engineering culture (“Get things done – ethically, transparently, and fast!”)
• Health benefits, and excellent leave policy

How to Apply

If you're passionate about scaling robotics teams—through both the scrappy 0 to 1 creation phase and structured 10 to 100 growth—while staying hands-on and contributing to critical projects to deliver autonomous systems that solve real problems, we'd love to hear from you. Please send your resume and a brief note on your most relevant leadership experience in robotics/software

Skills: leadership,software,teams