Robotics Lead Engineer for LunarLeaper

For the LunarLeaper project, a European mission to investigate lunar lava tubes, we are searching for a Robotics lead engineer who will work with members of a multidisciplinary team to design and implement the robotic subsystem of the mission. As such, the successful candidate will be closely working with the Robotics System Lab and members of Earth and Planetary Sciences under the umbrella of ETH Space, but also with the international partners of the LunarLeaper mission.
Candidates who have worked on hardware and are passionate about working on a cutting edge robotic space mission should apply!

LunarLeaper is a legged robotics mission, aimed to explore the Moon with a legged, light and small robot designed to operate in low gravity environments. Legged robotics have been shown to successully traverse rugged, uneven terrain and deal with lose regolith, allowing to approach features such as lunar pits which are thought to provide access to subsurface lava tubes. Geophysical instruments on the robot will provide detailed understanding of the traversed terrain and cameras will provide context at the surface. Here you can find more info on the mission objective. 

You will lead the development efforts of the robotic platform to increase maturity level for the lunar environment:

• Design of the robotic system for the lunar environment including aspects such as mechanical structure, software, thermal
• Project management for the robotic subsystem
• Coordination and prioritization of subsystems implemented by our domain experts, for example control algorithms, actuator design, or mechanism design
• Communication with the other subsystem leads and external stakeholders
• Test campaign coordination of components, subsystems and the full system in relevant environments

• Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science
• Proven track record in Space Systems Engineering
• Experience with space-rated hardware and design
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong documentation skills
• Communication skills towards multidisciplinary stakeholders
• Track record in developing and testing robotic systems in the real world

• A multidisciplinary team
• General build-up of Space related topics under the umbrealla of ETH | Space
• Training opportunities
• Perspectives for career development
• Flexible working hours