Senior Industrial Innovation Engineer – Physical AI

Senior Industrial Innovation Engineer - Physical AI & Robotization (F/M/D)

As a Senior Industrial Innovation Engineer - Physical AI & Robotization at Rayce in Saint-Louis or any manufacturing entities in the A Raymond Network, you will drive the development of next-generation robotic systems and advanced industrial solutions for the ARaymond network. Operating within a multidisciplinary team, you will contribute from early ideation and concept generation through process design, prototyping, validation and industrial deployment.Leveraging a strong multiphysics mindset combining mechanics, electronics, automation, robotics, AI and industrial systems, you will help transform emerging technologies into practical and scalable solutions.You will act as a key contributor to ARaymond Manufacturing Process Innovation Physical AI and robotization initiatives, translating emerging capabilities such as Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, reinforcement and imitation learning, digital twins, sim-to-real transfer and edge AI into validated demonstrators and concepts from IRL2 to IRL6. You are self-driven and autonomous, willing to support where necessary. You will work within both a startup-like innovation environment and the structure of a global industrial enterprise. At Rayce, you will experience collaboration within an international and multicultural team dedicated to shaping the future of industrial technologies.

• In close collaboration with ARaymond-internal and external partners, develop Physical AI and advanced robotization solutions - defining, prototyping and validating autonomous capabilities including perception, planning, learning, control and safe human-robot collaboration.
• Contribute to the ideation, design and development of systems and demonstrators, integrating multiphysics principles across mechanical, electrical, automation, robotics and AI domains.
• Design, develop, test and deploy robotic and mechatronic solutions, from concept generation through physical implementation, validation and demonstration.
• Develop and optimize innovative manufacturing processes and industrial solutions, ensuring alignment between product design, industrial feasibility, and operational performance.
• Apply simulation, digital twins and advanced engineering methodologies to accelerate concept evaluation, system validation and industrial deployment.
• Conduct hands-on prototyping, experimentation and performance analysis, transforming ideas into tangible and validated products, processes and industrial demonstrators.
• Drive collaborative innovation across multidisciplinary teams, identifying emerging technologies, contributing to technology roadmaps, and promoting knowledge sharing and best practices throughout the ARaymond network.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience developing robotic systems that operate autonomously in real environments
• Demonstrated track record of maturing robotic capability from prototype (e.g. simulation) to actual deployment on physical hardware
• Industrial experience (manufacturing, logistics, quality inspection or comparable) strongly appreciated; automotive / high-mix supplier context is a plus

Skills

What we need

• High curiosity to discover and learn about new technologies, emerging concepts and approaches, mainly in the fields of physical AI and robotization but also beyond, paired with a strong motivation to test and implement the relevant ones.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals in C++ and Python, with testing, code review, version control and CI/CD
• Hands-on experience with state-of-the-art robotics middleware and real-time robot control, from sensor and hardware integration to motion execution
• Solid command of core robotics methods - perception, localization, navigation, manipulation and motion planning - with both classical and machine-learning-based approaches
• Proven ability to bring robotic solutions from concept to reliable operation on real hardware in industrial conditions
• Awareness of safety requirements and standards for industrial robots and collaborative applications
• Good communication skills with an ability and disposition to explain complex technical concepts to cross-functional and non-expert stakeholders
• Ability to work with international teams.
• Ability to travel locally and internationally as required.
• Industrial experience in manufacturing, assembly, intralogistics or quality inspection, ideally in a high-mix production environment

What makes you distinctive

• Practical experience with machine learning for robotics using common deep-learning frameworks, e.g. visual perception, learning from demonstration, reinforcement learning or vision-language-action approaches
• Working knowledge of robotic simulation and digital twins, including simulatio