Senior Robotics Engineer - SLAM Expert [m/f/d]

Work Location:
- Osnabrück Coppenrath Innovation Centre (CIC)
- Munich Coworking
- Osnabrück, Robotics Test Field Arenshorst (www.arenshorst.com)
About Nature Robots
Nature Robots GmbH is a fast-growing robotics and AI startup headquartered in Osnabrück, Germany, revolutionizing sustainable agriculture. As a DFKI spin-off, we develop cutting-edge, full-stack autonomy systems for autonomous robots, especially in complex, unstructured, and regenerative farming environments like agroforestry, orchards, vineyards, and vegetable fields. We are building the foundation for a future where autonomous farming is scalable, sustainable, and profitable, tackling major global challenges such as labor shortage, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
The Opportunity
We’re looking for a Senior Robotics SLAM Expert with a strong background in 3D mapping, localization, and real-time navigation to join our growing R&D team. You will take a leading role in the design, implementation, and deployment of our 6D SLAM systems, crucial for enabling GNSS/RTK-free navigation in heterogeneous agricultural environments. Help us develop the next generation of AI-powered autonomous mobile robots.
Your Role
- Lead the development of real-time SLAM pipelines for 3D LiDAR, RGB-D, and multispectral sensor fusion.
- Design and implement modular 6D SLAM solutions for dynamic, unstructured outdoor environments (forests, agroforestry, orchards).
- Integrate state-of-the-art SLAM, odometry, and sensor calibration algorithms into production-grade autonomous systems.
- Collaborate with navigation, perception, and software platform teams to ensure tight coupling between mapping, localization, and planning.
- Evaluate and improve the performance of existing SLAM implementations (accuracy, robustness, runtime) on our robot platforms Lero.03 and other customer machines in orchards and vineyards, as well as agroforestry systems.
- Conduct field deployments, benchmark tests, and system validation in real-world agricultural use cases.
- Contribute to the development of digital twins and 3D simulation environments for agroforestry and regenerative farming.
- Work in ROS 2 and extend our Move Base Flex framework with SLAM-specific behavior trees and fallback strategies.
What You Bring
- Master’s or PhD in Robotics, Computer Vision, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or similar.
- 3+ years of experience with real-time 6D SLAM (LiDAR-, Visual-, RGB-D-, or Multi-Sensor SLAM) in robotics applications.
- Deep expertise in C++, ROS/ROS 2, and modern SLAM frameworks (e.g. Cartographer, GTSAM, RTAB-Map, Kimera, ORB-SLAM).
- Proficient with point cloud processing (PCL, Open3D), pose graph optimization, loop closure, and 3D map representations.
- Solid background in sensor fusion, including IMU pre-integration, time synchronization, and extrinsic calibration.
- Knowledge of 3D environment reconstruction, mesh generation, and localization in previously mapped areas.
- Strong software engineering skills with version control (Git), CI/CD, and testing frameworks.
- Passion for regenerative agriculture, autonomy, and working in the field (literally).
- Bonus: Experience with hyperspectral SLAM, SLAM in forested/agroforestry environments, or agricultural robots.
Our Offer
- A mission-driven role shaping the future of sustainable agriculture and robotics.
- A chance to work with one of Europe’s most awarded AgTech startups (winner of EIC Accelerator 2025, among others).
- A unique opportunity to deploy your work on real autonomous robots in real farming systems.
- Collaboration with a multidisciplinary team across robotics, AI, agronomy, and sustainability.
- Access to state-of-the-art test fields, including agroforestry environments, vegetable farms, and our innovation lab in Osnabrück.
- Competitive salary with growth potential in a scaling company.
- 30 vacation days, flexible working hours, and hybrid work options
- Additional benefits like HanseFit (gym memberships) and equipment budgets.
Ready to join us? Send your CV and portfolio to: career@naturerobots.com Subject: Senior Robotics SLAM Expert Application