Forward Deployed Engineer

This role is for you if you love tackling the messy challenges of getting engineering to work in the real world. You’ll be comfortable solving challenges across both hardware and software, and enjoy the prospect of being the face of Paddington Robotics working directly alongside Customers. No two days will be the same, but you can expect to:

• Commission and install robotics on Customer sites including developing and delivering training, performing setup and maintenance on site.
• Problem solving on Customer sites, whilst under pressure: identifying problems, troubleshooting and finding solutions across software, hardware, networking etc.
• Proactively identifying opportunities for improvement working closely with Paddington’s other engineers, to iterate and improve solutions.
• Deliver real‑world impact, today, using cutting‑edge robotics.

About Paddington Robotics: At P9R7, we’re building robots that can handle the messy, unpredictable and chaotic real world! We are bridging the gap between research and real‑world deployments, starting in supermarket and retail stores. We believe that by deploying today, we reveal second‑order effects and edge cases that can’t be seen in the lab or the sim. Our mission: become the UK’s go‑to applied AI robotics team – and we’ll go above and beyond to get there.

What we actually do:

• Build AI models and hardware that let robots work safely alongside humans – lifting, moving, and getting stuff done better and faster.
• Spend lots of time on Customer sites, to better understand and solve for the messy chaos of most environments.
• Think 10+ years ahead, reimagining manual labour and creating robots that become complementary assistants for labour‑intensive and physically demanding tasks.

We’re a small, dynamic team from Amazon, InstaDeep, Imperial, UCL, and Cambridge to name a few, united by one of the founders of Magic Pony (now part of Twitter/X).

We’re looking for a Forward Deployed Engineer to own and lead our Customer Deployments. You’ll be the face of Paddington Robotics at Customer sites, and be at the heart of ensuring a seamless integration of our robotics into day to day operations. One week, you might be leading the deployment, setup and training of robots into a new site. You’ll be navigating challenges in setup and training, and interfacing with Customers to find solutions. Next, you’ll be on call to another site, exchanging a broken robot for a spare, and replicating the problem for testing and analysis back in HQ. You’ll rapidly become familiar with troubleshooting our robots and driving iterative improvement of our systems. You’ll be a critical link between our Hardware and Software teams, and work hand‑in‑hand with both teams. This role is flexible and has the potential to grow in multiple directions, as most fitting to your expertise and interests. It’s right for you if you’re ready to be hire no.1 in our Customer Deployment and Success Team, and work to shape the future of this side of our business.

About You:

• You are comfortable both with hardware and software: Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• You have hands‑on robotics or automation experience: from projects, internships, industry – or a startup (even better!).
• You’ve someone who loves solving problems outside of your comfort zone, or area of expertise.
• You’re a fast learner and love working with others: sharing knowledge, learning/teaching others, and embracing feedback.
• You’re a practical problem solver: you can take your expertise and tackle hairy engineering challenges in messy, real‑world environments.
• You must be willing to travel (UK only) up to 3‑4 days per week, and support Customers on site during operational hours (this can start at 4am!).

Above all, we’re building a team of creative, outside‑the‑box thinkers. To thrive here, you are:

• Highly ambitious: comfortable taking a project from concept to completion – you do whatever it takes to win.
• Self‑directed and proactive: you thrive in a dynamic, unpredictable, multi‑disciplinary environment.
• Enthusiastic team players: you ask questions, help others, and communicate effectively.

What will impress us:

• We love proactive doers. Show us what you’ve built – whether it’s projects, or experiments.
• Tell us why our mission excites you.
• Tell us what you would put in place to reduce the number of 4am shifts our whole team needs to do with our Customers.
• Be bold, be creative, and don’t feel embarrassed to stand out from the crowd.

Location: Our London office is right by Portobello Road. We work full‑time, and largely on‑site (4‑5 days a week). In your role, you must be willing to travel (UK only) – this at times could be up to 3‑4 days per week. Expect vibrant startup energy with a team that knows when to laugh, and when to buckle down. Paddington Robotics is an equal opportunity employer and encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply. We offer competitive compensation, the friendliest of teams, an insanely stimulating work environment, and the opportunity to be a part of something massive.