Automation & Robotics Engineer II (Robotics)

Location: Oregon City HQ, United States; work is split 50/50 between the shop and office. PPE is required on the shop floor, with the ability to lift up to 50 lbs and travel of less than 10% as needed.

Company

hirify.global Knife Company is a family business producing premium knives and advancing manufacturing through craftsmanship, innovation, and continuous improvement.

What you will do

• Help define and execute the automation roadmap and identify robotics opportunities across manufacturing.
• Lead automation projects from concept and proof of concept through execution, installation, integration, validation, and production release.
• Program and optimize FANUC robots, including motion, tooling, I/O, equipment handshakes, fault recovery, and cycle time.
• Design fixtures, nests, grippers, end-of-arm tooling, and part-presentation systems in SolidWorks; create robotic simulations and reach studies.
• Build and test R&D prototypes, translate successful concepts into integrator requirements, and manage machine builders through acceptance.
• Support production automation by troubleshooting robotic, mechanical, pneumatic, sensing, controls, and process issues; lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, plus 3+ years of experience automating manufacturing equipment and processes; equivalent qualifications are considered.
• Strong FANUC programming capability and experience managing automation projects through production deployment.
• Experience designing fixtures, tooling, robotic end effectors, and automation equipment, with familiarity with robotic simulation tools.
• Working knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, industrial networks, safety systems, and controls troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of ANSI/RIA robotic safety requirements, OSHA, NFPA 79, NEC, machine guarding, and risk assessment principles.
• Strong manufacturing process knowledge, technical judgment, communication, project ownership, and hands-on problem-solving skills.

Nice to have

• Systems integrator experience and experience in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing.
• Machine vision or computer vision experience.
• Experience with pneumatics, servo motion, force/torque sensing, machine tending, material handling, grinding, polishing, inspection, or flexible automation.
• Curiosity about applying AI and machine learning to robotics, vision, process control, and equipment performance.

Culture & Benefits

• Own automation projects with direct impact on safety, production capacity, quality, and efficiency.
• Work on advanced manufacturing innovation, including opportunities to expand into AI-enabled technologies.
• Collaborate with engineers, operations, maintenance, quality, safety, vendors, and systems integrators.
• Contribute to a culture of innovation, craftsmanship, accountability, community, and continuous improvement.