Robotics Engineer, Machine Vision Specialist

Permanent, Full Time, onsite in Melbourn, UK

Cell therapies have the potential to transform treatment for serious diseases, but manufacturing remains a major barrier to patient access. Cellular Origins is addressing that barrier by automating and connecting cell therapy manufacturing operations so they can scale reliably.

We’re hiring a Robotics Engineer, Machine Vision Specialist to strengthen the machine vision capability within our Robotics team. You’ll contribute to Constellation, our mobile robotics and AI platform that integrates with proven bioprocess tools, helping therapies move towards commercial manufacturing without redevelopment. The focus is on dependable performance in real-world conditions, not demo success.

About the role

You’ll join our Robotics team, working closely with engineers across hardware, software and robotics. This is a hands-on role at either Engineer or Senior Engineer level, shaped around your machine vision expertise and how it meets our current robotics integration challenges.

Right now, that means improving how our robots localise to sub 200 µm precision, extending vision into complex tube loading and QC operations, and thinking carefully about where AI genuinely beats classical methods and where it doesn’t. This isn’t a research position, but it isn’t a purely execution role either. You’ll be expected to dig into the first principles when a problem demands it, and to move pragmatically when it doesn’t.

What you’ll get to do

You’ll be turning real-world sensing into reliable robotic behaviour, then proving it holds up, again and again, in a regulated, high-consequence environment.

• You’ll get to push robot localisation precision to sub 200 µm performance, getting deep into optics and algorithms to get there
• You’ll develop machine vision approaches for robot task verification, so the system can confirm what it’s done with genuine confidence
• You’ll extend vision capability into complex tube loading operations and QC use cases, balancing robustness with the realities of practical integration
• You’ll explore AI-based approaches where they genuinely outperform classical methods, and you’ll know when to say they don’t
• You’ll write and maintain production-quality Python code that your colleagues rely on daily
• You’ll help shape a vision capability that’s still growing, with real influence over the direction it takes

About you

You enjoy getting close to the real problem. You like the maths, the calibration, the fiddly realities of sensors, and the satisfaction of making something reliable in the real world, not just under ideal conditions.

You’ll bring:

• Industrial machine vision, and you’ll be familiar with smart camera solutions like Keyence, Cognex or SensoPart.
• Camera calibration, including intrinsic and extrinsic calibration.
• Robot hand-eye calibration experience and how error propagation effects calibration.
• The mathematics and detailed understanding of vision sensors that sits underneath the tooling.
• Robotics familiarity, especially manipulators, and a working knowledge of ROS2 is advantageous.
• Programming capability, with intermediate Python skills.
• Breadth, meaning you’re happy working across a range of topics, including general robotics tasks, while also being our go-to specialist for machine vision.

Benefits

Cellular Origins is based on the TTP Campus, within purpose-built sustainable offices, labs and green surroundings, 10 miles south of Cambridge. Our working culture encourages entrepreneurship, shared ideas and collaboration, while providing you the freedom to do your best work.

Our employee benefits include:

• Annual bonus
• 25 days holiday
• Employer pension contribution of 10% of salary
• Free lunch and all-day refreshments
• Private medical insurance for employees and dependants
• Enhanced family friendly leave
• Life insurance worth 6x salary
• Electric car leasing scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Activities and community that supports healthy activities that bring colleagues together; whether it’s lunchtime squash or football, Zumba or our own rock band. Colleagues initiate new clubs and outings whenever they feel there’s something missing!
• Local sports facilities and theatre discounts and memberships.

Ready to make it real?

If you want your work to show up in the real world, in systems that help therapies reach more patients, faster, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and tell us what you’ve built, what you’ve learned, and what you’re excited to improve next. .

Apply now. Every application will be reviewed by the hiring team and will receive a response.