What's the general role of a Warrant Officer?

Can't help but wonder how far you went with your research. A quick google gives many detailed descriptions of the qualifications for and duties of warrant officers. Two that answer your questions quite nicely:

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blwarrantmenu.htm (Army)

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/officerj3/a/officerjobsmenu.htm (Marine Corps)

(Both, btw, state quite clearly that warrant officers do hold command positions, based on their rank within their classification)

AndreF said:

I've learned this week to think of officers and mid management ... in the sense that high ranking officers give an order, Jr. Officers pass it along, and enlisted get it done.

I've researched Warrant Officers and learned they are the experts in their fields. They are shown the same military courtesy as officers. However they are in between enlisted and the rest of the officers.

They also had to put in some time as enlisted from what I read as well (Marine Corps anyway).

To top everything off I also read that warrant officers, in some branches, don't take command and aren't in line for command options that the other ranks can get. (Please correct if I'm wrong)

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Depends on the service. In the Navy, a Warrant Officer is a super technical Subject Matter Expert. From NAVPERS 15627A - THE LIMITED DUTY OFFICER AND CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER PROFESSIONAL GUIDEBOOK:

Today, as commissioned officers, LDOs and CWOs possess the authority and are qualified by extensive experience and knowledge to direct the most difficult and exacting operations within a given occupational specialty. Although intended primarily as technical specialists, CWOs, as well as LDOs, may serve as division officers, department heads or officers-in-charge (OICs). LDOs have increased technical leadership opportunities and may serve as executive officer (XOs) and commanding officers (COs), frequently serving in major command. Generally, LDOs and CWOs enjoy the same precedence and exercise the same authority as officers not restricted in the performance of duty. Any LDO or CWO who is ordered as CO or XO of a ship by the Chief of Naval Personnel (CHNAVPERS) is determined to be fully qualified and eligible to succeed to command at sea under the provisions of Navy Regulations.

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The entire document is available here. It is a long technical read, but the opening two chapters give a good overview.

AndreF said:

My character works with robots. He can fix them, deploy them, and can make them do things that a normal user can't make them do. No he's not the robot whisperer.

His position and job will allow him to execute a number support roles and attack roles.

Whatever the mission requires he can be there and get the job done. Which is why I'm thinking Warrant Officer. Gives him a little bit of freedom to do things but not too restrictive.

But as I'm wanting get things right. Is something that a Warrant Officer generally does? What does a Warrant Officer typically do?

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No, that isn't. The Warrant is the SME (Subject Matter Expert), who can do magic with robots. That works. He isn't, however, and IMHO (in my humble opinion), the person who is going downrange to execute a number of support and attack roles. Corporal Snuffy is going downrange with one of CWO3 Snarky's master creations (whipped-up out of spare parts over a cup of coffee and three cigarettes) to take out an enemy bunker single-handed while rescuing the Mark 2 Mod 5 Damsel in Distress, Blonde, Curvaceous, One Each.

I'd make him an enlisted man. As a general rule, officers are the ones who give orders as to what needs to be done, Sgt's tell the enlisted men specifically what to do to to accomplish that order, and enlisted troops are the ones who actually do the work.

He could be a Private First Class, Corporal or even a lower level Sgt (Buck Sgt).

If you really need him to be a WO make his technical field so specialized and have such responsibilities that the military organization decided that a Warrant Officer was the appropriate rank for someone with that kind of job.

To give some real world examples: During the Vietnam War many U.S. Army helicopter pilots were Warrant Officers. The thinking was that responsibility for something as expensive as a helicopter, its crew, passengers, and success of its mission required some kind of officer rank. Since the need for helicopter pilots was so high, and there are limitations on how many commissioned officers there could be, making them WO's fit the bill. (Especially since the WO rank was generally used for these soldiers who planned to complete their term of enlistement, but who didn't plan to make the military a career).

As the same time there were Commissioned Officers flying helicopters, but they were typically the Platoon Commanders/Company Commanders, etc. (And they were the guys in the military as a career path).

On the other extreme though, just to show that the thinking doesn't always carry through, a tank commander is typically a Sgt, even though he commands a 4 man crew and the tank is worth millions of dollars. (No one saw the need to make tank commanders Warrant Officers, in other words).