Staff Robotics Engineer / Tech Lead - Whole-Body Control & Robot Learning
$215.28k - $364.32kFull-time
XPENG
XPENG is a leading smart technology company at the forefront of innovation, integrating advanced AI and autonomous driving technologies into its vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs), electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and robotics. With a strong focus on intelligent mobility, XPENG is dedicated to reshaping the future of transportation through cutting-edge R&D in AI, machine learning, and smart connectivity. We are now expanding into the development of general-purpose humanoid robots aimed at automating repetitive tasks and assisting people in their daily lives. We are seeking a highly motivated Staff Robotics Engineer / Tech Lead to join our US robotics team. This role is ideal for a strong hands-on engineer who can contribute deeply to humanoid robot control, whole-body motion generation, robot learning, and sim-to-real deployment, while helping coordinate technical direction and mentor a small team. The ideal candidate brings strong engineering judgment, clear communication, and the ability to help other engineers move faster and make better technical decisions. Key Responsibilities
- Develop control and learning-based algorithms for humanoid robot locomotion, whole-body control, motion generation, and sim-to-real transfer.
- Contribute to the technical direction of the robotics team by identifying key problems, proposing practical solutions, and helping prioritize engineering efforts.
- Work with simulation, software, hardware, AI, data, and China-based engineering teams to translate robot performance goals into executable plans.
- Mentor other engineers through design reviews, code reviews, experiments, and technical discussions.
- Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- 5+ years of relevant experience in reinforcement learning, robotics, robot learning, control systems, or related areas.
- Strong background in robot dynamics, control, motion planning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, or whole-body control.
- Familiarity with modern robot learning methods such as PPO, SAC, behavior cloning, diffusion policies, imitation learning, etc.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work across disciplines, locations, and organizational boundaries.
- Strong ownership mindset and ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, ambiguous, research-to-product environment.
- Publications or strong project experience in robotics, reinforcement learning, legged locomotion, humanoid control, or embodied AI are a plus.
- Experience technically leading projects or mentoring other engineers.
- Hands-on experience with legged robot control, testing, or operation.
- A supportive, engaging environment with opportunities to make a significant impact on the future of robotics.
- Opportunities to work on cutting-edge technologies with top talent in the field.
- Competitive compensation, equity, benefits.
- Lunches, snacks, and team activities.
Vacancy posted 23 hours ago
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