Staff Machine Learning Engineer

Who we are Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that. Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive. This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale. We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life. If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us. What we’re seeking A visionary Machine Learning Engineer to join our founding team who will help bridge the gap between high-level AI research and real-world physical actuation for our next-generation autonomous transport platforms. We are actively hiring across three core specialized subcategories: AI Research, Post-Training Optimization, and Data Engineering. AI Researcher (World Models & VLA) What you’ll do Research and develop cutting edge RL and distillation techniques for trajectory planning Integrate emerging research from the broader AI community, identifying and prototyping the most promising solutions Design and deploy end-to-end multimodal models that translate real-time visual perception and high-level behavioral goals into physical vehicle actuation Develop interactive world models from raw multi-sensor logs, allowing the team to re-simulate events and query what a vehicle would see if it altered its trajectory Ensure core autonomous driving models can seamlessly adapt to novel urban environments and edge cases Partner with validation and QA teams to run model releases through rigorous simulated scenarios, detecting regressions and identifying systemic performance bottlenecks. What we’re looking for 10+ years of non-internship professional MLE experience. Deep expertise in applying AI Transformers to robotics, physical actuation, or spatial-temporal data. Proven track record designing or training multimodal systems, large-scale VLA models, or generative Diffusion models. Strong background in Sensor Fusion, combining inputs from Cameras, LiDAR, and Radar. Fluency in PyTorch or JAX for training large-scale models. Experience with multi-task learning, Birds-Eye-View (BEV) frameworks, representation learning, or data tokenization is highly preferred. Proficiency in Python and familiarity with C++. Post-Training & Optimization What you’ll do Own the post-training lifecycle by distilling, quantizing, and optimizing massive models to run with low latency on vehicle edge hardware. Profile real-time inference pipelines to identify and eliminate CPU, GPU, and memory bandwidth bottlenecks on the vehicle. Work with low-level hardware, electrical, and firmware teams to iterate on custom carrier boards, sensor interfaces, and GPUs on edge devices. Benchmark and deploy models utilizing hardware-accelerated runtimes (e.g., TensorRT, CUDA) to minimize inference times under strict constraints. What we’re looking for 10+ years of non-internship professional MLE experience. Strong background in machine learning engineering with a focus on model optimization, distillation, and deployment. Hands-on experience optimizing models for edge deployment or custom embedded GPU targets. Deep understanding of profiling tools and debugging resource constraints across CPU/GPU boundaries. Experience with modern deep learning frameworks (PyTorch or JAX) and runtime compilation. Robust programming skills in Python and C++. Familiarity with low-level camera/sensor interfaces and robotics hardware is a significant plus. Data & Long-Tail Scenarios What you’ll do Architect automated pipelines to ingest, filter, and identify rare, high-value, and long-tail scenarios out of multi-petabyte multi-sensor datasets. Target and extract complex structural corner cases from real-world driving logs to continuously feed, challenge, and improve our end-to-end behavior models. Iterate closely with QA, testing, and simulation teams to transform ambiguous real-world anomalies into concrete data blocks for simulation testing. Implement programmatic data curation, active learning strategies, and statistical quality metrics to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio of our training pipelines. What we’re looking for 10+ years of non-internship professional MLE experience. Professional experience building data curation pipelines, active learning workflows, or data mining architectures for massive physical datasets. Strong familiarity with robotics data structures and spatial frameworks, including Birds-Eye-View (BEV) or spatial tokenization. Experience processing and structuring raw data from Cameras, LiDAR, and Radar. Expert-level proficiency in Python, data engineering frameworks, and PyTorch/JAX. Exceptional ability to navigate, structure, and derive signal from highly ambiguous, messy, or undefined real-world data distributions. Why join us At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time - bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow. What else you need to know This role is based in our San Francisco office. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week. The base salary range for this role is $273,000 - $345,000 per year. Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus. Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees): Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account Options 401(k) Equity Sick Time, Unlimited Flexible Time Off, and Paid Holidays Paid Parental Leave Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit Plan Team lunch in our SoMa office every Tuesday and Thursday Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion. Atoms accepts applications on an ongoing basis.