We Love AI JobsFounding ML Engineer / Series A / NYC / $250k + Founding Equity
Open TalentJoin a founding team as an AI/ML Engineer at one of NYC's top robotics startups, where you'll work closely with elite engineers from SpaceX and Palantir. Your contributions will directly impact the intelligence layer for autonomous heavy machinery, allowing real robots to operate effectively in the field.
Skills & Expertise
Key Responsibilities
Fine-tune and deploy models for mission-critical operational logic.
Build RAG pipelines and data flywheels for fleet intelligence.
Design evaluation frameworks for model safety and reliability.
Full Description
Founding AI/ML Engineer (Production) - NYC - $250k-$500k+ + Founding Equity
We’re hiring for one of NYC’s top 10 robotics startups. If you’re an elite engineer looking to join an A squad-builders from SpaceX, Palantir, Google & Anduril - this is where you want to be.*
Most AI roles are currently focused on generating pixels or text. This team are using LLMs to command multi-ton autonomous machines.
Must be based in NYC & role requires US citizenship due to regulatory constraints.
We need a Founding AI/ML Engineer to build the production intelligence layer for autonomous heavy machinery. This isn't a research lab. We have real robots, real customers, and systems operating in the field 24/7. Your work won't just generate tokens; it will drive physical outcomes.
The Work
This is a 100% production role focused on critical AI infrastructure. You are responsible for the intelligence that allows multi-ton machines to act on complex environments.
* Production LLMs: Fine-tuning and deploying models that handle mission-critical operational logic.
* Systems & Infra: Building the RAG pipelines and data flywheels that power our fleet’s intelligence.
* Evals & Determinism: Designing evaluation frameworks to ensure model outputs are safe and reliable enough for heavy hardware.
* Problem Solving: Moving from raw telemetry to deployed models. You own the pipeline, the tuning, and the performance in the field.
The Team
You’ll be joining a high-density team from SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril. We’ve stripped away the typical corporate friction-no bloated meetings or research for the sake of research. We hire for high agency and low ego. As a founding hire, you aren't just training models; you’re architecting the intelligence of the company.
What we're looking for
We want high-signal builders who are bored with "wrapper" apps and want to solve hard problems grounded in physics.
* Production Grit: You’ve shipped ML systems at scale. You care about inference latency and reliability more than "vibe checks."
* LLM Mastery: Deep experience with fine-tuning, RAG, and prompt engineering in high-stakes environments.
* Systems Thinker: You understand the full stack. You know how to optimize models to run efficiently and how to build the infra that supports them.
* High-Bar Pedigree: You’ve worked in environments where the standard for "production-ready" is exceptionally high.
Stack & Comp
* Stack: Python, PyTorch, LLMs, RAG, Vector DBs, Kubernetes.
* Location: NYC (Manhattan) - On-site/Hybrid.
* Comp: $250k - $500k+ base + Founding Member Equity.
The Process:
1 Week & 0 Take-Homes We move as fast as we ship. We can go from first touch to offer in one week:
1. (Founders) Technical Deep Dive: A conversation about the most complex AI system you’ve actually shipped.
2. (Team)Practical Pairing: Solving a real-world production ML or data infra problem together. No Leetcode.
3. (Exec) Founding Team Chat: A focus on judgment, trade-offs & vision.
If you’re ready to put AI into the physical world, let’s talk.
TL;DR
* Role: Founding AI/ML Engineer (Production)
* Focus: Fine-tuning, Evals, and RAG for Robotics
* Team: Ex-SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Google
* Comp: $250k - $500k+ base + Founding Equity
* Process: 1 week. 3 rounds.
Equal Opportunity
We're hiring for an Equal Opportunity Employer.
*All our new jobs are posted here 1st:
linkedin.com/in/sufyanbashir/