Senior Research Engineer

Posted 22 Days Ago
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San Francisco, CA, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Artificial Intelligence • Information Technology • Robotics • Software
The Role
Research engineers determine which machine learning methods autonomous robots should learn next, design evaluations for real-world generalization, and deploy successful models to a live robotic fleet. The role focuses on imitation learning, reinforcement learning, production ML code, benchmark validation, and collaboration with training and serving infrastructure teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
Our Mission

Expand human ambition in the physical world.

Critical infrastructure is constrained by labor shortages, hazardous working conditions, and operational complexity. Watney builds and deploys autonomous robotic systems that increase the speed and capacity of buildout, starting with data centers.

About the Role

At Watney, research engineers decide what our models learn to do next, and a live fleet of robots is the only test that counts. The plan is a staged path from imitation learning toward broader generalization, with each stage expected to yield a working model before the next one starts.

You will help set that path: which method to try, and whether a result actually holds up outside a benchmark.

 
What You’ll Do
  • Decide which training method to try next as the model roadmap advances.

  • Design the evaluation that tells you whether a result generalizes or just fits the case it was built for.

  • Turn a promising result into something that runs on the fleet, working with the team that owns training and serving infrastructure.

You May Be a Good Fit If You:
  • Have taken a training idea from a paper or a prototype to a result that held up outside a benchmark.

  • Have worked with imitation learning, reinforcement learning, or a similar method for control, and can describe how you knew it was working or wasn't.

  • Are comfortable when no method is settled yet and you are one of the people deciding it.

  • Write production ML code (Python, PyTorch, etc.).

We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive team. At Watney Robotics, we welcome people of all backgrounds and identities, and we make hiring decisions based on skills, experience, and potential. If you’re passionate about robotics but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply!

Curious to learn more?

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Skills Required

  • Experience taking a training idea from a research paper or prototype to a result that held up outside a benchmark.
  • Experience with imitation learning, reinforcement learning, or similar methods for control.
  • Ability to evaluate whether a model is working or not working.
  • Comfort working when machine learning methods are not yet settled and helping decide the approach.
  • Ability to write production machine learning code using Python, PyTorch, or similar technologies.
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The Company
HQ: San Francisco, California
13 Employees
Year Founded: 2024

What We Do

Join us on our mission to deploy an abundant, intelligent workforce. Watney develops autonomous robots to enable the growth of critical infrastructure. Having recently raised $21 million in seed funding from Conviction, Abstract and A*, we’re partnering with the world’s largest hyperscalers to accelerate datacenter buildout and breakfix. You'll work alongside - The former GSM for the iPhone - The former founding engineer at Worldcoin - The engineer who built the world’s fastest EV racecar at ETH Zurich - … and many more Join now for a ground-floor seat with outsized ownership and visibility as we scale from prototype to production fleets. Ship real systems, shape the rollout playbook, and leave fingerprints on a category-defining robotics company.

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