Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.
We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.
JOB SUMMARY
At the core of every robot policy we ship is a simulation platform that has to be fast enough for RL training, accurate enough for controls validation, and stable enough to be the team’s daily driver. As Staff Simulation Engineer for Core Simulation Platform, you’ll contribute to the architecture and development of that platform alongside senior team members, applying strong C++ and Python skills, robotics fundamentals, and modern simulator experience to keep the platform robust, performant, and parallel.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Contribute to the architecture and development of the core simulation platform — high-performance digital twins that serve as the foundation for policy training, controls validation, and CI/CD integration testing.
- Help build and scale cloud-native simulation pipelines capable of generating millions of experience hours per day, parallelizing physics and rendering for rapid policy iteration.
- Improve sim-to-real transfer through advanced contact models and actuator dynamics that help policies trained in simulation transfer to physical humanoid hardware.
- Develop sensor-realistic environments (camera, LiDAR, depth) that challenge the perception stack with dynamic and diverse worlds.
- Ship platform improvements that visibly reduce iteration time for RL, controls, and perception teams.
- Work with Controls, AI Research, and Perception teams to support their evolving simulation needs as the platform grows.
SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS
- Excellent C++ and/or Python programming skills
- Familiar with software development best practices: CI/CD, automated testing, and code quality standards
- Understanding of robotics concepts: kinematics, dynamics, controls, system identification
- Experience with modern robotic simulators (Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, or equivalent)
- Understanding of Reinforcement Learning and VLAs, with research or production experience
- Experience with large-scale training workloads — deploying parallel simulations on cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Ray, Kubernetes)
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
- Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5+ years of experience in robotic simulation, software engineering, or related fields
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
- Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
- Hearing and speech to communicate
*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.
Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Skills Required
- Excellent C++ and/or Python programming skills
- Familiarity with CI/CD, automated testing, and software development best practices
- Understanding of robotics concepts including kinematics, dynamics, controls, and system identification
- Experience with modern robotic simulators such as Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, or equivalent
- Understanding of reinforcement learning and VLAs, with research or production experience
- Experience deploying parallel simulations on cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure
- Experience with distributed computing frameworks such as Ray or Kubernetes
- Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
- 5+ years of experience in robotic simulation, software engineering, or related fields
Apptronik Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes multiple UnitedHealthcare plan options with an employer-paid portion of premiums, plus mental health benefits and FSAs. Feedback suggests this breadth is strong for a growing robotics company.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants and performance bonuses are part of the package, offering potential long-term financial upside if the company scales. Feedback suggests this upside is a meaningful draw for technical roles.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible PTO, paid holidays and sick days, and paid parental/family leave are included. Feedback suggests these leave provisions look competitive on paper.
Apptronik Insights
What We Do
Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better. We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products.
Why Work With Us
At Apptronik, we don't see a future where man competes against machine. Instead, we envision a harmonious world where man and machine coexist. Our mission statement, "It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine," encapsulates our belief that the synergy between humans and robots will pave the way for a brighter, more advanced future.
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Apptronik Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
