AI Engineer - VLA model, RIVR

Amazon; Zürich; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon's RIVR division in Switzerland seeks a senior researcher/engineer to build Vision-Language-Action models for autonomous delivery robots. You will design, implement, and evaluate generalist robot models, supervise RL workflows, and optimize edge deployments on Nvidia Jetson platforms.

We value strong Python (PyTorch) expertise, a PhD or equivalent research experience, and a proven track record in robotics and deep learning.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent research experience in robotics or ML.
• Strong background in Vision-Language-Action or generalist robot models and robotics autonomy.
• Proficient in Python and PyTorch for prototyping and training deep nets.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement Vision-Language-Action models and generalist robot transformers.
• Design, test, and refine algorithms for real-world autonomy and navigation tasks.
• Streamline data collection and training workflows for model expansion.
• Collaborate with reinforcement learning team on simulated and real-world data methods.
• Optimize networks for real-time edge deployment (e.g., Nvidia Jetson).
• Build, lead and mentor a software engineering team.
• Provide guidance to product managers and executives.

Skills

Vision-Language-Action

Transformer models

Imitation learning

Deep learning

Robotics

Python (PyTorch)

Edge deployment

C++

Education

PhD in Robotics or related field

Master's degree in Engineering/Robotics/ML

Tools

C++

Nvidia Jetson

Job description

Description

RIVR, an Amazon company, is building Physical AI by deploying autonomous robots for real-world doorstep delivery. Operating daily in diverse urban environments, RIVR's robots continuously learn from and navigate the millions of scenarios encountered during deliveries. By owning the full stack from software.

Our fleet of delivery robots operates globally today, generating vast amounts of robotic real-world data. By utilizing state-of-the-... (remaining text unchanged)

Key job responsibilities

• Develop and implement Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, generalist robot transformers, and imitation learning algorithms (e.g., diffusion policies) to enable robots to autonomously execute complex tasks.
• Design, test, and refine your algorithms to meet the demands of complex real-world autonomy and navigation tasks, with a focus on spatial reasoning and generalization.
• Streamline the data collection and training workflow to efficiently expand model capabilities with new tasks and data sources.
• Collaborate with the reinforcement learning team to innovate methods that leverage both simulated and real-world data.
• Optimize and distill networks for real-time deployment on the edge (e.g. Nvidia Jetson Thor).
• Build, lead and mentor an exceptional team of software engineers.
• Provide expert guidance to product managers and executives for strategic decision-making.
• Create and maintain documentation, guidelines, and best practices to streamline knowledge sharing.

Basic Qualifications

• At least three years of industry or research experience, with PhD experience applicable.
• Strong deep learning fundamentals including supervised learning, self-supervised learning, Transformer-based architectures, policy optimization algorithms, imitation learning, and generative AI techniques (including Diffusion Models).
• Proven experience in developing Vision-Language-Action models or large-scale generalist robot models (e.g., RT-2, Octo).
• Strong background in robotics including autonomy, navigation.
• Experience with deploying artificial neural networks on hardware platforms.
• Ability to prototype algorithms and train deep neural networks in Python (Pytorch)
• Master's degree or higher in a relevant field such as Engineering, Robotics, or Machine Learning.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD degree in Robotics, Engineering, Computer Science, Machine Learning or a similar discipline, or an equivalent amount of research experience.
• Publications at top-tier conferences.
• Experience in managing a software team.
• Ability to write production-level code in modern C+Amazon is an equal opportunities employer. We believe passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills. We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify and build. Protecting your privacy and the security of your data is a longstanding top priority for Amazon. Please consult our Privacy Notice ( https://www.amazon.jobs/en/privacy_page ) to know more about how we collect, use and transfer the personal data of our candidates.

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