1.54 Senior Research Engineer – Humanoid Manipulation

FieldAI; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Collaborative work environment

Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology

Diverse and inclusive culture

Job summary

A robotics research company based in Boston is seeking a Research Engineer to advance humanoid manipulation capabilities. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in robotics and software development, working closely with multidisciplinary teams to translate research into practical robotic systems. Responsibilities include designing manipulation strategies and prototyping quick solutions. If you are interested in tackling complex robotics problems, this role offers the chance to work at the frontier of innovation.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of hands-on experience with robotic manipulation.
• Strong foundation in robot kinematics, dynamics, and control.
• Proven experience implementing robotic systems on real hardware.

Responsibilities

• Advance humanoid manipulation research and development.
• Design, implement, and evaluate manipulation strategies for humanoid robots.
• Prototype quickly and validate results in the field.

Skills

Robotic manipulation

Robot kinematics

Software development in Python

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ROS or ROS 2

Job description

Overview

FieldAI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. Our growing R&D team is based in Boston, where we develop risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that tackle the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the potential of embodied intelligence. We take a pragmatic approach that goes beyond off-the-shelf, purely data-driven methods or transformer-only architectures, combining cutting-edge research with real-world deployment. Our solutions are already deployed globally, and we continuously improve model performance through rapid iteration driven by real field use.

We are looking for a Research Engineer to join our growing humanoid manipulation efforts. In this role, you will work at the intersection of robotics research and applied engineering, building, testing, and refining manipulation capabilities that accelerate autonomous control and loco-manipulation on humanoid robots. You will collaborate closely with research scientists, engineers, and product partners to design novel manipulation strategies and deliver systems that directly feed into Field AI’s robot learning pipelines.

You will also play a key role in advancing robotics foundation models designed to be embodiment agnostic, with an initial focus on humanoid platforms. This role is about pushing the frontier of manipulation research while ensuring that breakthroughs translate into practical, scalable autonomy in real-world environments.

What You’ll Get To Do

• Advance Humanoid Manipulation Research and Development
• Design, implement, and evaluate manipulation strategies for humanoid robots across a wide range of tasks
• Drive projects from early concepts through on-robot testing and deployment
• Contribute to loco-manipulation capabilities that integrate perception, control, and planning
• Build Systems That Bridge Research and Deployment
• Translate research ideas into reliable robotic systems that operate in real-world conditions
• Ensure systems are robust, reproducible, and aligned with data collection and learning objectives
• Develop experimental infrastructure to support rapid iteration and evaluation
• Contribute to Robotics Foundation Model Development
• Support large-scale data collection and learning pipelines powering robotics foundation models
• Ensure manipulation systems and datasets remain embodiment agnostic, enabling transfer across robot platforms
• Collaborate with research scientists to integrate manipulation data into scalable robot learning frameworks
• Collaborate Across Disciplines
• Partner with mechanical and electrical engineers on hardware integration and system bring-up
• Work closely with teleoperators and field teams to refine interfaces and improve manipulation performance
• Act as a connective layer between autonomy research and applied robotics engineering
• Rapidly Iterate and Deliver
• Prototype quickly, run experiments on hardware, and validate results in the field
• Balance exploratory research with concrete deliverables that support near-term goals
• Debug complex system-level issues spanning software, hardware, and learning

What You Have

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• 4+ years of hands-on experience in robotic manipulation in academic or industry settings.
• Strong foundation in robot kinematics, dynamics, and control, with a focus on manipulation
• Proven experience implementing and evaluating robotic systems on real hardware
• Strong software development skills in Python and/or C++, with experience using robotics middleware such as ROS or ROS 2
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced, highly collaborative environments
• Curiosity, ownership, and the confidence to challenge assumptions and propose new approaches

The Extras That Set You Apart

• Experience working with humanoid robots or multi-fingered robotic hands
• Background in learning-based manipulation, including imitation learning or reinforcement learning
• Familiarity with teleoperation systems and human-in-the-loop data collection
• Publications or open-source contributions in top robotics venues
• Experience with large-scale robotics data collection and dataset management
• Strong interest in bridging cutting-edge research with field-ready robotic systems

Why Join Field AI?

FieldAI is tackling one of robotics’ hardest problems: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models™ advance perception, planning, localization, and manipulation with an emphasis on explainability and safety, so our systems can be trusted where it matters most.

You will work alongside a world-class team that values creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring a decade-long track record of real-world deployments, strong performance in DARPA challenges, and experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX.

Our R&D organization is growing and anchored in Boston, with close collaboration across our teams in Southern California and with colleagues around the US and globally.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution

Solving problems at this scale takes a team as unique as the mission. We are looking for people who push beyond conventional approaches, enjoy tackling tough and ambiguous questions, and bring interdisciplinary perspective. Our success depends on exceptional AI researchers and engineers, as well as strong software developers, product designers, field deployment experts, and communicators who can turn breakthroughs into real capability.

We are headquartered in Mission Viejo (Irvine adjacent), Southern California, with teammates across the US and around the world. Join us to shape the future of embodied intelligence as part of a fun, close-knit team building systems that work in the real world.

Equal Opportunity

FieldAI celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.