Machine Learning Engineer - Reinforcement Learning

Pony.ai; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan

Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

Family Leave

Disability benefits

Free food & snacks

Job summary

Pony.ai is hiring a senior ML/AI specialist to build scalable ML systems for autonomous driving. You will design and deploy RL-based training and evaluation loops, and ship models that enhance fleet-scale performance across diverse scenarios.

The role emphasizes collaboration with Prediction, Planning, and platform teams, leveraging PyTorch and large-scale data processing to drive measurable safety and efficiency improvements.

Qualifications

• MS/PhD in CS, ML, AI or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on ML in production with a strong RL component.
• Depth in deep learning, sequence modeling, and generative models.
• Experience with large-scale distributed training and data processing.
• Ability to lead ambiguous technical work from framing to delivery.

Responsibilities

• Build scalable systems for training and fine-tuning large generative models for evaluation and coverage.
• Implement RL-style methods and training setups for high-fidelity behaviors in simulation workflows.
• Ship DL solutions (LLM/VLM) improving triage, automate workflows, and analyze self-driving behavior.
• Own production ML for fleet-scale assessment: training, optimization, monitoring, iteration.
• Design data + evaluation systems inspired by RLHF and related paradigms.
• Collaborate with Prediction, Planning, Research, and platform/engineering teams to land cross-cutting improvements.

Skills

RL experience

Deep learning

Generative models

Distributed training

Leadership

Education

MS/PhD in CS/ML or related field

Tools

PyTorch

Job description

Founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley, Pony.ai has quickly become a global leader in autonomous mobility and is a pioneer in extending autonomous mobility technologies and services at a rapidly expanding footprint of sites around the world. Operating Robotaxi, Robotruck and Personally Owned Vehicles (POV) business units, Pony.ai is an industry leader in the commercialization of autonomous driving and is committed to developing the safest autonomous driving capabilities on a global scale. Pony.ai’s leading position has been recognized, with CNBC ranking Pony.ai #10 on its CNBC Disruptor list of the 50 most innovative and disruptive tech companies of 2022. In June 2023, Pony.ai was recognized on the XPRIZE and Bessemer Venture Partners inaugural “XB100” 2023 list of the world’s top 100 private deep tech companies, ranking #12 globally. As of August 2023, Pony.ai has accumulated nearly 21 million miles of autonomous driving globally. Pony.ai went public at NASDAQ in November 2024.

Responsibility

• Build scalable systems for training and fine-tuning large generative models that produce realistic, informative driving behaviors for evaluation and scenario coverage.
• Implement and iterate on RL-style methods: algorithms, reward / preference objectives, and training setups suited to high-fidelity, insightful behaviors in simulation-aligned workflows (closed-loop evaluation mindset).
• Ship deep learning solutions (including LLM / VLM where appropriate) that improve human-led triaging, automate high-volume workflows, and support nuanced analysis of self-driving behavior to surface critical anomalies.
• Own production-oriented ML for fleet-scale assessment: training, optimization, monitoring, and iteration of models used to judge performance across large real-world exposure.
• Design and evolve data + evaluation systems inspired by RL from human preferences (RLHF) and related paradigms—turning preference/judgment signals into repeatable, scalable training and evaluation loops.
• Partner broadly with teams such as Prediction, Planning, Research, and platform/engineering leads to land cross-cutting improvements with clear metrics.

Requirements

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or a related field—or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on experience building and applying ML in production-grade settings, with a strong RL component (policy learning, preference/feedback optimization, or offline/online RL pipelines).
• Depth in deep learning, sequence modeling, and generative models.
• Demonstrated impact via strong publications or a clear history of shipping impactful ML systems end-to-end.
• Experience with large-scale distributed training and large-scale data processing.
• Ability to lead ambiguous technical work from problem framing through reliable delivery.

Preferred

• Background in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or complex simulation environments.
• Strong grasp of modern RL and post-training techniques in LLM, dLLM, VLA and video generations.
• Hands-on integration of simulation platforms with ML training and evaluation workflows.
• Python fluency and frameworks such as PyTorch
• Experience defining and operating metrics for complex, safety-critical AI systems.
• Technical leadership: influencing stakeholders, aligning teams, and raising the bar for evaluation rigor.
• Excellent communication—simple explanations of complex trade-offs.

Compensation and Benefits

Base Salary Range: $150,000 - $250,000 Annually

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on many factors, including the candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Compensation and this role may be eligible for bonuses/incentives and restricted stock units.

Also, we provide the following benefits to the eligible employees:

• Retirement Plan (Traditional and Roth 401k)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Free Food & Snacks