Physical Artificial Intelligence Architect - AI

Motion Recruitment; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) with company match

Unlimited PTO

Equity potential

Career growth

Job summary

Motion Recruitment is recruiting for a rapid-growth robotics company focused on warehouse automation, AI-powered autonomy, and production-grade robotics.

The role leads architecture for next-generation Physical AI, combining diffusion-based learning with traditional controls, to deliver reliable, scalable robotic systems in real-world logistics environments.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, AI, ML or related field.
• 8+ years of experience developing robotics, autonomy, or AI-powered systems.
• Experience deploying AI solutions into production robotics hardware.
• Deep expertise with diffusion models and modern robot learning techniques.
• Strong background in optimal control, MPC, trajectory optimization, and feedback control.
• Experience combining machine learning with traditional robotics planning and control architectures.
• Strong Python and C++ programming skills.
• Experience with ROS2 or equivalent robotics middleware.
• Hands-on experience integrating sensors, embedded compute platforms, and robotic actuators.
• Experience deploying AI models under real-time performance constraints.
• Excellent communication and technical leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Architect the company's next-generation Physical AI platform spanning perception, planning, and robotic controls.
• Lead development of diffusion-based policy learning solutions for robotic manipulation and automation.
• Design autonomous systems that combine modern AI approaches with classical control algorithms.
• Define technical strategy for integrating machine learning into production robotic systems.
• Collaborate with perception, controls, firmware, mechanical, and embedded engineering teams to optimize complete robotic solutions.
• Drive hardware integration across sensors, embedded compute, and actuator platforms.
• Improve system throughput by optimizing model inference, planning performance, and hardware execution.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and determine practical applications for production robotics.
• Mentor senior engineers and establish technical best practices across autonomy development.
• Help shape the long-term AI and robotics roadmap for future product generations.

Skills

Diffusion models

MPC & trajectory

Python

C++

Robotics leadership

Communication

Embedded systems

System integration

Education

MS or PhD in Robotics/CS/AI

Tools

Python

C++

ROS2

Embedded compute platforms

Job description

Join a rapidly growing, venture-backed robotics company that's transforming warehouse automation through advanced AI, robotics, and autonomous systems. With cutting-edge robotic platforms already deployed in real-world logistics environments, this organization is focused on solving some of the industry's most challenging manipulation and automation problems using modern machine learning and control techniques.

This is an opportunity to bridge cutting-edge AI research with production robotics. You'll help define the next generation of robotic autonomy, applying state-of-the-art learning algorithms to systems operating at commercial scale where reliability, speed, and robustness matter every day.

The Opportunity

We're seeking a Physical AI Architect to serve as the technical leader responsible for the architecture of next-generation robotic autonomy systems. This role combines deep expertise in machine learning, robotics, perception, planning, and controls with the practical experience required to deploy AI-powered systems onto production hardware.

You’ll work across robotics software, perception, controls, embedded systems, and mechanical engineering to develop scalable autonomy solutions that improve robotic performance while mentoring senior engineers and influencing the long-term technical strategy of the organization.

Required Skills & Experience

• MS or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical field
• 8+ years of experience developing robotics, autonomy, or AI-powered systems
• Demonstrated history of deploying AI solutions into production robotic hardware
• Deep expertise with diffusion models and modern robot learning techniques
• Strong background in optimal control, Model Predictive Control (MPC), trajectory optimization, and feedback control systems
• Experience combining machine learning with traditional robotics planning and control architectures
• Strong Python and C++ programming skills
• Experience with ROS2 or equivalent robotics middleware
• Hands-on experience integrating sensors, embedded compute platforms, and robotic actuators
• Experience deploying AI models under real-time performance constraints
• Excellent communication and technical leadership skills

Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience with diffusion policies, score-based generative models, and behavior cloning
• Experience deploying AI models on NVIDIA Jetson, ARM-based platforms, GPUs, or edge computing devices
• Experience with RGB-D cameras, force/torque sensors, encoders, and multi-modal sensor fusion
• Experience designing scalable perception, planning, and controls architectures
• Familiarity with reinforcement learning and imitation learning
• Experience optimizing inference latency and real-time robotic performance
• Strong systems engineering mindset with experience designing highly reliable autonomous systems
• Previous experience mentoring senior engineers or leading technical initiatives

What You Will Be Doing

• Architect the company's next-generation Physical AI platform spanning perception, planning, and robotic controls
• Lead development of diffusion-based policy learning solutions for robotic manipulation and automation
• Design autonomous systems that combine modern AI approaches with classical control algorithms
• Define technical strategy for integrating machine learning into production robotic systems
• Collaborate with perception, controls, firmware, mechanical, and embedded engineering teams to optimize complete robotic solutions
• Drive hardware integration across sensors, embedded compute, and actuator platforms
• Improve system throughput by optimizing model inference, planning performance, and hardware execution
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and determine practical applications for production robotics
• Mentor senior engineers and establish technical best practices across autonomy development
• Help shape the long-term AI and robotics roadmap for future product generations

Tech Breakdown

• 35% AI & Robot Learning (Diffusion Models, ML)
• 25% Robotics Planning & Optimal Control
• 20% Software Architecture & Systems Design
• 10% Hardware Integration & Embedded Systems
• 10% Technical Leadership & Mentorship

Daily Responsibilities

• 50% Hands-On AI & Robotics Development
• 20% Architecture & Technical Strategy
• 15% Cross-Functional Engineering Collaboration
• 10% Performance Optimization & Hardware Integration
• 5% Mentoring & Technical Leadership

The Offer

• Competitive base salary plus bonus and equity potential
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company contribution
• Unlimited PTO and paid holidays
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI-powered robotics deployed in real-world production environments
• Collaborative engineering culture with significant technical ownership
• Career growth within a rapidly scaling, venture-backed robotics company

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Sponsorship may be considered for highly qualified candidates.