Reinforcement Learning Engineer

HammerheadAI, Inc.; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive health insurance

401(k) plan

Equity in the company

Job summary

A leading AI infrastructure company in Redwood City is seeking a Reinforcement Learning Engineer. In this role, you will design and implement advanced reinforcement learning algorithms for the ORCA platform, optimizing power and compute resources in data centers. The ideal candidate has over 3 years of experience in RL applications, is proficient in Python, and holds a master's or doctoral degree in a related field. Competitive salary, bonus, and equity are offered in a growing startup environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in reinforcement learning applications.
• Proven track record in industrial automation or related fields.
• Strong theoretical background in reinforcement learning and real-world systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement advanced reinforcement learning algorithms for data center control.
• Lead RL models transition from research to live deployment.
• Analyze performance and improve control strategies continuously.

Skills

Reinforcement learning algorithms

Python

ML frameworks (PyTorch, Jax, TensorFlow)

Industrial automation expertise

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Operations Research

Tools

Ray RLlib

Isaac Gym

Job description

Reinforcement Learning Engineer – HammerheadAI, Inc.

About Hammerhead

We're unleashing AI with intelligent orchestration while addressing one of the most pressing bottlenecks for AI access to power. Our cutting‑edge platform optimizes data center power infrastructure to maximize AI token generation within existing electrical limits, without requiring new power plants or grid expansions. Our team has optimized over 8 gigawatts of mission‑critical power globally, addressing a $64 billion‑per‑year market opportunity while dramatically reducing the environmental footprint of AI infrastructure.

At Hammerhead, you will:

• Work at the intersection of AI, energy, and compute to create the next generation AI infrastructure.
• Collaborate with colleagues that are experts in modern RL and AI, IoT and IIoT software, and infrastructure technologies.
• Contribute to building a more efficient and sustainable future for AI compute.
• Join a company at the cutting edge of modern data center design and operation.
• Receive competitive compensation, equity, and benefits in a high‑growth, mission‑driven environment.
• Learn from an experienced team that has built and sold startups before.

Role Overview

As a Reinforcement Learning Engineer, you will architect the core intelligence for Hammerhead’s ORCA platform. Reporting to the Head of AI / Reinforcement Learning Engineering, you’ll design, train, and deploy Orchestrated RL Control Agents that form the brain of our system, making real‑time decisions to optimize power and compute resources across physical data centers. This role is for a hands‑on expert passionate about applying cutting‑edge RL research to complex, real‑world industrial systems. You will develop models that control physical assets like cooling systems and power distribution units to unlock massive efficiency gains in AI workloads.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement advanced reinforcement learning algorithms (e.g., multi‑agent RL, model‑based RL, deep RL) for real‑time control of data center infrastructure.
• Build and train RL agents that can generalize to real‑world, physical systems.
• Lead the transition of RL models from research and simulation to live deployment within the ORCA platform, ensuring stability and performance on mission‑critical hardware.
• Analyze agent performance to continuously improve control strategies for tasks such as peak shaving, workload shifting, and thermal management.
• Partner with platform engineers to define APIs, data telemetry, and infrastructure needed to support and scale our RL agents across a global portfolio of data centers.

Qualifications

• Proven experience developing and implementing reinforcement learning algorithms, demonstrated through publications in top conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR), open‑source contributions, or shipped products.
• 3+ years of experience applying RL to real‑world problems, preferably in industrial automation, robotics, autonomous vehicles, energy systems, or other physical systems. Experience from a leading industrial or academic RL lab is highly desirable.
• Deep proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch, Jax, or TensorFlow. Experience with simulation platforms and RL libraries (e.g., Ray RLlib, Isaac Gym) is a plus.
• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Operations Research, or a related field with a focus on machine learning or control theory.
• Strong theoretical background and the ability to bridge RL theory with the constraints of physical, real‑world systems.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, bonus, 401(k) plan, and equity in a rapidly growing startup.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Opportunity to apply the latest AI technologies working with an experienced team.

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at HammerheadAI, Inc. by 2x.

Visit our Careers page at hammerheadco.ai/careers to apply.