Roboticist (Robot Foundation Model)

Wayve; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

Paid time off

Mental health resources

Community and socials

Competitive compensation

Learning and development

Job summary

Wayve Labs is building a general robotics foundation beyond self-driving vehicles. We seek a Roboticist to join the MEGA team as a founding member, shaping hardware and software for diverse embodiments and deploying robust robot policies with ROS/ROS2, C++, and Python.

You will collaborate with researchers, ML engineers, and hardware teams to translate research into large-scale experiments and real-world capabilities, building the next generation of intelligent robots.

Qualifications

• Experience in robot manipulation and hardware systems.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python for robotics or ML.
• Strong foundation in robotics and ML concepts with research translations.
• Publications in top conferences valued.

Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and operate robot hardware for research and deployment.
• Implement and maintain C++/Python robot software, including ROS/ROS2-based systems.
• Develop infrastructure for policy deployment, data collection, and the robot learning data flywheel.
• Run experiments on robots and diagnose software, hardware, and policy failures.

Skills

Robotics manipulation

C++

Python

ROS/ROS2

ML fundamentals

Education

PhD preferred

Tools

ROS/ROS2

C++

Python

Job description

• We are looking for a Roboticist to join the Multi-Embodiment Generalist Agent (MEGA) team within Wayve Labs as a founding member
• MEGA is building foundation models for general-purpose robots beyond self-driving vehicles. Our focus is on creating intelligent agents that can perceive, reason, move and manipulate the physical world across diverse embodiments, including mobile manipulators, dual-arm platforms and humanoids
• This is a high-impact role with genuine 0-1 ownership. You will have the opportunity to work across the entire robot stack: you will select, build, integrate, and maintain robot hardware; develop the software needed to deploy and test robot policies; and work closely with research teams to shape data collection, model evaluation, and the learning loop
• The goal is work on compelling and publishable research, but also to turn it into systems that demonstrate increasingly general, robust and useful behavior in the physical world
• You will collaborate closely with researchers, ML engineers, roboticists and hardware teams to move ambitious ideas rapidly from research hypotheses to large-scale experiments and impressive real-world capabilities
• This is a rare opportunity to help build a general robotics effort from the ground up—combining frontier foundation-model research with the immediacy and complexity of intelligence embodied in real machines
• Build, maintain, and operate robot hardware for research and deployment experiments
• Implement and maintain C++ and Python robot software, including control, planning, and ROS/ROS2-based systems
• Develop infrastructure for policy deployment, data collection, and the robot learning data flywheel
• Run experiments on robots and define data collection pilots that accelerate model development
• Debug and troubleshoot robotic software, hardware, and policy failures in lab environments
• Build comprehensive deployment and regression tests to improve reliability and repeatability

Benefits

• Private healthcare: Choose our optional health insurance for comprehensive coverage for you and your family.
• Paid time off: Paid vacation plus public holidays and additional leave programs, ensuring you have time to unwind.
• Mental health resources: Through Spill, you can access therapy and mental health support.
• Community and socials: Join clubs or attend team socials to connect over hobbies, sports, or just for fun.
• Competitive compensation: Our compensation package includes cash and equity, making you a true partner in our success.
• Learning and development: Budgets for books, courses, and company-wide training to support your continuous growth.

• Experience in robot manipulation; working with robot hardwareStrong robotics and machine learning fundamentals, with the ability to translate research into robust systemsPhD preferred; MS acceptable with strong relevant experienceExperience with C++ and Python in robotics or ML environmentsPublications in top-tier conferences such as ICRA, CoRL, or IROS are highly valued