Robotics Research Scientist (San Francisco, CA)

Tutor Intelligence; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Unlimited PTO

Federal holidays off

Job summary

Tutor Intelligence is seeking a research scientist to build AI algorithms and systems that enable robots to operate in the lab and on real-world deployments. You’ll work from the core algorithms to production-ready code, turning ambitious robotics concepts into tangible impact.

We value strong fundamentals and curiosity, with room to shape your own role around robotics, ML, and software, collaborating closely with researchers, engineers, and operators to push the frontier of robotics.

Qualifications

• Exceptionally strong programming skills in one or more languages.
• Natural collaborator, excited to work closely around a whiteboard in a team setting.
• Excited by the future full of robots and a reshaped physical economy.
• Not afraid to step foot in a factory or a warehouse.

Responsibilities

• Build AI algorithms and systems for robotics research and deployment.
• Develop software that enables robots to operate in lab and real-world settings.
• Collaborate with researchers, engineers, and operators to push robotics forward.

Skills

Programming skills

Team collaboration

Robotics/ML interest

Factory/warehouse hands-on

Tools

Python

TypeScript

React

Docker

Kubernetes

systemd

Job description

About Tutor

We believe robots are the biggest lever we have to making the physical world a better, more affordable place. But robots are a rounding error in our society: nearly nine out of ten American factories and warehouses don’t even have a single robot, and robots have yet to make their way into our homes or places of business.

Tutor Intelligence is changing that.

Tutor is a robotics research and deployment company, building generally capable robot hardware and artificial intelligence to enable robots to go where no robots have gone before. Sonny is a semi-humanoid robot with frontier dexterity approaching the human form. Cassie does back-breaking work, moving boxes, pallets, and bulk goods for businesses from family-owned manufacturers to some of the largest brands in the world. Tutor robots are manufactured at scale and operate as a network, combining the whole fleet’s learned experience to train ever more capable robot artificial intelligence.

Founded at MIT and headquartered in Watertown, MA, our team is full stack: we design and manufacture robot hardware, train our own models, work directly with the smallest and largest end-customers, and maintain our fleet across the United States. We’re a team of researchers, engineers, technicians, operators, and sellers who love building things and solving hard problems.

Our mission is grand: robots everywhere, for the common good, raising the standard of living across North America, and then the world.

The Role

Are you tired of writing incremental code for massive CRUD web-apps? Do you want to build systems from the ground up that effect change in the physical world, not just the digital one? At Tutor, we are motivated by atoms not electrons : every line of code you write has a real world impact at the foundation of our global economy, solving the core technical problems to evolve humanity and society to the next level.

Tutor Intelligence builds software to enable ordinary robots to achieve extraordinary things. As a research scientist, your work lies at the center of this challenge, building the AI algorithms and systems that drive novel capabilities in the lab and in the field.

At the core, we are looking for motivated and curious individuals who have exceptionally strong programming fundamentals. Experience in specific technical stacks or with robotics/ML are helpful but not requirements: whatever shape your skill set is, Tutor engineers and researchers shape their own roles to best tackle the frontier of robotics development.

Requirements

• Exceptionally strong programming skills and comfort in one or more programming languages
• Natural collaborator, excited to work closely around a whiteboard in a team setting
• Excited by the future full of robots and a reshaped physical economy
• Not afraid to step foot in a factory or a warehouse

Nice to haves (zero or more)

• Advanced proficiency with Python and/or Typescript + React
• Experience with robot arms / manipulation
• Experience with motion planning and robot optimization
• Experience with perception or computer vision (deep or classical)
• Experience with infra and devtools (systemd, Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with hardware / software integration

$200,000 - $350,000 a year

Why Tutor?

Whether you’re designing robots, closing deals, running deployments, or creating the processes that help us scale, your work doesn’t sit on a shelf. It shows up on real production floors, making physical work safer and more affordable.

Our team of 160+ is driven by curiosity and a genuine love of building. Everyone here takes real ownership, learns fast, and holds a high bar while having each other’s backs. If you love hard problems and creating things that didn’t exist before, you’ll fit right in.

Benefits

We take care of our team so they can do their best work. At Tutor, you’ll get:

• Fully employer-covered health insurance, so you’re protected without the premium.
• A managed 401(k) to help you plan for the future.
• Generous time off: unlimited PTO and all federal holidays off for full-time salaried employees, and 16+ days of accrued paid time off plus 1.5x pay on federal holidays for hourly employees.
• Regular in-office meals and team social events throughout the year.

As Tutor grows, so will our benefits. We’re continuing to invest in ways to support our team at work and beyond.

Tutor Intelligence is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.