Senior Research Engineer - Manipulation

Field AI; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

FieldAI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are seeking a Research Engineer to join our manipulation efforts, building and refining large-scale learned manipulation models for humanoid robots.

You will collaborate closely with research scientists, engineers, and product partners to translate breakthroughs into practical autonomous capabilities and feed into FieldAI’s robot learning pipelines.

Qualifications

• Work at intersection of robotics research and applied engineering.
• Build, train, test, and refine large-scale learned manipulation models.
• Collaborate with research scientists, engineers, and product partners to design novel manipulation strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop manipulation capabilities to accelerate autonomous control for humanoid robots.
• Translate research breakthroughs into practical, scalable autonomy in real-world environments.
• Contribute to FieldAI’s robot learning pipelines and foundational models for generalization.

Job description

FieldAI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. Our growing R&D team is based in Boston, where we develop risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that tackle the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the potential of embodied intelligence. We take a pragmatic approach that goes beyond off-the-shelf, purely data-driven methods or transformer-only architectures, combining cutting-edge research with real-world deployment. Our solutions are already deployed globally, and we continuously improve model performance through rapid iteration driven by real field use.

We are seeking a Research Engineer to join our manipulation efforts. In this role, you will work at the intersection of robotics research and applied engineering, building, training, testing, and refining large-scale learned manipulation models and capabilities that accelerate autonomous control and loco-manipulation on humanoid robots. You will collaborate closely with research scientists, engineers, and product partners to design novel manipulation strategies and deliver systems that directly feed into FieldAI’s robot learning pipelines.

You will also play a key role in advancing robotics foundation models designed to be generalizable across embodiments, with an initial focus on humanoid platforms. The work will emphasize combinations of learned and physically-grounded models, alongside the data and training systems required to scale them. This role is about pushing the frontier of manipulation research while ensuring that breakthroughs translate into practical, scalable autonomy in real-world environments.

Why Join Field AI?

FieldAI is tackling one of robotics’ hardest problems: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models™ advance perception, planning, localization, and manipulation with an emphasis on explainability and safety, so our systems can be trusted where it matters most.

You will work alongside a world-class team that values creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring a decade-long track record of real-world deployments, strong performance in DARPA challenges, and experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX.

Our R&D organization is growing and anchored in Boston, with close collaboration across our teams in Southern California and with colleagues around the US and globally.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution

Solving problems at this scale takes a team as unique as the mission. We are looking for people who push beyond conventional approaches, enjoy tackling tough and ambiguous questions, and bring interdisciplinary perspective. Our success depends on exceptional AI researchers and engineers, as well as strong software developers, product designers, field deployment experts, and communicators who can turn breakthroughs into real capability.

We are headquartered in Irvine, Southern California, with teammates across the US and around the world. Join us to shape the future of embodied intelligence as part of a fun, close-knit team building systems that work in the real world.

Equal Opportunity

FieldAI celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.