Member of Technical Staff - Simulation, Frontier AI Robotics

Amazon

San Francisco, CA

JOB DETAILS
SALARY
SKILLS
Architectural Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Building Systems, Business Operations, C++ Programming Language, CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture), Communication Skills, Computer Science, Corporate Policies, Customer Support/Service, Data Sets, Design Patterns Programming Methodologies, Federal Laws and Regulations, Industry Standards, International Operations, Large-Scale Systems, Leadership, Machine Learning, Mentoring, Performance Tuning/Optimization, Physics, Programming Languages, Python Programming/Scripting Language, Reinforcement Learning, Robotics, Simulation, Software Development, Software Engineering, State Laws and Regulations, Strategic Planning, Team Lead/Manager, Team Player, Technical Leadership, Training/Teaching
LOCATION
San Francisco, CA
POSTED
Today

We are seeking a Member of Technical Staff Simulation Engineer to join our AI robotics research team developing foundation models for robotics. You will rapidly develop 3D physics-based and photorealistic simulations alongside scientists to enable training large-scale machine learning models.

Key job responsibilities

- Develop simulations for reinforcement learning, closed-loop simulations and synthetic data generation

- Implement essential robotics features, including accurate modeling of sensors, actuators, and controllers

- Build real-to-sim workflows for dynamic environments and robotics tasks

- Implement simulation features to minimize sim-to-real gaps through domain randomization and system identification

- Create asset toolchains supporting industry-standard formats (URDF, MJCF, USD)

- Collaborate closely with a team of ML researchers to enable large-scale robotics training pipelines

About the team

At Frontier AI & Robotics (FAR), we're not just advancing robotics - we're reimagining it from the ground up. Our team is building the future of intelligent robotics through frontier foundation models and end-to-end learned systems. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in AI and robotics, from developing sophisticated perception systems to creating adaptive manipulation strategies that work in complex, real-world scenarios.

What sets us apart is our unique combination of ambitious research vision and practical impact. We leverage Amazon's massive computational infrastructure and rich real-world datasets to train and deploy state-of-the-art foundation models. Our work spans the full spectrum of robotics intelligence - from multimodal perception using images, videos, and sensor data, to sophisticated manipulation strategies that can handle diverse real-world scenarios. We're building systems that don't just work in the lab, but scale to meet the demands of Amazon's global operations.

Join us if you're excited about pushing the boundaries of what's possible in robotics, working with world-class researchers, and seeing your innovations deployed at unprecedented scale.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience

- 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience

- 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience

- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team

- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent

- Experience leading engineering teams as a mentor or tech lead

- Expertise in Python, C++ and CUDA programming

- Experience with TensorRT or similar ML optimization frameworks

- Ability to optimize ML models for production

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Expertise in NVIDIA's ML stack (cuDNN, CUDA Graph, etc.)

- Experience with ML compilers (ONNX Runtime, TVM, etc.)

- Experience with transformer model optimization

- Background in performance profiling and optimization

- Experience working directly with research teams

- Ability to build robust monitoring systems

- Experience with large-scale ML serving systems

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company's reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit for more information. If the country/region you're applying in isn't listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $150,000/year in our lowest geographic market up to $300,000/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors, including market location, and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.

About the Company

A

Amazon

At Amazon, we don’t wait for the next big idea to present itself. We envision the shape of impossible things and then we boldly make them reality. So far, this mindset has helped us achieve some incredible things. Let’s build new systems, challenge the status quo, and design the world we want to live in. We believe the work you do here will be the best work of your life.

Wherever you are in your career exploration, Amazon likely has an opportunity for you. Our research scientists and engineers shape the future of natural language understanding with Alexa. Fulfillment center associates around the globe send customer orders from our warehouses to doorsteps. Product managers set feature requirements, strategy, and marketing messages for brand new customer experiences. And as we grow, we’ll add jobs that haven’t been invented yet.

It’s Always Day 1
At Amazon, it’s always “Day 1.” Now, what does this mean and why does it matter? It means that our approach remains the same as it was on Amazon’s very first day – to make smart, fast decisions, stay nimble, invent, and stay focused on delighting our customers. In our 2016 shareholder letter, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared his thoughts on how to keep up a Day 1 company mindset. “Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, accept failures, plant seeds, protect saplings, and double down when you see customer delight,” he wrote. “A customer-obsessed culture best creates the conditions where all of that can happen.” You can read the full letter here

Our Leadership Principles
Our Leadership Principles help us keep a Day 1 mentality. They aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. To read through our Leadership Principles from Customer Obsession to Bias for Action, visit https://www.amazon.jobs/principles
COMPANY SIZE
10,000 employees or more
INDUSTRY
Retail
FOUNDED
1994
WEBSITE
http://Amazon.com/militaryroles