Director of AI at Agility Robotics

<div class="content-intro"><p>Agility’s commercially deployed humanoids operate alongside teams in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers—tackling physically demanding and repetitive tasks while enabling workers to focus on higher-value work. With industry-leading safety standards and years of proven deployment data, we're pioneering a new era of automation that enhances human potential.</p></div><h1><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Overview</strong></span></h1> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Director of AI will be a pivotal leader within our cutting-edge humanoid robotics company, driving the strategic direction and execution of all artificial intelligence and machine learning initiatives. This role requires a knowledgeable technologist and a skilled manager capable of championing and leading our existing high-performing team to develop the AI foundation for the next generation of humanoid robots. The successful candidate will be instrumental in defining the AI architecture, ensuring ethical implementation, and delivering robust, real-time AI capabilities that enable our robots to interact intelligently and safely with the world.</span></p> <h1><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Core Responsibilities and Deliverables</strong></span></h1> <h2><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Strategic Leadership and Vision</strong></span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Define and champion the overall AI strategy and roadmap in alignment with the company's product vision and business goals.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Lead the selection and integration of advanced machine learning models, algorithms, and deep learning techniques relevant to embodied AI (e.g., perception, manipulation, natural language understanding).</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Foster a culture of innovation, rigorous research, and responsible AI development that supports the team's ongoing success.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ensure that all AI systems adhere to the highest standards of safety, privacy, and ethical guidelines.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Partner with Hardware and Robot Software leadership to ensure the sensor suite and embedded compute are optimized for current and future AI model architectures.</span></li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Technical Execution and Development</strong></span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Oversee the design, development, and deployment of on-robot and cloud-based AI systems, leveraging the existing team's expertise.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Establish MLOps best practices for efficient model training, deployment, monitoring, and iteration.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Drive research into novel AI solutions for complex robotics challenges, such as real-time planning, human-robot interaction, and adaptive motor control.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Deliver production-ready AI models that meet performance, latency, and reliability requirements for commercial deployment.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Spearhead the Sim2Real strategy, utilizing physics-based simulation (e.g., MuJoCo, Isaac Sim) to train robust policies that transfer seamlessly to hardware.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Accelerate our data flywheel strategy to combine teleoperation, synthetic data, and fleet learning to expand the fleet performance and reliability.</span></li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Team Building and Hiring</strong></span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Champion the existing team's talent and represent their needs to senior leadership.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Develop a comprehensive hiring plan to staff and scale the AI team, including defining required roles (e.g., ML Engineers, Data Scientists, AI Researchers).</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Lead recruitment, mentorship, and career development for all members of the AI team.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Manage the budget allocated for team salaries, equipment, and necessary infrastructure.</span></li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Resourcing and Budgeting</strong></span></h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Forecast and manage the budget for cloud computing resources (GPUs, TPUs) necessary for large-scale model training and experimentation.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Secure and allocate funding for specialized datasets and data annotation services.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Evaluate and procure necessary software licenses and tools for AI development and simulation.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Regularly report on expenditure and resource utilization to senior leadership.</span></li> </ul> <h1><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Required Qualifications</strong></span></h1> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Minimum of 8 years of experience in AI/ML, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership or directorial role.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Demonstrated experience in developing and deploying real-time AI solutions for robotics, autonomous systems, or other mission-critical applications.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Strong expertise in core AI domains, including computer vision, reinforcement learning, and large language models (LLMs) applied to robotics.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Proven track record of managing significant technical budgets and scaling high-performance engineering and research teams.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Experience deploying models on resource-constrained edge devices, balancing inference speed, power consumption, and thermal limits.</span></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This is a fully remote role with the option to work hybrid if a commutable distance from our Salem, OR, Pittsburgh, PA, or Fremont, CA offices.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to: market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. This range may change based on geographical location and may be modified in the future.</em></span></p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Anticipated Base Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$257,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$402,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><strong><em>In addition to base pay, our competitive total rewards package consists of the following for full-time employees:</em></strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>401(k) Plan:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Includes a 6% company match.</li> <li><strong>Equity:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Company stock options.</li> <li><strong>Insurance Coverage:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short/long-term disability insurance for employees.</li> <li><strong>Benefit Start Date:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Eligible for benefits on your first day of employment.</li> <li><strong>Well-Being Support:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Employee Assistance Program (EAP).</li> <li><strong>Time Off:</strong> <ul> <li><strong>Exempt Employees:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Flexible, unlimited PTO and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown.</li> <li><strong>Non-Exempt Employees:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown, annually.</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>On-Site Perks:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Catered lunches four times a week and a variety of healthy snacks and refreshments at our Salem and Pittsburgh locations.</li> <li><strong>Parental Leave:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Generous paid parental leave programs.</li> <li><strong>Work Environment:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>A culture that supports flexible work arrangements.</li> <li><strong>Growth Opportunities:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Professional development and tuition reimbursement programs.</li> <li><strong>Relocation Assistance:</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Provided for eligible roles.</li> <li><strong>Annual Discretionary Bonus:</strong> Provided for eligible roles.</li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All of our roles are U.S.-based. Applicants must have current authorization to work in the United States.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Agility Robotics is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits unlawful discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, it is the policy of Agility Robotics to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Agility Robotics prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Agility Robotics does not accept unsolicited referrals from third-party recruiting agencies.&nbsp; We prioritize direct applicants and encourage all qualified candidates to apply directly through our careers page.&nbsp; If you are represented by a third party, your application may not be considered.&nbsp; To ensure full consideration, please apply directly.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Apply Now: <a href="https://grnh.se/b444bbd04us" target="_blank">https://grnh.se/b444bbd04us</a></p></div>