Founding ML Engineer / Series A / NYC / $350k + Founding Equity

Founding AI/ML Engineer (Production) | NYC | $350k + Founding Equity We’re hiring for one of NYC’s top 10 robotics startups. If you’re an elite engineer looking to join an A squad-builders from SpaceX, Palantir, Google & Anduril - this is where you want to be. * Most AI roles are currently focused on generating pixels or text. This team are using LLMs to command multi-ton autonomous machines.

Must be based in NYC & role requires US citizenship due to regulatory constraints. We need a Founding AI/ML Engineer to build the production intelligence layer for autonomous heavy machinery. This isn't a research lab.

We have real robots, real customers, and systems operating in the field 24/7. Your work won't just generate tokens; it will drive physical outcomes. The Work This is a 100% production role focused on critical AI infrastructure.

You are responsible for the intelligence that allows multi-ton machines to act on complex environments.

Production LLMs

Fine-tuning and deploying models that handle mission-critical operational logic.

Systems & Infra

Building the RAG pipelines and data flywheels that power our fleet’s intelligence.

Evals & Determinism

Designing evaluation frameworks to ensure model outputs are safe and reliable enough for heavy hardware.

Problem Solving

Moving from raw telemetry to deployed models. You own the pipeline, the tuning, and the performance in the field. The Team You’ll be joining a high-density team from SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril .

We’ve stripped away the typical corporate friction-no bloated meetings or research for the sake of research. We hire for high agency and low ego. As a founding hire, you aren't just training models; you’re architecting the intelligence of the company.

What we're looking for

We want high-signal builders who are bored with "wrapper" apps and want to solve hard problems grounded in physics.

Production Grit

You’ve shipped ML systems at scale. You care about inference latency and reliability more than "vibe checks." LLM Mastery: Deep experience with fine-tuning, RAG, and prompt engineering in high-stakes environments.

Systems Thinker

You understand the full stack. You know how to optimize models to run efficiently and how to build the infra that supports them.

High-Bar Pedigree

You’ve worked in environments where the standard for "production-ready" is exceptionally high. Stack & Comp Stack: Python, PyTorch, LLMs, RAG, Vector DBs, Kubernetes.

Location

NYC (Manhattan) - On-site/Hybrid. Comp: $250k - $500k+ base + Founding Member Equity . The Process: 1 Week & 0 Take-Homes We move as fast as we ship.

We can go from first touch to offer in one week: (Founders) Technical Deep Dive: A conversation about the most complex AI system you’ve actually shipped. (Team)Practical Pairing: Solving a real-world production ML or data infra problem together. No Leetcode.

(Exec) Founding Team Chat: A focus on judgment, trade-offs & vision. If you’re ready to put AI into the physical world, let’s talk. TL;DR Role: Founding AI/ML Engineer (Production) Focus: Fine-tuning, Evals, and RAG for Robotics Team: Ex-SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Google Comp: $350k+ base + Founding Equity Process: 1 week.

3 rounds.

Equal Opportunity

We're hiring for an Equal Opportunity Employer. *All our new jobs are posted here 1st: linkedin.com/in/sufyanbashir/