Senior AI Engineer - VLA Foundation Model
Job description
Develops Vision-Language-Action models, generalist robot transformers and imitation learning algorithms so that delivery robots can autonomously execute complex tasks. The role also involves leading and mentoring a team of software engineers.
At a glance
- Work mode
- On-site · Zürich, Switzerland
- Languages
- English
What you'll do
- Develop and implement cutting-edge Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, generalist robot transformers, and imitation learning algorithms (e.g., diffusion policies) to enable robots to autonomously execute complex tasks.
- Design, test, and refine algorithms to meet the demands of complex real-world autonomy and navigation tasks, with a focus on spatial reasoning and generalization.
- Streamline the data collection and training workflow to efficiently expand model capabilities with new tasks and data sources.
- Collaborate with the reinforcement learning team to innovate methods that leverage both simulated and real-world data.
- Optimize and distill networks for real-time deployment on the edge (e.g. Nvidia Jetson Thor).
- Build, lead and mentor an exceptional team of software engineers.
- Provide expert guidance to product managers and executives for strategic decision-making.
- Create and maintain documentation, guidelines, and best practices to streamline knowledge sharing.
What we're looking for
- Master's degree or higher in a relevant field such as Engineering, Robotics, or Machine Learning.
- A minimum of three years of industry or research experience, with PhD experience applicable.
- Strong deep learning fundamentals including supervised learning, self-supervised learning, Transformer-based architectures, policy optimization algorithms, imitation learning, and generative AI techniques (including Diffusion Models).
- Proven experience in developing Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models or large-scale generalist robot models (e.g., RT-2, Octo, etc.).
- Strong background in robotics including autonomy, navigation.
- Experience with deploying artificial neural networks on hardware platforms.
- Ability to prototype algorithms and train deep neural networks in Python (Pytorch).
Nice to have
- PhD degree in Robotics, Engineering, Computer Science, Machine Learning or a similar discipline, or an equivalent amount of research experience.
- Publications at top-tier conferences.
- Experience in managing a software team.
- Ability to write production-level code in modern C++.
Apply
About RIVR, part of Amazon
Pioneering Physical AI through real-world doorstep delivery
RIVR, part of Amazon is a robotics company pioneering Physical AI through real-world doorstep delivery. Founded in 2024 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, RIVR developed wheeled-legged robots designed to operate in complex, unstructured environments such as stairs, gates, doors, and uneven urban terrain. Following its acquisition by Amazon in March 2026, RIVR continues its mission with greater reach and speed, combining custom robot hardware, onboard autonomy, and cloud-based coordination to build the next generation of safe, reliable autonomous robots for last-mile delivery.
Mission
Achieving general physical intelligence by solving real customer problems in the real world, where robots can learn from rich operational data at scale.
Key facts
- 2024
- Zürich
- Robotics
- Founded in 2024 as an ETH Zurich spin-off
- Acquired by Amazon in March 2026
- Develops wheeled-legged robots for last-mile delivery
- Fleet of delivery robots operates globally
Partners & customers
What they value
- Diverse and inclusive team that values every perspective