AmazonSenior Applied Scientist, Amazon Robotics - Vulcan
Amazon is hiring a Senior Applied Scientist, Amazon Robotics - Vulcan in Seattle, United States. It pays $167k-$226k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.
Level's read on this job
- Builds AI ●●●● is how Level rates this applied scientist role: the job is building AI systems.
- The listed pay starts close to the typical applied scientist posting on Level.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Python, C and PyTorch.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.
AI in this role
Drive the development of learned controllers and robotic manipulation behaviors using machine learning and reinforcement learning.
We are seeking an experienced Senior Applied Scientist to join our Motion Behaviors team. You will drive the development of learned controllers and manipulation behaviors, applying techniques like reinforcement learning and behavior cloning to robots operating in Amazon fulfillment centers. These problems remain unsolved at scale: our robots must improve continuously in environments where simulation alone is insufficient. You will make principled decisions about when learned approaches should replace engineered solutions, and how to select behaviors based on estimated risk. You will collaborate across disciplines and leverage rich operational data to continuously improve system performance.
Key job responsibilities
• Drive the development of learned controllers and manipulation behaviors, from research prototyping through deployment on production robots.
• Research, design, and implement motion planning, control, and decision-making algorithms that improve the performance of deployed systems.
• Design and deploy learning pipelines that take policies from simulation training to reliable, real-time execution on physical robots.
• Develop models that predict manipulation outcomes and inform behavior selection under uncertainty.
• Own the development of scalable, real-time implementations — writing production-quality code and setting engineering standards for the team.
• Leverage operational data from deployed systems to systematically identify failure modes and drive policy improvements.
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers, raising the bar for applied science rigor and engineering quality.
• Represent Amazon in academia through publications and scientific presentations.
A day in the life
Amazon offers a full range of benefits for you and eligible family members, including domestic partners. Benefits can vary by location, the number of regularly scheduled hours you work, length of employment, and job status such as seasonal or temporary employment. The benefits that generally apply to regular, full-time employees include:
1. Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
2. Maternity and Parental Leave Options
3. Paid Time Off (PTO)
4. 401(k) Plan
If you are not sure that every qualification on the list above describes you exactly, we'd still love to hear from you! At Amazon, we value people with unique backgrounds, experiences, and skillsets. If you’re passionate about this role and want to make an impact on a global scale, please apply!
Basic qualifications
- PhD, or Master's degree and 6+ years of applied research experience
- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
- 4+ years of robotics work cells and control systems experience
- 3+ years of building and deploying machine learning models for robotics applications
- Track record of training reinforcement learning or imitation learning policies in simulation and successfully transferring them to physical robotic systems
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with sim-to-real transfer at scale (domain randomization, system identification, etc.)
- Experience deploying learned policies in production environments with uptime and reliability requirements
- Experience designing reward functions and training curricula for reinforcement learning on robotic systems
- Publications in top robotics or machine learning venues (RSS, CoRL, ICRA, NeurIPS, ICML, etc.)
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
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 https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
USA, WA, Seattle - 167,100.00 - 226,100.00 USD annually
How we rate this
Senior Applied Scientist, Amazon Robotics - Vulcan at Amazon rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in applied scientist jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $167k
- Typical applied scientist job
- $167k
This posting starts close to the typical applied scientist job. See applied scientist jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where reinforcement learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where robotics was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where motion planning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through a computer vision problem you solved, from raw data to a deployed model.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Reinforcement learning, Machine learning, Robotics, Motion Planning, and Computer vision. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
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