---
title: 'AI Robotics Researcher at NIO USA, INC'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ai-robotics-researcher-nio-usa-inc-san-jose-2xgqj53kxxyf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# AI Robotics Researcher at NIO USA, INC

- **Company:** NIO USA, INC
- **Location:** San Jose, CA
- **Compensation:** $164k–$212k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-06-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/nio-usa/aeb18492-fd65-481d-88a3-00dcceb55840

## Job description

## About NIO

NIO Inc. is a pioneer and a leading company in the global smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIO aspires to shape a sustainable and brighter future with the mission of “Blue Sky Coming”. NIO envisions itself as a user enterprise where innovative technology meets experience excellence. NIO designs, develops, manufactures and sells smart electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation core technologies. NIO distinguishes itself through continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations, exceptional products and services, and a community for shared growth. NIO provides premium smart electric vehicles under the NIO brand, premium smart electric vehicles for families through the ONVO brand, and small smart high-end electric cars with the FIREFLY brand.

Roles and Responsibilities

- Conduct original research in embodied AI, robotic manipulation, and world modeling—including perception, planning, and control.
- Develop and evaluate large-scale multimodal models that integrate vision, language, proprioception, and tactile inputs for real-world robotic tasks.
- Create and prototype algorithms for dexterous robotic hands, contact-rich manipulation, and adaptive task generalization.
- Explore methods for sim-to-real transfer, self-supervised physical interaction learning, and reinforcement learning in dynamic environments.
- Collaborate with hardware and systems teams to translate research into real robotic systems—from simulation to physical deployment.
- Publish and present your work at top-tier venues (e.g., CoRL, ICRA, RSS, NeurIPS) and contribute to advancing the state of embodied AI globally.
- Shape the long-term roadmap of NIO’s embodied intelligence initiative, defining the frontier of AI-powered robotics in real-world domains.

## Qualifications

- Master’s or Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
- Deep understanding of robot learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, world modeling, or differentiable physics simulation.
- Hands-on experience with robotic manipulation, grasp planning, tactile sensing, or multi-sensor fusion.
- Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow), and robotics middleware such as ROS2.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and publish in leading AI/robotics venues.
- Strong analytical and system-building skills; ability to work across simulation, perception, control, and physical robot hardware.

## Preferred Qualification

- Ph.D. (or Ph.D. candidate expecting graduation within 6–12 months).
- Track record of publications in top AI or robotics conferences (CoRL, ICRA, IROS, RSS, NeurIPS, CVPR, ICML).
- Experience with dexterous manipulation systems, multi-fingered hands, or grasp optimization.
- Familiarity with 3D perception, neural implicit representations, or foundation models for robotics.
- Experience in sim-to-real transfer, real-time control, or model-based RL.
- Passion for applying AI to physical systems and creating robots that solve real problems in the real world.

## Compensation

- Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
- Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only. It does not include discretionary bonus, equity, or benefits.

## Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time NIO employee, you are eligible for the following benefits on the first day you join NIO:

- Anthem Blue Cross, HSA, and Kaiser HMO medical plans with $0 for Employee Only Coverage.
- Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plan.  Both provide options with a $0 paycheck contribution covering you and your eligible dependents.
- Company Paid HSA (Health Savings Account) Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Anthem Blue Cross medical plan
- Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- 401(k) with Brokerage Link option
- Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Sick and Vacation time
- 13 Paid Holidays a year
- Paid Parental Leave for first 8 weeks at full pay (eligible after 90 days of employment with NIO)
- Paid Disability Leave for first 6 weeks at full pay (eligible after 90 days of employment with NIO)
- Voluntary benefits including: Voluntary Life and AD&D options for you, your spouse/domestic partner and dependent child(ren), pet insurance
- Commuter benefits
- Mobile Cell Phone Credit
- Free lunch and snacks
- Onsite gym
- Employee discounts and perks program

## About NIO USA, INC

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: NIO USA, INC is the American subsidiary of NIO Inc., a Chinese pioneer in premium smart electric vehicles, focused on R&D, digital systems, and expanding the NIO ecosystem in the US.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NYSE: NIO; also listed on HKEX and SGX)
- **Headquarters**: San Jose, California, USA (primary US office)
- **Founded**: 2014 (parent company NIO Inc.)
- **Founders**: William Li (Chairman & CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Automotive (premium smart electric vehicles)
- **Target customers**: B2C consumers seeking premium EVs; also B2B through Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) and NIO Power infrastructure
- **Mission**: “Blue Sky Coming” – Shaping a sustainable and brighter future together; to build a user enterprise where innovative technology meets experience excellence

## Products & Services
- **NIO Vehicles**: Premium smart electric SUVs, sedans, and crossovers (e.g., ET7, ES6, EC6) with advanced assisted driving and digital cockpit features.
- **Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS)**: Vehicle-battery separation model allowing battery subscription, swapping, and upgrades – recognized as a 2021 Fast Company World Changing Ideas award winner.
- **NIO Power**: Network of battery swap stations, charging stations, Power Mobile (mobile charging), and a cloud-based power service system for holistic energy management.
- **NIO Service**: One-stop service system including Service Guardian and nationwide service network for maintenance and roadside assistance.
- **NIO Community**: User-driven ecosystem with over 600,000 users across 2,400+ communities, organizing activities and fostering shared growth.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in provided data (public company; market cap fluctuates; refer to NYSE: NIO)
- **Key Metric**: Over 9,600 patents filed/obtained as of December 2025; R&D and production centers across 14 countries; sales/service in 24 countries and regions.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not detailed in search results; NIO is publicly traded with institutional investors; strategic partners include battery supply chain and technology firms.
- **Growth Signals**: Expansion into Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central America; launch of sub-brands ONVO and firefly; continuous hiring in US R&D (San Jose) and Europe (Munich, Oslo, Budapest, Oxford, etc.).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Battery swapping technology**: 3-minute swap without leaving the car, with battery health checks – a unique differentiator vs. traditional charging.
- **User community and NIO House**: Physical and digital community spaces that build brand loyalty and retention.
- **Vertical integration**: In-house R&D across 12 technology domains (Full Stack) including autonomous driving, digital systems, and powertrain.
- **First automotive company listed on NYSE, HKEX, SGX** – strong capital market credibility.

## Strategic Focus
- **Global expansion**: Increasing presence in Europe, Middle East, and Americas; building sales and service networks.
- **Autonomous driving & AI**: Continued investment in assisted/intelligent driving, AI robotics, and LLM optimization (evident from US job openings).
- **Battery technology**: Advancing BaaS, solid-state batteries, and swapping infrastructure to reduce range anxiety.
- **Brand diversification**: Sub-brands ONVO and firefly to target different price segments.

## Why Work Here
- **Innovative environment**: Work on cutting-edge EV, autonomous driving, AI, and battery technology at a company that challenges traditional automotive.
- **Benefits**: Health/dental/vision insurance, FSA/HSA, 401K with RSUs and annual bonus, paid vacation, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, flexible hours, remote work options, free lunch/snacks, gym discount, commuter program, and mobile phone allowance.
- **Global presence**: Opportunity to work in San Jose (US), Munich, Oslo, Budapest, Oxford, Netherlands, and other locations.
- **Engineering culture**: Emphasis on R&D – roles include Hypervisor/Linux Kernel Developer, Simulation Software Engineer, AI Infrastructure Engineer, LLM Algorithmic Optimization Engineer, and AI Robotics Researcher.
- **Award-winning**: BaaS recognized by Fast Company; NOMI AI won 2021 Artificial Intelligence award; Firmware-Over-The-Air won 2021 DEVIES Award.

## Sources
1. [nio.com/careers](https://www.nio.com/careers)
2. [nio.com/careers/jobs](https://www.nio.com/careers/jobs)
3. [us.nio.com/careers](http://us.nio.com/careers)
4. [nio.com/about](https://www.nio.com/about?noredirect=)

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