--- title: 'Field Technician at RIVR' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/field-technician-rivr-zurich-mxz9bqnfxkd1' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-14' --- # Field Technician at RIVR - **Company:** RIVR - **Location:** Zurich, Switzerland - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-08 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/rivr/2504329f-9966-4934-8631-f52dec77d6fa ## Job description We are seeking a hands-on, resourceful, and detail-oriented Field Technician to support the maintenance, testing and operation of our advanced robotic systems. As a Field Technician, you will be responsible not only for preparing and maintaining the robotic platforms but also for representing our company in the field, adapting to unexpected challenges, and directly supporting testing with professionalism and technical expertise. As part of this role, you will also assist with production processes for the business and provide continuous improvement in terms of processes and instruction guides. ## What you’ll be doing ● On-site Troubleshooting and First Response: Independently diagnose and resolve mechanical, electrical, and software issues, often under time pressure and changing conditions, utilizing established ticketing systems. Data Collection and Reporting: Collect operational data, monitor system logs, and provide insights to engineering teams for system refinement. ● Preventive Maintenance and Inspection: Perform scheduled maintenance routines, visual inspections, and component replacements to maximize system uptime and extend hardware life. ● Production and Assembly Support: Assist with robot assembly, sub-systemi integration, and quality checks during production runs, ensuring builds meet engineering specifications. ● Process Documentation and Continuous Improvement: Create, update, and refine work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and deployment checklists based on field learnings and evolving best practices. ● Inventory and Spare Parts Management: Track spare parts, consumables, and tooling; coordinate restocking and ensure field kits are complete and deployment- ready. ● Safety and Compliance: Uphold workplace health and safety standards across workshop and field environments, including proper handling of batteries, electrical systems, and heavy equipment. ● Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with software, hardware, and operations engineers to relay field observations, validate fixes, and support iterative design improvements. ● Test Execution and Validation: Support structured testing campaigns—both in the lab and in the field by following test protocols, recording results, and flagging anomalies for engineering review. ## What you must have ● Degree or apprenticeship in mechatronics, robotics, or equivalent. ● Proven ability to work independently in the field, diagnose problems under pressure, and perform quick, effective repairs without immediate supervision. ● Ability to follow structured procedures, deployment checklists, safety protocols, and quality standards even in dynamic environments. Willingness and ability to travel to field locations - sometimes on short notice. Interest in both maintaining and operating robotics systems. ● Working proficiency in English. Get some bonus points ● Flexibility for shifts or extended hours during critical operations. ● Prior experience with operations of robotics or equivalent. ## About RIVR ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: RIVR builds autonomous wheeled-legged robots powered by Physical AI to automate doorstep delivery, from the street to the door. - **Entity Type**: Private (acquired by Amazon in March 2026; previously venture-backed with $29M total funding) - **Headquarters**: Zurich, Switzerland - **Founded**: 2023 (originally as Swiss-Mile, rebranded to RIVR) - **Founders**: Marko Bjelonic (CEO), Lorenz Wellhausen (CTO Software), Giorgio Valsecchi (CTO Hardware), Alexander Reske (COO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Robotics Engineering / Physical AI for last-mile delivery - **Target customers**: B2B – logistics providers, e‑commerce companies, grocery delivery services (e.g., Swiss Post, Migros Online) - **Mission**: “Pioneering Physical AI to revolutionize doorstep delivery” – combining neural networks with wheeled‑leg robots to master the last 100 yards of delivery. ## Products & Services - **RIVR ONE**: A wheeled‑legged delivery robot that climbs stairs, steps over curbs, opens gates, and carries multiple parcels/groceries securely. Equipped with cameras, LiDAR, and a robotic arm for dexterous manipulation. - **Physical AI Platform**: Reinforcement learning (simulated data + parallel GPU training) and supervised/imitation learning (real‑world data) that enable autonomous navigation and manipulation. A data flywheel collects teleoperation feedback to continuously improve autonomy. - **Global Operations Software**: Cloud infrastructure for fleet management, including 24/7 remote assistance and API integration for custom deployments. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (acquired by Amazon; prior valuation unknown) - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised – $29M (Seed round led by Bezos Expeditions and HSG, plus grants from Innosuisse) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Bezos Expeditions, HSG, Innosuisse; pilot partners include Swiss Post and Migros Online - **Growth Signals**: Acquired by Amazon in March 2026; already has customers requiring “tens of thousands of robots”; workforce of 48 employees with 12.2% monthly headcount growth; 19 active job postings as of mid‑2026 ## Competitive Advantages - **Wheeled‑leg design** offers 5× battery life and speed, and 10× coverage of traditional legged robots, while still climbing stairs and navigating uneven terrain. - **Data flywheel**: Each deployed robot generates real‑world data that feeds supervised and imitation learning, creating a self‑reinforcing improvement loop. RIVR claims it will generate more daily data than YouTube within four years. - **Full‑stack approach**: Proprietary learning algorithms, simulation environments, and hardware co‑design allow tight integration between AI and embodiment. - **Amazon backing**: Post‑acquisition, RIVR gains access to Amazon’s logistics network, resources, and scale, accelerating deployment. ## Strategic Focus - **General Physical AI**: RIVR’s long‑term vision is to build a general‑purpose Physical AI that can handle diverse real‑world tasks, using doorstep delivery as the initial catalyst. - **Scaling deployment**: Moving from pilot (Swiss Post/Migros) to mass production and global rollout, leveraging Amazon’s infrastructure. - **Talent acquisition**: Actively hiring senior AI engineers (reinforcement learning, imitation learning, VLA foundation models), hardware engineers, and robotics software specialists to grow the technical team. ## Why Work Here - **Cutting‑edge technology**: Work on Physical AI, reinforcement learning, and advanced robotics at the intersection of software and hardware. - **Zurich location**: Office and development lab in the heart of Zürich; relocation bonus offered. - **Compensation & perks**: Competitive, transparent salary; Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP); annual performance‑based bonus; five weeks of vacation. - **Team & culture**: Work alongside top engineers from ETH Zurich, Amazon, Meta, and leading robotics labs. Flat hierarchy with a strong technical focus. - **Remote/hybrid policy**: On‑site presence expected (all current job postings are “On‑site – Full”); the robotics lab requires physical presence. - **Growth opportunity**: Being part of an Amazon‑owned company provides stability and resources while still operating with a startup‑like engineering intensity. ## Sources 1. [rivr.ai/careers](https://www.rivr.ai/careers) 2. [rivr.ai/about-rivr](https://www.rivr.ai/about-rivr) 3. [linkedin.com/company/rivr-technologies](https://linkedin.com/company/rivr-technologies) 4. [jobs.lever.co/rivr](https://jobs.lever.co/rivr) 5. [rivr.ai/technology](https://www.rivr.ai/technology) ## Other roles at RIVR - [Senior Mechanical Engineer – Power Electronics Packaging](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-power-electronics-packaging-rivr-zurich-gj6pw40dteg9) — Zurich, Switzerland - [AI Intern – Vision-Language-Action (VLA) & Data](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-intern-vision-language-action-vla-data-rivr-zurich-fq5gf4hx17rn) — Zurich, Switzerland - [(Senior) AI Engineer - Reinforcement Learning Manipulation](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ai-engineer-reinforcement-learning-manipulation-rivr-zurich-x81cvkrqgyt1) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Hardware integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-integration-engineer-rivr-shanghai-xz2anwhe3xkz) — Shanghai, China - [Senior Electronics Engineer – Functional Safety](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electronics-engineer-functional-safety-rivr-zurich-6559gbs405j8) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Senior Electronics Engineer – Carrier Board](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electronics-engineer-carrier-board-rivr-zurich-bfras8f1qsy6) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Tech Lead – Testing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/tech-lead-testing-engineer-rivr-zurich-gwq4arwcqpby) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Procurement Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/procurement-engineer-rivr-zurich-hxs2jrkes2hg) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Procurement Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/procurement-coordinator-rivr-shanghai-6cra94jtfsdh) — Shanghai, China - [Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-rivr-shanghai-edvbc7njpzfc) — Shanghai, China