Robotics Simulation & RL Engineer at Humanoid (US Boston, MA)
Humanoid· US Boston, MA·
Role details
23 Days Annual Leave · 15 Days Paid Sick Leave · Paid Company Holidays · Fully Funded Private Healthcare · Equity · Pension Scheme With 8% Contribution · Free Daily Breakfast, Catered Lunch, And Snacks · Collaboration With Top-Tier Engineers And Researchers
Humanoid at a glance
Humanoid builds commercially scalable, safe humanoid robots to automate labor-intensive industrial tasks in warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing.
Designs and builds general-purpose humanoid robots (the HMND 01 platform) that automate physical industrial tasks like goods handling, picking and packing, and kitting, orchestrated by an in-house AI fleet framework called KinetIQ.
Approximately $30M self-funded by founder Artem Sokolov; a ~$200M Series A was in talks as of early 2026 (not closed) raised · latest: Series A (in talks, ~$200M, no valuation set) as of February 2026 · backed by Artem Sokolov (founder, sole shareholder)
Summary
Design and validate future robotic platforms using physics simulation and reinforcement learning. Develop tools to predict real-world performance, maintain CAD-to-simulation pipelines, and provide quantitative feedback to hardware teams on design parameters.
Job description
Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND‑01 - our rapidly developed humanoid platform being deployed in real industrial environments - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.
About The Role
We design robots in simulation before building them in hardware. As a Robotics Simulation & RL Engineer, you will help design and validate future generations of our robotic platforms - including bipedal and wheeled systems - using physics simulation and reinforcement learning. You will develop tools to determine whether a robot design can perform real-world tasks before committing to hardware. Your work will directly inform robot architecture, actuator selection, sensor placement, and control strategies. A key responsibility of this role is owning and validating the canonical robot models (URDF and simulation assets) used across simulation and control stacks.
What You’ll Do
- Design and evaluate new robot platforms using physics simulation
- Analyze robot capabilities including workspace, manipulability, dynamic balance, and torque limits
- Use reinforcement learning to stress-test robot designs and explore capability limits
- Own and maintain URDF models of current and future robot platforms
- Maintain the CAD → URDF → simulation pipeline
- Develop tools and benchmarks to evaluate locomotion, manipulation, and platform robustness
- Provide quantitative feedback to hardware teams on actuator sizing, joint placement, mass distribution, and sensor layout
- Collaborate with mechanical, control, and perception teams to guide platform design decisions
What We're Looking For
- M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Control, or a related field
- Strong foundation in robot kinematics and dynamics
- Experience with robot simulation environments (MuJoCo, Isaac Sim, Gazebo, or similar)
- Experience with reinforcement learning in robotics or physics-based simulation
- Experience working with URDF or similar robot description formats
- Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++
- Experience training RL locomotion or manipulation policies
Nice to have:
- Experience with legged, humanoid, or wheeled robots;
- Experience with whole-body control or torque-controlled robots;
- Experience with simulation-driven hardware design;
- Experience building large-scale RL training pipelines.
What We Offer
- Comprehensive health coverage for US‑based employees, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with virtual care and employee assistance resources.
- Meaningful time off to rest and recharge: 23 days of PTO (accrued), separate sick leave, and paid company holidays.
- 401(k) retirement plan with a 4% employer match.
- Equity included–we believe builders should share in what they build.
- Free daily catered lunch, snacks, and drinks in‑office.
- Collaboration with top‑tier engineers, researchers, and product experts in AI and robotics.
- Freedom to influence the product and own key initiatives.
For this role in Massachusetts, the target base salary range is $200K–$300K USD per year; your placement in that range depends on how your experience maps to our internal leveling.
Why work at Humanoid
- High-growth environment: Company grew headcount by 139% in a single year, indicating rapid scaling and opportunity for career advancement. 65+ open roles suggest strong hiring momentum.
- Talent from top robotics firms: Team includes alumni from Boston Dynamics, Sanctuary AI, Dyson, Ocado Technology, Arrival, Wayve, and others — offering a deep learning and collaboration environment.
- Technical focus: Engineering and technical roles represent 38% of the workforce, with senior-level hires at 23% of the team. The company emphasizes hardware, AI, machine learning, and control systems.
- Mission-driven: Clear purpose to automate undesirable, unsafe, and repetitive work — appealing to candidates who want to make a tangible societal impact.
- Global presence: Offices in London (HQ), Cambridge (USA), and Burnaby (Canada), plus operations in 16 countries — offering potential for international mobility and remote collaboration.
- Innovation culture: Described as a place where engineers and researchers “move from demo to deployment” and “not just in the lab.” The CTO emphasizes building systems that perform in the real world from day one.
- Office/Hybrid policy: Not explicitly stated, but the company has physical offices in three countries and a distributed team across 16 nations — likely supports hybrid/remote with in-office collaboration for engineering roles.