Senior Robotics Field Application Engineer - Irvine, CA at FieldAI (Irvine, CA)

FieldAI· Irvine, CA· $80k–$130k·1d ago

Role details

Salary

$80k–$130k

Work type

Onsite

Employment

Full-Time

Job description

Job Title: Senior Robotics Field Application Engineer Location: Irvine, CA Job Type: Full time

Who are We? FieldAI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. Our autonomous systems are deployed in demanding industrial environments, where real-world performance, reliability, and customer success are critical.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is dependent upon experience. The actual offer for this position will be based on factors such as relevant experience, competencies, certifications, and how well the candidate meets the qualifications outlined above. Part of our compensation package also includes full benefits, equity, and generous time.

Field AI Onsite Work Philosophy At Field AI, we believe the most effective way to collaborate and solve complex challenges is by working together in person. This is a fully onsite role, and candidates will be expected to work from our Irvine, CA office. In-person engagement is essential to our success, and we offer flexible working hours to support focus and work-life balance.

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and encouraging applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Why work at FieldAI

Impact: Directly shape how intelligent systems operate in the real world – from underground mines to urban search-and-rescue.
Culture: "Creativity, resilience, and bold thinking" – a supportive environment that encourages pushing beyond conventional methods [fieldai.com/careers].
Team: Work alongside world-class researchers and engineers from DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, and leading autonomy companies.
Resources: Backed by over $100M in funding with strong institutional support – rapid execution and fast-paced growth.
Work model: Likely office-centric given the hardware/robotics focus; headquarters in Irvine, CA, with a distributed presence across 9 countries (US, India, Singapore, Japan, Spain, etc.) [linkedin.com].
Perks / recognition: Rated 4.5/5 on employer reviews (16 reviews), with top marks for Culture (4.3) and Career (4.4) [linkedin.com].

About FieldAI

Company Overview

One-liner: FieldAI is building the first risk-aware, physics-first foundation model (the Field Foundation Model) that makes robots autonomous in complex, unstructured, and safety-critical real-world environments.
Entity Type: Private (latest funding: Venture Round / Corporate Round; total funding ~$497M)
Headquarters: Irvine, California, United States (with an office in Mission Viejo)
Founded: 2023 (originally known as "AI for Humanity")
Founders: Dr. Ali Agha (CEO) – former NASA JPL Principal Investigator and DARPA challenge winner; Dr. Shayegan Omidshafiei (President & Chief Scientific Officer) – former DeepMind Research Scientist

Core Business

Primary industry: Robotics Engineering / Artificial Intelligence (Embodied AI)
Target customers: B2B, Enterprise, Government / Federal agencies, Commercial field operators (construction, industrial, urban operations, mission-critical)
Mission / purpose: "Deploy autonomous robots at scale in any unstructured environment" without reliance on GPS, maps, or pre-trained routes.

Products & Services

Field Foundation Model (FFM): An AI platform that acts as the "general-purpose brain" for robots. It combines data-driven learning with physics-based methods, assesses uncertainty, establishes risk, and adapts autonomously in field conditions. Works across any robot type and continuously improves through a virtuous data flywheel.

Market Standing

Valuation: Not publicly disclosed
Key Metric (Total Funding): ~$497M across multiple rounds (Seed: $91M, Venture rounds, Corporate round led by Hyundai Motor Group, Series A: $980K led by Temasek Holdings and Prysm Capital) [linkedin.com] [cbinsights.com]
Notable Investors / Partners: Hyundai Motor Group (corporate round lead), Temasek Holdings, Prysm Capital, plus other visionary institutions.
Growth Signals:
- Headcount of 217 employees (+227.8% YoY) [linkedin.com]
- LinkedIn followers grew +580.4% in the last year (51,728 total) [linkedin.com]
- Technology deployed globally for a decade – from 900 feet underground to advanced commercial, federal, and mission-critical operations [fieldai.com/careers]
- Won segments of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge (Urban phase) [fieldai.com/team]

Competitive Advantages

First risk-aware, physics-first foundation model – unlike pure data-driven or transformer-only approaches.
Field-proven reliability – systems work without GPS, maps, or pre-programmed routes, and dynamically adapt to uncertainty.
Virtuous data flywheel – each deployment increases model reliability across the entire fleet.
Exceptional team – drawn from DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, Nvidia, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX [fieldai.com/team]
Strong IP & DARPA pedigree – led by veterans who have shaped the field of autonomous robotics for nearly two decades.

Strategic Focus

Scale deployment of the Field Foundation Model across commercial, industrial, and federal sectors.
Expand federal division (FieldAI Federal) led by former DARPA PM and Toyota Research Institute exec Dr. Eric Krotkov [fieldai.com/team]
Hire top-tier talent in embodied AI, software engineering, robotics hardware, and field operations to accelerate product development and real-world impact [fieldai.com/careers]

Sources

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Why work at FieldAI

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