---
title: 'Staff Machine Learning Engineer at XPENG'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-machine-learning-engineer-xpeng-santa-clara-am2k1qbg9f2g'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-05'
---

# Staff Machine Learning Engineer at XPENG

- **Company:** XPENG
- **Location:** Santa Clara, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-08-24
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xpengmotors/jobs/8743596002

## Job description

XPeng Motors is one of China’s leading smart electric vehicle (EV) companies. We design, develop, and manufacture smart EVs that are seamlessly integrated with advanced Internet, AI and autonomous driving technologies. We are committed to in-house R&D and intelligent manufacturing to create a better mobility experience for our customers. We strive to transform smart electric vehicles with technology and data, shaping the mobility experience of the future.

We are looking for machine learning engineers with strong reinforcement learning design skills and software development skills. In this role, you will implement, evaluate and deploy reinforcement learning based methods for planning problems. You will be working with a team of the best-in-class computer vision, AI systems, and software engineers to ensure the world-leading performance on our autonomous vehicles. Your work will be supported by massive data from our autonomous fleet to deliver the best autonomous driving solution.

Job Responsibilities:

- Research and develop algorithms for reinforcement learning based methods for planning.

- Design efficient model architectures that can run in real-time on the computing platform of our vehicles.

- Develop offline data-driven ML infrastructure for fast adaptation of the planning ML models.

- Deliver on target planning SW and closely work with the perception team to achieve the most intelligent autonomous driving systems.

- Work with massive field-testing data to continuously improve autonomous driving technologies.

- Designing, running, and analyzing experiments and testing to evaluate the efficiency of our solutions on real-world data.

- Partnering with system software engineering specialists to ship industrial strength ML models.

- Communicating and collaborating with multi-functional teams.

Minimum Skill Requirements:

- Education in Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science with a focus on Reinforcement Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

- Strong experience in applied reinforcement learning including model architecture design, model training, data mining, and data analytics.

- 3-5 + years of experience working with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, Tensorflow.

- Strong Python programming experience with software design skills.

- Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, code optimization and large-scale data processing.

- Excellent problem-solving skills.

Preferred Skill Requirements:

- MS or PhD level education in Engineering, Robotics or Computer Science with a focus on Reinforcement Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

- Related experience in autonomous driving or robotics production solutions.

- Hands on experience in developing RL based planning engine for autonomous driving or robotic system.

- Experience in model deployment and optimization tools such as ONNX and TensorRT.

What do we provide

- A fun, supportive and engaging environment.

- Infrastructures and computational resources to support your work.

- Opportunity to work on cutting edge technologies with the top talents in the field.

- Opportunity to make a significant impact on the transportation revolution by the means of advancing autonomous driving.

- Competitive compensation package.

- Snacks, lunches, dinners, and fun activities.

The base salary range for this full-time position is $179,400 - $303,600, in addition to bonus, equity and benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status or marital status or any other prescribed category set forth in federal or state regulations.

## About XPENG

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: XPENG is a Chinese global AI mobility technology company designing and manufacturing smart electric vehicles, eVTOL aircraft, and humanoid robots, powered by in-house full-stack advanced driver-assistance systems and AI.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NYSE: XPEV, HKEX: 9868)
- **Headquarters**: Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- **Founded**: 15 August 2014
- **Founders**: He Xiaopeng (Chairman & CEO), Xia Heng (Henry Xia), He Tao, Yang Chunlei

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Automotive, Aerospace, Robotics (AI mobility)
- **Target customers**: B2C (premium smart EV buyers globally), B2B (fleet operators, robotaxi services)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To transform future mobility through intelligent revolution, from road to air, as the "Explorer of Future Mobility" [xpeng.com](https://www.xpeng.com/brand)

## Products & Services
- **Smart Electric Vehicles (EVs)**: SUVs (G6, G9), sedans (P7, P5), and MPVs — all equipped with XPILOT/VLA intelligent driving systems. Type: Hardware + Embedded Software.
- **XPILOT / VLA 2.0**: Full-stack advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) using vision-only sensors and 4D mmWave radar. Type: AI Software.
- **XPeng AeroHT (Land Aircraft Carrier)**: Modular flying car — a 6x6 range-extended eVTOL carrier van. Type: Hardware (eVTOL).
- **IRON Humanoid Robot**: Next-generation general-purpose humanoid robot for embodied AI applications. Type: Hardware + AI Software.
- **Robotaxi**: Mass-produced autonomous ride-hailing vehicle (GX platform), targeting pilot operations in 2026. Type: Service + Hardware.
- **XPENG Charging Network**: Self-operated ultra-fast charging stations (2,398+ ultra-fast stations as of Q1 2026). Type: Infrastructure.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (as of mid-2026, market cap fluctuates with NYSE/HKEX trading).
- **Key Metric**: Full-year 2025 revenue of CN¥76.72 billion (~$10.6B) with 429,445 vehicles delivered (126% YoY growth). Recorded first-ever quarterly net profit in Q4 2025 (RMB0.38B). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPeng)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**:
  - **Volkswagen Group**: Strategic partner ($700M investment for 4.99% stake in 2023; joint development of E/E architecture and two VW-brand EVs for China).
  - **Alibaba, Foxconn, IDG Capital**: Early investors.
  - **BlackRock**: 5.3% long position in Class A shares (as of Dec 2025).
  - **Salvador Caetano Group**: Distribution partner for Spain/Portugal.
  - **International Motors Ltd**: UK launch partner (2025).
- **Growth Signals**:
  - 126% YoY vehicle delivery growth in 2025.
  - Expanded to 60 countries/regions globally by end of 2025.
  - 96% YoY growth in overseas deliveries (45,008 vehicles in 2025).
  - First quarterly net profit in Q4 2025 (RMB0.38B).
  - Gross margin improved to 20.6% in Q1 2026.
  - 733 physical sales stores across 256 cities in China (as of Q1 2026).
  - Began mass production of robotaxi in May 2026 (Reuters).

## Competitive Advantages
- **In-house full-stack AI stack**: Unique integration of EV hardware, autonomous driving software (VLA 2.0), and AI foundation models — not reliant on third-party suppliers for core intelligence.
- **First-mover in flying cars**: AeroHT subsidiary is a leader in eVTOL vehicles, with the Land Aircraft Carrier entering production.
- **Strong strategic partnership with Volkswagen**: Provides access to global automotive expertise, supply chain leverage, and co-developed platforms.
- **MSCI ESG "AAA" rating** (highest among global automakers for three consecutive years) — a differentiator for ESG-conscious investors and talent. [xpeng.com](https://www.xpeng.com/brand)
- **Global R&D footprint**: Engineering centers in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara, San Diego), Munich, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou — enabling talent acquisition across AI, robotics, and automotive domains.

## Strategic Focus
- **Embodied AI & Physical AI**: Shifting from "EV maker" to "global embodied intelligence company" — integrating AI into vehicles, robots, and flying cars.
- **Robotaxi commercialization**: Mass production of robotaxi in 2026, targeting fully driverless operations by early 2027.
- **Global expansion**: Deepening presence in Europe (UK, Spain, Portugal, Germany) and entering new markets (60 countries by end of 2025).
- **Cost efficiency & margin improvement**: Achieving positive quarterly net profit (Q4 2025) and growing gross margins (20.6% in Q1 2026) through scale and platform sharing.
- **VLA 2.0 rollout**: Full deployment of vision-only intelligent driving system across all new models, removing LiDAR for cost reduction.

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-edge AI & Robotics**: Work on the frontier of autonomous driving, humanoid robots (IRON), and eVTOL aircraft — rare multi-domain exposure.
- **Global, diverse team**: Employees across China, USA (Santa Clara, San Diego), and Europe (Munich) — strong cross-cultural collaboration. [xpeng.com](https://www.xpeng.com/brand)
- **Strong engineering culture**: Open roles in AI infrastructure, computer vision, machine learning (foundation models, perception, end-to-end), robotics (whole-body control, dexterous manipulation), and software engineering. [Greenhouse](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xpengmotors)
- **Growth trajectory**: Rapid scaling (126% delivery growth, new markets, robotaxi launch) — opportunity to make an outsized impact.
- **Public company stability**: Listed on NYSE and HKEX with significant institutional backing (Volkswagen, BlackRock).
- **Perks & environment**: Self-built smart factories (Industrial 4.0), strong ESG commitment (AAA rating), and a mission-driven culture focused on "exploring future mobility."
- **Remote/Hybrid**: Not explicitly stated, but roles are location-specific (Santa Clara, San Diego, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Munich) suggesting on-site/hybrid presence.

## Sources
1. [XPENG Official Brand Page](https://www.xpeng.com/brand)
2. [XPENG Official Website](https://www.xpeng.com/)
3. [XPENG Careers (Greenhouse)](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xpengmotors)
4. [XPENG Join-Us Page](https://www.xpeng.com/join-us)
5. [Wikipedia - XPeng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPeng)

## Other roles at XPENG

- [Event & Retail Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/event-retail-marketing-manager-xpeng-mexico-city-v6rc25bg00s8) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Public Relations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/public-relations-manager-xpeng-mexico-city-2bnd2y3kxprw) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Staff Machine Learning Engineer - LLM Quantization & Deployment](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-machine-learning-engineer-llm-quantization-deployment-xpeng-santa-clara-ea4cbv1hwdzc) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Machine Learning Engineer - LLM Quantization & Deployment](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-learning-engineer-llm-quantization-deployment-xpeng-santa-clara-4c3sja4epcx1) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Machine Learning Engineer – Predictive World Model](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-learning-engineer-predictive-world-model-xpeng-santa-clara-pgz1zt82gpj9) — Santa Clara, CA
- [Senior Software Engineer, Agentic Platforms](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-agentic-platforms-xpeng-santa-clara-zm41jhnrbtp6) — Santa Clara, CA
- [2027 Campus Recruiting General Intelligence Center Full-Time Position](https://feeny.ai/job/2027-campus-recruiting-general-intelligence-center-full-time-position-xpeng-4dmrhrak7atm) — Santa Clara, CA
- [2027 Campus Recruiting General Intelligence Center Internship Position](https://feeny.ai/job/2027-campus-recruiting-general-intelligence-center-internship-position-xpeng-kppbkdak60bq) — Santa Clara, CA
- [2027 Campus Recruiting Robotics Center Full-Time Position](https://feeny.ai/job/2027-campus-recruiting-robotics-center-full-time-position-xpeng-santa-clara-x35f7n9kpm7x) — Santa Clara, CA
- [2027 Campus Recruiting Robotics Center Internship Position](https://feeny.ai/job/2027-campus-recruiting-robotics-center-internship-position-xpeng-santa-clara-jgvrj0nyxvd4) — Santa Clara, CA