--- title: 'Staff Simulation Engineer - Core Simulation Platform at Apptronik' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-simulation-engineer-core-simulation-platform-apptronik-sunnyvale-5kwmwj8b432v' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-27' --- # Staff Simulation Engineer - Core Simulation Platform at Apptronik - **Company:** Apptronik - **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA - **Posted:** 2026-10-21 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-27 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/6230951004?gh_jid=6230951004 ## Job description Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond. We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better. ## JOB SUMMARY At the core of every robot policy we ship is a simulation platform that has to be fast enough for RL training, accurate enough for controls validation, and stable enough to be the team’s daily driver. As Staff Simulation Engineer for Core Simulation Platform, you’ll contribute to the architecture and development of that platform alongside senior team members, applying strong C++ and Python skills, robotics fundamentals, and modern simulator experience to keep the platform robust, performant, and parallel. ## ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - Contribute to the architecture and development of the core simulation platform — high-performance digital twins that serve as the foundation for policy training, controls validation, and CI/CD integration testing. - Help build and scale cloud-native simulation pipelines capable of generating millions of experience hours per day, parallelizing physics and rendering for rapid policy iteration. - Improve sim-to-real transfer through advanced contact models and actuator dynamics that help policies trained in simulation transfer to physical humanoid hardware. - Develop sensor-realistic environments (camera, LiDAR, depth) that challenge the perception stack with dynamic and diverse worlds. - Ship platform improvements that visibly reduce iteration time for RL, controls, and perception teams. - Work with Controls, AI Research, and Perception teams to support their evolving simulation needs as the platform grows. ## SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS - Excellent C++ and/or Python programming skills - Familiar with software development best practices: CI/CD, automated testing, and code quality standards - Understanding of robotics concepts: kinematics, dynamics, controls, system identification - Experience with modern robotic simulators (Isaac Lab, MuJoCo, or equivalent) - Understanding of Reinforcement Learning and VLAs, with research or production experience - Experience with large-scale training workloads — deploying parallel simulations on cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Ray, Kubernetes) EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE - Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience) - 5+ years of experience in robotic simulation, software engineering, or related fields ## PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: - Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer - Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times - Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen - Hearing and speech to communicate The annual salary range is $260,000 - $290,000 *This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations. Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. ## About Apptronik ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity. - **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A) - **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence - Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations - Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain. ## Products & Services - **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated) - **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators. - **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot. - **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them. - **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market). - Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home. - Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo). - Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life. - **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential. - **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values. - **Perks & Benefits**: - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited) - 401k retirement plan - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage - Parental leave - Flexible work hours - Collaborative and innovative work environment - **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment. - **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin). - **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7). ## Sources 1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage 2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission 3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture 4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings 5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown) ## Other roles at Apptronik - [Staff Systems Safety Engineer (Compliance)](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-safety-engineer-compliance-apptronik-sunnyvale-kjxjw2nk6pf6) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Staff Systems Safety Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-systems-safety-engineer-apptronik-sunnyvale-36vd1z1vsd7r) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Manager, Test Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-test-operations-apptronik-austin-92kj6425dhk6) — Austin, TX - [R&D Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/r-d-technician-apptronik-austin-6qnyj89brckt) — Austin, TX - [Senior Site Reliability Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-site-reliability-engineer-apptronik-austin-2nbr8j5yvprk) — Austin, TX - [CoRL 2026 - Robotics & AI Talent](https://feeny.ai/job/corl-2026-robotics-ai-talent-apptronik-austin-texas-sunnyvale-hatz8jy89yn3) — Austin Texas & Sunnyvale, CA - [Strategy & Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/strategy-operations-associate-apptronik-united-states-9ctzkvam7nm9) — United States - [Senior Perception Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-perception-learning-engineer-apptronik-sunnyvale-nax7xttemhpg) — Sunnyvale, CA - [Senior Benefits Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-benefits-specialist-apptronik-austin-pg7cq5yty0kr) — Austin, TX - [Global Supply Manager - Electrical & Electronics](https://feeny.ai/job/global-supply-manager-electrical-electronics-apptronik-austin-3sqnzehk3ykj) — Austin, TX