Founding ML Engineer / Series A / NYC / $350k + Founding Equity

<h3>Job Description</h3><div><p><strong>Founding AI/ML Engineer (Production) | NYC | $350k + Founding Equity</strong></p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><em>We’re hiring for one of NYC’s top 10 robotics startups. If you’re an elite engineer looking to join an A squad-builders from SpaceX, Palantir, Google &amp; Anduril - this is where you want to be.</em>*</p>\n<p>Most AI roles are currently focused on generating pixels or text. This team are using LLMs to command multi-ton autonomous machines.</p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong><em>Must be based in NYC &amp; role requires US citizenship due to regulatory constraints.</em></strong></p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p>We need a <strong>Founding AI/ML Engineer</strong> to build the production intelligence layer for autonomous heavy machinery. This isn't a research lab. We have real robots, real customers, and systems operating in the field 24/7. Your work won't just generate tokens; it will drive physical outcomes.</p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>The Work</strong></p>\n<p>This is a 100% production role focused on critical AI infrastructure. You are responsible for the intelligence that allows multi-ton machines to act on complex environments.</p>\n<ul>\n <li><strong>Production LLMs:</strong> Fine-tuning and deploying models that handle mission-critical operational logic.</li>\n <li><strong>Systems &amp; Infra:</strong> Building the RAG pipelines and data flywheels that power our fleet’s intelligence.</li>\n <li><strong>Evals &amp; Determinism:</strong> Designing evaluation frameworks to ensure model outputs are safe and reliable enough for heavy hardware.</li>\n <li><strong>Problem Solving:</strong> Moving from raw telemetry to deployed models. You own the pipeline, the tuning, and the performance in the field.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>The Team</strong></p>\n<p>You’ll be joining a high-density team from <strong>SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril</strong>. We’ve stripped away the typical corporate friction-no bloated meetings or research for the sake of research. We hire for high agency and low ego. As a founding hire, you aren't just training models; you’re architecting the intelligence of the company.</p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>What we're looking for</strong></p>\n<p>We want high-signal builders who are bored with "wrapper" apps and want to solve hard problems grounded in physics.</p>\n<ul>\n <li><strong>Production Grit:</strong> You’ve shipped ML systems at scale. You care about inference latency and reliability more than "vibe checks."</li>\n <li><strong>LLM Mastery:</strong> Deep experience with fine-tuning, RAG, and prompt engineering in high-stakes environments.</li>\n <li><strong>Systems Thinker:</strong> You understand the full stack. You know how to optimize models to run efficiently and how to build the infra that supports them.</li>\n <li><strong>High-Bar Pedigree:</strong> You’ve worked in environments where the standard for "production-ready" is exceptionally high.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>Stack &amp; Comp</strong></p>\n<ul>\n <li><strong>Stack:</strong> Python, PyTorch, LLMs, RAG, Vector DBs, Kubernetes.</li>\n <li><strong>Location:</strong> NYC (Manhattan) - On-site/Hybrid.</li>\n <li><strong>Comp:</strong> $250k - $500k+ base + <strong>Founding Member Equity</strong>.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>The Process:</strong></p>\n<p><strong>1 Week &amp; 0 Take-Homes</strong> We move as fast as we ship. We can go from first touch to offer in one week:</p>\n<ol>\n <li><strong>(Founders) Technical Deep Dive:</strong> A conversation about the most complex AI system you’ve actually shipped.</li>\n <li><strong>(Team)Practical Pairing:</strong> Solving a real-world production ML or data infra problem together. <strong>No Leetcode.</strong></li>\n <li><strong>(Exec) Founding Team Chat:</strong> A focus on judgment, trade-offs &amp; vision.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>If you’re ready to put AI into the physical world, let’s talk.</p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>TL;DR</strong></p>\n<ul>\n <li><strong>Role:</strong> Founding AI/ML Engineer (Production)</li>\n <li><strong>Focus:</strong> Fine-tuning, Evals, and RAG for Robotics</li>\n <li><strong>Team:</strong> Ex-SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Google</li>\n <li><strong>Comp:</strong> $350k+ base + Founding Equity</li>\n <li><strong>Process:</strong> 1 week. 3 rounds.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p><strong>Equal Opportunity</strong></p>\n<p>We're hiring for an Equal Opportunity Employer.</p>\n<p><br /></p>\n<p>*All our new jobs are posted here 1st:</p>\n<p><strong><span>linkedin.com/in/sufyanbashir/</span></strong></p>\n<p><br /></p></div>