Machine Learning Infrastructure Simulation Engineer, Optimus

About the role

Machine Learning Infrastructure Simulation Engineer, Optimus | Tesla (Tesla SI)

Location: Palo Alto, California | Req ID: 252374 | Job Type: Full-time

What to Expect

The Optimus Simulation team is at the forefront of advancing humanoid robotics by building a high-fidelity virtual world where Optimus can safely learn, adapt, and improve. Our mission is to recreate the complexities of the real world in simulation, enabling scalable testing, rapid iteration, and accelerated development of the Optimus autonomy stack.

We design and deploy cutting-edge simulation systems that blend accurate physics modeling, photorealistic rendering, and intelligent virtual agents, creating environments that challenge Optimus in the same way the physical world would. These simulations allow us to rigorously evaluate behavior, uncover edge cases, and drive continuous improvements in autonomy and decision-making.

As a member of this team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of humanoid robotics. Your contributions will directly accelerate Optimus’ ability to operate effectively in real-world environments by closing the gap between simulation and reality. We are looking for passionate engineers with expertise in distributed systems, ML infrastructure, and graphics/game development who are excited to build scalable RL infrastructure for training robots, pushing the boundaries of large-scale simulation, efficient training pipelines, and high-performance virtual environments.

What You'll Do

• Design, implement, and optimize scalable Simulation and RL infrastructure for training humanoid robots in simulated environments, leveraging distributed systems for parallel processing and high-throughput simulations
• Optimize performance across the simulation stack, including distributed systems, Inference, and rendering, to ensure optimal usage of hardware resources and fast, efficient simulations
• Drive innovation in sim-to-real strategies using simulation technologies and distributed computing to ensure Optimus performs reliably across both virtual and real-world environments
• Deliver high-quality, production-ready code in a dynamic and fast-paced environment

What You'll Bring

• Hands-on experience building and scaling distributed systems for large-scale computations
• Strong background in ML infrastructure, including designing training pipelines, data orchestration, and deployment of RL models at scale
• Proficiency in GPU optimizations for either inference or rendering
• Proficiency in Python, with familairty in frameworks like PyTorch, TensorFlow, or RL libraries (e.g., Stable Baselines, RLlib), and a proven ability to write clean, scalable, and efficient code
• Ability to research, implement, and adapt cutting-edge techniques from academic and industry sources into practical, production-ready solutions for scalable RL in simulation

Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Tesla Babies program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program
• Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)

Expected Compensation$140,000 - $390,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefitsPay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.