Torc Robotics · 5 days ago
Staff, ML Engineer - Learned Behaviors / RL Planning
Ann Arbor, MI
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff
$220K/yr - $330K/yr
10+ years expTorc Robotics is a leader in autonomous driving technology, focused on developing software for automated trucks. The Staff ML Engineer will lead the development of reinforcement learning-driven behavior models, collaborating with various teams to enhance decision-making in real-world operations.
Autonomous VehiclesRoboticsSoftware
Responsibilities
Lead architecture, development, and validation of learned behavior models (e.g., driver mimicry, multi-agent interaction, behavior cloning, reinforcement learning) for highway and freight-truck autonomy
Define and implement data strategies: collect, label, and curate large behavior datasets (in-vehicle, simulation, fleet logs) for training and evaluation
Develop scalable model training pipelines, infrastructure, and tooling to iterate quickly on behavior models, from prototype to production deployment
Design and track performance metrics, analyze model behavior, diagnose failure modes, and drive continuous improvement of learned behaviors in simulation and on-vehicle
Work with simulation, scenario, and validation teams to embed learned behavior models into verification and validation frameworks, ensuring coverage across operational design domains (ODDs)
Mentor and lead mid and senior-level ML engineers, set technical direction, and drive best practices in learned behavior engineering across the team
Qualification
Required
10+ years of professional experience (or equivalent) in applied machine learning in autonomous vehicles, robotics, simulation or a related domain
M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
Proven track record of designing and shipping learned behavior or policy models (e.g., behavior cloning, imitation learning, RL, multi-agent models) in production or near-production systems
Strong programming skills in the AI domain(Python, Pytorch (Lightning), pandas )
Experience with open-source distributed computing framework, specifically Ray
Deep understanding of ML architectures (e.g., RNNs, transformers, graph neural networks, behavior prediction networks) and system-level integration into autonomy stacks
Experience with large-scale data pipelines, model training infrastructure, versioning, and deployment (cloud and/or embedded)
Preferred
Experience in trucking, highway autonomy, or heavy-vehicle behavior modeling
Expertise in Ray
Experience integrating learned behavior modules into simulation and V&V workflows for autonomous systems
Familiarity with simulation frameworks, scenario libraries, and coverage of ODDs
Background in reinforcement learning in real-world or simulation, imitation learning of human drivers, or multi-agent modeling in vehicle contexts
Experience with sensor models, vehicle dynamics models, and domain adaptation from simulation to real world
Benefits
A competitive compensation package that includes a bonus component and stock options
100% paid medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees
401K plan with a 6% employer match
Flexibility in schedule and generous paid vacation (available immediately after start date)
Company-wide holiday office closures
AD+D and Life Insurance
Company
Torc Robotics
Torc provides L4 end-to-end self-driving software for mobility, trucking, mining, and defense markets through strategic partnerships
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Torc Robotics has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (100)
2024 (41)
2023 (33)
2022 (40)
2021 (14)
2020 (7)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2019-03-29Acquired
Leadership Team
Peter Vaughan Schmidt
CEO
April Alexander
Human Resources Business Partner
Recent News
2025-12-02
2025-09-12
2025-09-09
Company data provided by crunchbase