Who we are
Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress.
Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that.
Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive.
This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale.
We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life.
If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us.
About the role
This role owns the safety-relevant scenarios we validate against. You will define what makes a scenario safety-relevant, build the catalog, and own the argument that it is sufficient.
The catalog draws from two sources that behave very differently. Log-based scenarios come from real events, real interactions, and real distributions, and they bring the problem of finding the few that matter inside a very large volume of ordinary driving. NCAP-based scenarios come from the crash-avoidance portions of published consumer test protocols: precisely specified, externally credible, and designed for a driver-assist framing that has to be adapted before it means anything for an automated platform. You will own both, and you will own the harder question of how they fit together into one coverage argument.
This is a technical individual contributor role. You will build the pipelines and write the analysis yourself, and the coverage position you take becomes part of the safety case.
What you’ll do
Working AI-native
We expect this role to be materially more productive than the same role was three years ago, and we expect AI tooling to be the reason. We are adopting systems purpose-built to accelerate safety analysis — scenario mining and categorization, criticality assessment, parameter space search, and documentation — and this role is expected to put them to work and shape what they become.
We would rather hire a strong validation engineer who is curious and moving fast on AI tooling than someone who has the vocabulary but not the practice. Be prepared to show us how you actually work.
What we’re looking for
Nice to have
Why join us
At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time—bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow.
What else you need to know
This role is based in our San Francisco office. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.
The base salary range for this role is $182,000 - $231,000 per year.
Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards.
Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees):
Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.
Atoms accepts applications on an ongoing basis.
Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others?
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