Machine Learning Engineer – Reinforcement Learning

Job overview

The Machine Learning Engineer – Reinforcement Learning role is onsite in Fremont, CA. The base salary range is $150,000–$250,000 per year. At Pony.ai, the role supports development of autonomous-driving capabilities and evaluation systems. The engineer builds and improves production-oriented machine-learning systems that generate and assess driving behaviors, support analysis of self-driving performance, and turn preference and judgment signals into scalable training and evaluation loops. The work involves collaboration with Prediction, Planning, Research, and platform and engineering teams.

What you'll do

• Build scalable systems for training and fine-tuning generative models that produce realistic driving behaviors for evaluation and scenario coverage
• implement and iterate on reinforcement-learning methods, objectives, and training setups
• develop deep-learning solutions, including LLM or VLM approaches where appropriate, to support triage and analysis of self-driving behavior
• own training, optimization, monitoring, and iteration of models used for fleet-scale assessment
• design data and evaluation systems informed by human preferences
• partner with Prediction, Planning, Research, and platform and engineering teams.

What we're looking for

Skills & competencies

machine learning engineer

reinforcement learning

fremont ca

pony.ai

autonomous driving

generative models

deep learning

rlhf

llm

vlm

distributed training

$150k–$250k

Work arrangement

• Weekend coverage required

Benefits & perks

• Medical, dental, and vision
• traditional and Roth 401(k)
• life insurance
• paid time off and public holidays
• family leave
• short- and long-term disability
• free food and snacks. May be eligible for bonuses, incentives, and restricted stock units.

Why this role

The posting accepts an M.S., Ph.D., or equivalent practical experience. Preferred experience includes autonomous vehicles, robotics, simulation, Python, and PyTorch.

About the employer

pony.ai is hiring for this role. Industry: Engineering Services. Sector: 54.