Simulation Environments Engineer, Robotics at OpenAI

San Francisco, California, United States

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$325,000 – $405,000Compensation

Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Robotics, Artificial IntelligenceIndustries

Requirements

Enjoy plumbing every layer of a robotics simulation stack—from CAD import and asset optimization to real-time loading, contact dynamics and rendering
Keep current with advances in physics engines, differentiable simulation, and synthetic-data generation for robot learning
Have led projects that bridge simulation and robotics, including teleoperation or hardware-in-the-loop testing
Find satisfaction in building ergonomic tools, templates, and documentation that empower dozens of engineers and researchers to author new tasks quickly
Have hands-on experience optimizing GPU pipelines, distributed compute jobs, or large-scale reinforcement-learning workloads
Have experience building NVIDIA Isaac Sim environments or environments in other open source world simulation engines
Want to build creative tasks to challenge cutting edge large action models

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain a high-performance, scalable simulator integrations that meshes cleanly with our existing codebase and data pipelines
Curate, convert, and quality-check open-source environment assets so they can be deployed at scale across our simulation farm
Develop domain- and task-randomization frameworks that systematically expose models to diverse visual, physical, and kinematic conditions
Lead proof-of-concept collaborations with external GPU-accelerated simulation vendors to benchmark new features and influence roadmap priorities
Establish best practices for versioning, testing, and validating simulated scenarios against real-world benchmarks
Lead the simulation environments initiative, setting the vision for scaling virtual environments in coverage, realism, and throughput
Harness modern game development practices to leverage and extend platforms such as NVIDIA Isaac Sim, Unity, or Unreal Engine to design and deliver synthetic environments that are dynamic, richly interactive, and photorealistic
Build scalable content pipelines that enable rapid creation of diverse simulation scenarios
Select the platform, help source assets, and help build a team of in-house simulation experts
Collaborate closely with experts across software, hardware, research, and operations to ensure simulators capture the true complexity of physical interactions while remaining intuitive, extensible, and easy to integrate

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

NVIDIA Isaac SimUnityUnreal EngineGame DevelopmentSimulation EnvironmentsRobotics SimulationScalable Content PipelinesPhotorealistic Rendering

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary range for this position?

The salary range is $325K - $405K.

Is this role remote or based in an office?

This role is based in San Francisco, CA, with a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week. The company offers relocation assistance to new employees.

What skills are required for this Simulation Environments Engineer role?

Key skills include experience with modern game development practices and platforms like NVIDIA Isaac Sim, Unity, or Unreal Engine, building scalable content pipelines, knowledge of physics engines and differentiable simulation, and leading projects bridging simulation and robotics such as teleoperation or hardware-in-the-loop testing.

What is the team like at OpenAI's Robotics group?

The Robotics team focuses on unlocking general-purpose robotics and AGI-level intelligence in real-world settings, working across the model stack with cutting-edge hardware and software across various robotic form factors to blend AI with physical systems.

What makes a strong candidate for this role?

Candidates who enjoy working across every layer of a robotics simulation stack from CAD import to rendering, stay current with physics engines and synthetic data generation for robot learning, and have led simulation-robotics bridge projects will thrive. Experience building ergonomic tools and finding satisfaction in them is also key.

OpenAI

Develops safe and beneficial AI technologies

About OpenAI

OpenAI develops and deploys artificial intelligence technologies aimed at benefiting humanity. The company creates advanced AI models capable of performing various tasks, such as automating processes and enhancing creativity. OpenAI's products, like Sora, allow users to generate videos from text descriptions, showcasing the versatility of its AI applications. Unlike many competitors, OpenAI operates under a capped profit model, which limits the profits it can make and ensures that excess earnings are redistributed to maximize the social benefits of AI. This commitment to safety and ethical considerations is central to its mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) serves all of humanity.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2015Year Founded

$18,433.2MTotal Funding

LATE_VCCompany Stage

AI & Machine LearningIndustries

1,001-5,000Employees

Benefits

Health insurance

Dental and vision insurance

Flexible spending account for healthcare and dependent care

Mental healthcare service

Fertility treatment coverage

401(k) with generous matching

20-week paid parental leave

Life insurance (complimentary)

AD&D insurance (complimentary)

Short-term/long-term disability insurance (complimentary)

Optional buy-up life insurance

Flexible work hours and unlimited paid time off (we encourage 4+ weeks per year)

Annual learning & development stipend

Regular team happy hours and outings

Daily catered lunch and dinner

Travel to domestic conferences

Risks

Elon Musk's legal battle may pose financial and reputational challenges for OpenAI.

Customizable ChatGPT personas could lead to privacy and ethical concerns.

Competitors like Anthropic raising capital may intensify market competition.

Differentiation

OpenAI's capped profit model prioritizes ethical AI development over unlimited profit.

OpenAI's AI models, like Sora, offer unique video creation from text descriptions.

OpenAI's focus on AGI aims to create AI systems smarter than humans.

Upsides

OpenAI's $6.6 billion funding boosts its AI research and computational capacity.

Customizable ChatGPT personas enhance user engagement and satisfaction.

OpenAI's 'Operator' AI agent could revolutionize workforce automation by 2025.

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