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Torc RoboticsTR

Staff, ML Engineer - Learned Behaviors

Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, is a pioneer in autonomous driving technology, currently focused on commercializing self-driving trucks for long-haul applications in the U.S. Founded in 2005, Torc has extensive experience in developing safety-critical, self-driving solutions.

Torc Robotics

Employee count: 501-1000

Salary: 220k-330k USD

United States only

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About the Company

At Torc, we have always believed that autonomous vehicle technology will transform how we travel, move freight, and do business.

A leader in autonomous driving since 2007, Torc has spent over a decade commercializing our solutions with experienced partners. Now a part of the Daimler family, we are focused solely on developing software for automated trucks to transform how the world moves freight.

Join us and catapult your career with the company that helped pioneer autonomous technology, and the first AV software company with the vision to partner directly with a truck manufacturer.

Meet the Team:

As a Staff Learned Behaviors Machine Learning Engineer, you will lead the development, deployment, and scaling of Reinforcement Learning - driven behavior models for autonomous trucks. You will collaborate across perception, prediction, planning, and safety teams to craft learned behavior modules that generalize across scenarios and drive safe, efficient, and human-like decision making in real-world operations.

This is a technical leadership role focused on model innovation and maturity, not downstream feature integration.

What You’ll Do

  • 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.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

  • 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).

Bonus Points!

  • Experience in trucking, highway autonomy, or heavy-vehicle behavior modeling.
  • Expertise in Ray
  • Experience integrating learned behavior modules into simulation and VV 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.

Perks of Being a Full-time Torc’r

Torc cares about our team members and we strive to provide benefits and resources to support their health, work/life balance, and future. Our culture is collaborative, energetic, and team focused. Torc offers:

  • 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

At Torc, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We celebrate the uniqueness of our Torc’rs and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, veteran status, or disabilities.
Even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications listed for this opportunity, we encourage you to apply.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several geographic markets. Pay is based on a number of factors and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Torc's total compensation package will also include our corporate bonus and stock option plan. Dependent on the position offered, sign-on payments, relocation, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.

US Pay Range:

$219,700.00 - $329,600.00

Job ID: 102403

About the job

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Job type

Full Time

Experience level

Mid-level

Salary

Salary: 220k-330k USD

Location requirements

Hiring timezones

United States +/- 0 hours

About Torc Robotics

Learn more about Torc Robotics and their company culture.

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What began in 2005 as Torc Technologies, a venture by a group of Virginia Tech graduate students, has evolved into a leading name in autonomous vehicle technology. The mission from the outset was to continue their collegiate work on autonomous vehicle software, initially focusing on Tele-Operated Robotic Controls (TORC) and developing Level 4 autonomous technology. A significant early milestone came in 2007 when Torc, in partnership with Virginia Tech, secured third place in the DARPA Urban Challenge. This achievement involved their Ford Escape, 'Odin,' autonomously navigating 60 miles of urban and off-road environments.

The company's journey continued with impactful projects, including a 2010 partnership with Virginia Tech for the National Federation of the Blind's Blind Driver Challenge, which earned them the National Instruments' 2010 Application of the Year. This project saw a blind driver independently operate Torc's modified Ford Escape on the Daytona Speedway in 2011. Torc's expertise also extended to defense, developing autonomous solutions like the Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate (GUSS) to assist military personnel. Over the years, Torc has been involved in various defense and heavy equipment applications, and participated in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. A pivotal moment arrived in March 2019 when Daimler AG, through Daimler Trucks North America, acquired a majority stake in Torc Robotics. This partnership shifted Torc's primary focus to commercializing autonomous trucks for long-haul applications in the United States. Torc is now an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG. The company has since expanded its operations, opening an engineering office in Austin, Texas, and a Technology and Development Center in Stuttgart, Germany in 2022, as well as facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Montreal, Canada. Torc continues to advance its 'physical AI,' enabling self-driving trucks to perceive, understand, and act in the real world, with a commercial launch targeted for 2027.

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