Engineer I, VLA Model Development (Intern)
About The Position
CARIAD, an automotive software development team within the Volkswagen Group, is hiring an intern to support research and development of autonomous-driving models. Working with researchers and engineers, the intern will develop and evaluate vision-language-action (VLA) models that connect visual observations and language with driving actions. Depending on project needs and research strengths, the work may focus on perception, scene understanding, or world models that predict how driving environments evolve. The role includes prototyping, training, and fine-tuning models or supporting components; preparing driving datasets; running reproducible experiments; evaluating model accuracy, driving behavior, robustness, and inference cost; analyzing failures in offline and simulation evaluation; and collaborating with planning and deployment engineers on model interfaces. The intern will document methods, results, and limitations, review code, present findings, and deliver a reproducible prototype and final technical report. This is an on-site W-2 internship in Mountain View, California, five days per week. The work arrangement and internship schedule are TBD. Candidates must be local; relocation is not available. Immediate availability is required, with a prompt start following offer acceptance and successful completion of a background check and drug screening. The role requires research, coursework, or project experience developing and evaluating deep learning models; prior industry experience is not required. Applicants must be currently pursuing or hold a master’s or PhD degree in Computer Science. The stated hourly range for Mountain View is $44.88–$69.00; the posting also gives a broader range of $44.88–$96.00 and says compensation depends on factors including location, credentials, experience, qualifications, and training. Employment is subject to screening, including export-control and sanctions compliance review. Applicants may need to verify U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status, or that a required license, exemption, or exception applies. CARIAD may decline to obtain a required license.
Requirements
- Strong Python programming skills and practical experience with PyTorch or an equivalent deep learning framework.
- Foundations in deep learning, linear algebra, probability, and experimental design.
- Hands-on experience in at least one of: vision-language-action models, computer vision/perception, or world models.
- Ability to prepare datasets, train or fine-tune models, debug failures, and evaluate results reproducibly.
- Analytical thinking, structured problem solving, clear written and verbal communication, careful documentation, and ability to collaborate across research and engineering teams.
- Research, coursework, or project experience developing and evaluating deep learning models; prior industry experience is not required.
- Currently pursuing or holding a master’s or PhD degree in Computer Science.
- Must be local to Mountain View, California; relocation is not available.
- Immediate availability is required; start is subject to successful completion of a standard background check and drug screening.
- Must participate in export-control and sanctions compliance screening; employment may depend on citizenship or lawful permanent resident verification or applicable authorization.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with transformers, multimodal learning, imitation learning, diffusion models, or action-conditioned prediction.
- Experience with driving video, 3D, scene understanding, multi-sensor data, or simulation.
- Familiarity with GPU training, distributed experiments, or model inference optimization.
- Research publications, open-source contributions, or a substantial research project.
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, particularly with research in machine learning, computer vision, or embodied AI.
Responsibilities
- Prototype, train, and fine-tune VLA models or supporting perception and world-model components.
- Investigate recent methods and implement a focused research project with mentor guidance.
- Prepare driving datasets and evaluation splits, and improve data quality and coverage.
- Run controlled experiments and ablations and maintain reproducible configurations and experiment records.
- Measure model accuracy, driving behavior, robustness, and inference cost.
- Analyze failures in offline and simulation evaluation and collaborate with planning and deployment engineers on model interfaces.
- Document methods, results, and limitations; review code and present findings.
- Deliver a reproducible prototype and a final technical report.
Benefits
- Performance-based merits and annual bonus.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- 401(k) with employer match and defined contribution plan.
- Short- and long-term disability insurance.
- Basic life and AD&D insurance.
- Employee assistance program.
- Tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment plans.
- Maternity and non-primary caregiver leave.
- Adoption assistance.
- Employee referral program.
- Vacation and paid holidays.
- Vehicle lease program covering registration and insurance fees.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Intern
