Open Call – Research Engineer / Scientist

1X • San Carlos, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

1X is building humanoid robots for home use, aiming to automate chores and tasks to give people back their time. This requires solving complex challenges in robotics, AI, and manufacturing simultaneously, at scale, and in a safe form factor for family environments. The company has been developing these robots since 2014, with significant progress made and ongoing hard work ahead. Their flagship product, NEO, is a home robot designed for real-world operation alongside people, and the company is focused on shipping it rather than just demonstrating it. 1X is seeking individuals inspired by this mission who want to see their work on impactful problems reach the world. The company is scaling and hiring intentionally, looking for people who want to build something that will change human time allocation safely and create abundance. The 1X Labs team specifically focuses on providing the science and technology for human-level, general-purpose humanoids. They identify capability gaps in current humanoids and pursue fundamental advances in sensing, actuation, materials, control, intelligence, and system architecture, carrying ideas from research to product integration. 1X Labs is designed for individuals with deep expertise in a specific field who are motivated by interdisciplinary problem-solving, where ideas are tested against reality and research must lead to shipped products.

Requirements

• Exceptional technical depth in at least one relevant field, combined with the ability to reason across adjacent disciplines.
• Strong bias toward execution, experimentation, and evidence-based decision making.
• Demonstrated ability to independently originate, develop, and validate ambitious technical ideas.
• Comfort operating in highly ambiguous environments with minimal predefined structure.
• Persistence and intellectual honesty when confronting difficult technical problems.
• First-author or equivalent high-impact scientific publication in a relevant technical field OR Development of a prototype, system, or technology that materially advanced the state of the art OR Experience founding or co-founding a technical venture and successfully bringing deep-technology products or technologies into the world OR Demonstrated track record of carrying complex technical ideas from concept through implementation and validation OR Clear evidence of exceptional technical achievement beyond traditional academic or industry credentials.

Nice To Haves

• Expertise in robotics, AI, controls, sensing, actuation, materials science, manufacturing, neuroscience, biomechanics, or other fields relevant to humanoid robotics.
• Experience building and validating physical systems in real-world environments.
• Experience leading highly technical projects or research efforts.
• Strong interdisciplinary reasoning across hardware, software, and system-level challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research into deployable products.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate technologies that meaningfully advance humanoid capability toward human-level performance.
• Demonstrate measurable improvements through rigorous experimentation, benchmarking, and real-world validation.
• Translate novel research ideas into working systems, prototypes, or platforms that can be evaluated and integrated.
• Identify and overcome fundamental technical bottlenecks that limit current robotic performance.
• Create credible paths from early-stage research to scalable product implementation.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
• 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
• Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
• Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
• Onsite snacks and catered lunches

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed