Applied AI Engineer, Startups (Physical AI)

Anthropic is building applied AI capabilities with teams focused on bringing Claude into real-world products. On the Startups (Physical AI) team, you will work as a deep technical advisor to physical-world startups, helping them architect, evaluate, and scale AI-powered systems across both software and hardware workflows.

This hybrid role in San Francisco pairs hands-on engineering support with customer-facing collaboration, from architecture reviews and prototype work to traveling on-site for workshops and implementation guidance.

What you’ll do

• Advise high-potential startups building in the physical world, working with teams whether Claude is integrated inside their product or inside the way they design, test, and run their own hardware.
• Partner hands-on with startup software and hardware teams using pair programming and architecture reviews, spanning workflows from design and simulation through test, production, and operations.
• Develop prototypes and technical documentation, including evaluation suites, benchmarks based on real engineering tasks, AI engineering techniques, and architecture diagrams.
• Create reference implementations and sample code that others can adopt, such as integrating Claude with CAD, simulation, design tools, or industrial automation.
• Collaborate closely with Applied AI Architects to maintain context and continuity across customer engagements.
• Spot recurring challenges in applying AI to physical systems, including reading drawings, 3D geometry, board layout and routing, GD&T, latency and on-premise constraints, and physical safety, then build repeatable evaluations and solutions and share insights with Product, Engineering, Research, and the broader Applied AI team.
• Produce technical content for startup audiences, including documentation, tutorials, and sample code.
• Engage the startup community through hackathons, webinars, technical office hours, and startup-focused events.
• Travel to customer sites for workshops, implementation guidance, and relationship building.

What you bring

• Deep engineering experience in a physical discipline such as mechanical, electrical, aerospace, robotics, semiconductor, manufacturing, or civil engineering, gained through designing, building, or operating real hardware, along with strong opinions on bridging what AI can do today with how physical systems get built.
• 4+ years of technical experience as a software engineer, ML or research engineer, robotics or controls engineer, hardware or systems engineer, or technical founder, with either production experience building LLM-powered applications (prompting, context engineering, agent architectures, evaluation frameworks, and deployment at scale) or a demonstrated track record applying AI to real engineering work across design, simulation, test, or production.
• Experience with startups or high-growth companies, plus a strong interest in working with founders and small teams that move quickly.
• Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to translate AI concepts into architectural decisions and actionable implementation plans for both software and hardware audiences, and to lead technical workshops, hackathons, or developer-focused events.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to move across domains quickly (robots to chips to rockets to factories), with a passion for making powerful technology safe and beneficial.

Compensation and benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Optional equity donation matching
• Generous vacation and parental leave
• Flexible working hours
• A lovely office space for collaboration with colleagues
• Guidance on Candidates' AI Usage: Learn about the policy for using AI in the application process

Logistics

• Location: San Francisco, CA (hybrid). Current expectation: staff are in one of the offices at least 25% of the time, though some roles may require more.
• Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience
• Required field of study: A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience
• Visa sponsorship: Anthropic sponsors visas, and if an offer is made, they will make reasonable efforts to get you a visa with support from an immigration lawyer.
• Annual salary: $280,000 - $320,000 USD