Greenhouse ·
full-timeApplied AI Engineer, Startups (physical AI)
Anthropic · San Francisco, CA
About Anthropic Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems. About the role As an Applied AI Engineer on the Startups team at Anthropic, you will be a trusted technical advisor to the top AI-native startups building in the physical world, across robotics, semiconductors, aerospace, manufacturing, and civil infrastructure, as they grow from early product to scale. Some of these companies build the hardware itself and want Claude woven into how they design, test, and operate it, and others build the software that engineers everywhere use to design, simulate, test, and scale, and this role works with both. You'll lead deep technical engagements, partnering directly with startup software and hardware engineering teams to help them build their products on Claude and run their own engineering with it, advising on implementation and agent design as they build what is newly possible with AI in the physical world. You will bridge the gap between what Claude can do and what it takes to build real things, working alongside some of the strongest teams in the field on problems that matter and helping mechanical, electrical, and process engineers get the kind of step change that software engineering has had from agentic coding with tools like Claude Code. Working closely with Applied AI Architects, Account Executives, and Anthropic's Product, Engineering, and Research teams, you'll help startups build at the edge of what is possible with Claude. You'll leverage your AI engineering expertise and your engineering domain knowledge to develop custom evaluation frameworks, design scalable architectures, and create the technical resources that enable physical AI startups to succeed with Claude. Responsibilities Serve as a deep technical advisor to high-potential startups building in the physical world, whether Claude sits inside the product they sell or inside the way they design, test, and run their own hardware, working alongside them to push the boundaries of AI in engineering, manufacturing, operations, and more Work hands-on with startup software and hardware teams through pair programming and architecture reviews that accelerate their development, and understand their engineering workflows end to end, from design and simulation through test, production, and operations, so that your guidance fits how real hardware gets built Develop prototypes and technical documentation, including evaluation suites, benchmarks grounded in real engineering tasks, AI engineering techniques, and architecture diagrams, that enable startups to build, operate, and scale with Claude Create reference implementations and sample code that many companies can adopt without starting from scratch, for example integrating Claude with CAD, simulation, design tools, or industrial automation Collaborate closely with Applied AI Architects to maintain context and continuity across customer engagements Identify patterns across engagements, including what is hard about applying AI to physical systems such as 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 contribute insights back to Product, Engineering, Research, and the broader Applied AI team Create technical content for startup audiences including documentation, tutorials, and sample code Foster community engagement through hackathons, webinars, technical office hours, and startup-focused events Travel to customer sites for workshops, implementation guidance, and relationship building You may be a good fit if you have Deep engineering experience in a physical discipline such as mechanical, electrical, aerospace, robotics, semiconductor, manufacturing, or civil engineering, gained by designing, building, or operating real hardware, along with strong opinions of your own about how to bridge the gap between what AI can do today and how physical things 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, including prompting, context engineering, agent architectures, evaluation frameworks, and deployment at scale, or a track record of successfully applying AI to real engineering work in design, simulation, test, or production Experience with startups or high-growth companies and a love of working with founders and small teams that move quickly Strong technical communication skills, with the ability to translate complex AI concepts into architectural decisions and actionable implementation plans for both software and hardware engi
| Role | Applied AI Engineer, Startups (physical AI) |
|---|---|
| Company | Anthropic |
| Location | San Francisco, CA |
| Type | full-time |
| Compensation | Not disclosed |
| Posted | 2026-10-15 |
| Deadline | Rolling |
Typical process for this type of role
A general guide — the exact steps for this specific listing may vary; check the original posting for details.
- 1ApplicationSubmit your resume through the apply link.
- 2ScreeningRecruiter reviews your background against the role.
- 3AssessmentA technical test, assignment, or coding round, depending on the role.
- 4Interview(s)One or more rounds with the hiring team.
- 5OfferOffer letter with compensation and start date.
Before you apply
0/4Applied AI Engineer, Startups (physical AI) at Anthropic: frequently asked questions
- What is the salary for this role?
- Anthropic has not stated compensation in the listing. Check the original posting or ask during the application process.
- Is the Applied AI Engineer, Startups (physical AI) position remote, hybrid or onsite?
- The listing gives San Francisco, CA as the location and does not state a work mode.
- What is the application deadline?
- Anthropic has not listed a fixed deadline, so apply early in case the opening is filled.
- How do I apply for the Applied AI Engineer, Startups (physical AI) role?
- Use the Apply button on this page. It opens the original listing on job-boards.greenhouse.io, where you submit your application with the company.
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