Program Lead, Physical AI

Syntony evaluates, red teams, and helps govern advanced systems, including AI. As AI moves into robots, vehicles, drones, and industrial machines, its failures stop being words on a screen. Our physical AI work covers threat taxonomies, model and system testing, and the safeguards and governance that should follow.

You will set the program’s direction with the founder and work alongside our Head of Red Teaming and Head of Research Strategy and Evaluations.

• Develop and run Syntony’s physical AI program, setting priorities, offerings, and milestones with the founder.
• Build relationships with robotics and autonomy companies, developers of embodied and vision-language-action models, manufacturers, research labs, and standards and regulatory bodies.
• Lead proposals and scope evaluation, red teaming, and safety engagements for robots, autonomous vehicles, drones, and other embodied AI.
• Build threat taxonomies and test methods for physical AI, including simulation-based and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Translate findings into recommendations for engineering, safety, and executive audiences.
• Track safety standards, regulation, and research that affect how physical AI is built, tested, and governed.
• Represent Syntony at conferences and working groups, and contribute to our research and publications.

• 7+ years in robotics, autonomous systems, safety engineering, or a closely related field.
• A hands-on technical background in areas such as controls, mechanical or electrical engineering, software for robotics, or machine learning for embodied systems.
• Familiarity with safety-critical development practices and standards, such as functional safety.
• Experience with business development, partnerships, proposals, or program management.
• Sound judgment about how AI failures in physical systems can cause harm, and how to test for them responsibly.
• Ability to brief senior leaders clearly and to write for engineering and policy audiences alike.
• Comfort working through ambiguity at an early-stage company and building a program from a small base.

Experience with simulation, red teaming, or AI evaluation for embodied systems is useful. We assess demonstrated work and judgment; a graduate degree is not required.

This role can be part-time or full-time. Syntony is scaling, so we will shape the role around your availability and what the work needs. We will agree a weekly commitment and scope before you start and revisit them as the company grows.

The role comes with generous cash compensation and equity, which we will discuss in the initial interview. Final terms will be agreed in writing before work begins.

The position is remote.

The role also comes with a generous startup benefits package, including a monthly health and wellbeing stipend, WiFi and phone reimbursement, travel and commuter benefits, a monthly compute budget, and coworking privileges. Read more about our culture and benefits.