[Hiring] VP Physical AI @Toloka

Role Description

We are looking for talented VP Physical AI to join our fast-paced and international team. This is a brand new role and will combine hands-on deep technical expertise in AI/ML with proven leadership abilities to drive the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge generative AI solutions. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, mentor engineers, and ensure delivery of innovative, scalable, and high-performing AI products.

What you will own / what you will do?

• Physical AI data strategy and P&L
• Define and execute the Physical AI data roadmap across egocentric capture, humanoid robotics, industrial/warehouse automation, and autonomous vehicles
• Own the P&L of the emerging Physical AI business
• Anticipate what frontier robotics labs and hardware companies will need 12–18 months before demand becomes mainstream — and build toward it
• Ensure Physical AI methodologies feed back into the core QA platform
• Lab leadership
• Own the operational lab: workforce, equipment, safety protocols, data capture workflows, output quality
• Scale lab capacity against commercial commitments — managing a mix of employees and external partners
• Establish QA standards for Physical AI data that integrate with the company's agentic LLM-QA verification system
• Drive continuous improvement in collection efficiency, annotation quality, and simulation environment fidelity
• Partnerships and commercial development
• Build and own the partner ecosystem: robotics hardware manufacturers, simulation platform providers, academic institutions, domain experts
• Lead commercial relationships with Physical AI customers from scoping through delivery and expansion
• Identify and close strategic partnerships that extend capabilities — hardware access, proprietary environments, domain datasets
• Represent the company externally at industry forums and research conferences across Europe and the US
• Team
• Hire, develop, and retain data engineers, robotics specialists, and project leads
• Structure the function to scale for both bespoke engagements and productized delivery
• Be the internal expert and evangelist for Physical AI — educate the wider org on what Wave 5 demands

Qualifications

• Track record of building functions from early stage, not just managing mature organisations
• Direct experience building or scaling data pipelines for robotics, autonomous systems, or physical AI — not purely software AI
• Demonstrated ability to close and manage strategic partnerships — hardware vendors, research institutions, or enterprise clients
• Familiarity with robotics hardware: sensors, embodied data collection constraints, simulation-to-physical gaps
• Commercial fluency: scope, price, and negotiate complex data engagements with senior technical buyers
• Credibility in the Physical AI or robotics ecosystem — network and reputation that open doors

Nice to have

• Experience with egocentric/wearable data capture, humanoid robot training data, AV sensor fusion datasets, or warehouse automation environments
• Familiarity with RLHF/RLVR and how human feedback pipelines apply to physical systems
• Background in data services, annotation platforms, or AI infrastructure
• Active relationships with key Physical AI labs or hardware manufacturers (Tesla, Unitree Boston Dynamics, Figure, Apptronik, 1X, Waymo, Mobileye, or comparable)
• Ties to academic robotics programs (CMU, ETH Zurich, Oxford, MIT, or comparable)

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including base salary, bonus and ESOP
• Paid PTO and benefits will vary depending on location
• Full remote or hybrid model (if based in NL or Serbia)
• IT setup and home office allowances

Company Description

Toloka is committed to providing equal opportunity and fostering an inclusive environment. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Selection decisions are made based on qualifications, merit, and business need.