The posting
Who we are
Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress.
Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that.
Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive.
This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale.
We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life.
If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us.
About the role
We are looking for a graduate student intern with a vehicle or mobility background to support technical strategy and operations for our vehicle engineering team. You will own a defined workstream within one of our programs: the plan, the milestones, the dependencies, the risks, and the weekly readout to engineering leadership. Depending on the workstream, you may also support issue tracking, manufacturing during vehicle builds, and analysis for engineering decisions.
The role is hands-on. Expect regular time in the garage, and on the production floor with the engineers and technicians doing the work.
What you’ll do
- Own the plan for a defined workstream, such as a build, a bench, a supplier transition, a fleet readiness milestone, or a process rollout. Maintain milestones, dependencies, risks, and open actions.
- Publish a weekly status readout to engineering leadership with progress, blockers, decisions needed, and a recommendation for each escalation.
- Keep the issue record current. Prepare the weekly triage, chase owners for updates, and roll the results into the weekly readout.
- Support vehicle builds as needed, including build readiness, parts and kitting status, work instructions, and issue capture on the floor while a build is in progress.
- Pull the quotes, lead times, cost data, and fleet data the program needs, and build the comparisons the engineering owner uses to decide.
- Work with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, fleet operations, and finance to move your workstream forward.
- Identify what is slowing your workstream down, propose a fix, implement it, and measure the result.
What we’re looking for
- Current graduate student in an MBA, an engineering master's (mechanical, electrical, industrial, systems, automotive, or similar), or a related master's program such as engineering management, operations, or supply chain.
- Prior background in vehicles or mobility, including automotive, EV, autonomous vehicles, commercial vehicles, fleet operations, mobility services, off-highway or heavy equipment.
- Comfortable with technical material, including build plans, test reports, and BOMs.
- Experience owning a deliverable through to completion against a schedule.
- Comfortable in a garage and on a production floor.
- Able to commit 15-20 hours per week during the academic term on a consistent schedule, with regular onsite days in San Francisco.
Why join us
At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time—bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow.
What else you need to know
This role is based in our San Francisco office location. As a company driven by innovation and continuous change, close collaboration is essential. We’re constantly reimagining our industry, creating new products, and refining our processes, and we do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.
The base starting rate for this role is $56.00 per hour.
Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.
Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others?
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