Head of Applied AI

We're supporting one of our clients on an exciting Head of Embodied AI search for a ground-breaking start-up robotics company building a new category of intelligent, mobile systems! Reporting into one of the world's leading Roboticists, you’ll be joining at a pivotal moment, working alongside specialist teams across hardware, autonomy, software, and controls to scale how the system learns and performs. Unlike conventional robotic approaches that are bound by limited onboard compute, this platform is designed to shift heavier AI workloads to local infrastructure—opening up possibilities to build far richer, more capable intelligent behaviours. This is a unique opportunity to help build a dedicated AI function focused on embedding cutting-edge multimodal learning models into next-gen robotic platforms. The role will involve defining the long-term roadmap for how intelligence is deployed across the stack, from perception through to action—combining visual understanding, decision-making, and control into unified, responsive behaviours. To be successful in this role, you’ll need to bring: Strong technical leadership across applied AI/ML, with deep hands-on experience in robotic learning or embodied intelligence A solid background in multimodal model development—especially in areas that combine computer vision, language understanding, and interactive learning (LLM, VLM or VLA) Real-world deployment experience of learning-based systems, ideally within robotic or physical environments (embodied systems (AI) & reinforcement learning) Comfort collaborating across functions, especially with engineering, hardware, and system design teams Solid programming and prototyping skills using modern deep learning frameworks (e.g. PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX) Location: London (hybrid, with 4 days onsite and flexible hours) This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives on building ambitious technology in a fast-paced environment—ideal for a technically curious, hands-on leader who wants to shape the future of machine intelligence in the physical world and work with some of the best Robotics talent in the world. If you meet the requirements above, please apply and one of our team will get back to you with next steps. Warm regards, Acquired Talent