Toloka.ai, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is a global crowdsourcing platform under the Nebius Group focused on providing high‑quality data and human
VP, Physical AI
Location
Netherlands
Posted
45 days ago
Salary
0
Seniority
Lead
Job Description
VP, Physical AI
Toloka
• 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 • 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 • 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 • 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
Job Requirements
- 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
- You will be part of an international and dynamic environment driving innovation and setting new standards in the AI and technology sector.
- Competitive compensation package including base salary, bonus and ESOP
- Paid PTO and benefits will vary depends on location
- We offer full remote or hybrid model (if you based in NL or Serbia)
- IT set up and home office allowances.
- You will be part of an international and dynamic environment driving innovation and setting new standards in the AI and technology sector.
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Unleash your potential, tackle new challenges, and be part of a team that values your skills and contributions. Focus on long-term impact and building tailored, long-lasting partnerships with our clients. Experience an agile and flexible working environment Enjoy the freedom of fully remote work with a flexible working schedule. Empower yourself with a stable workload and a stable income, supported by provided laptops and licensed software. We focus on lasting cooperation and unite result-oriented individuals who stand on a high-performance approach to work. Embrace the opportunity for personal and professional growth Benefit from performance and merit reviews, elevate your skills with personal development plans, and individual learning through the corporate library, public speaking support, and more. Be among like-minded people Work with a team of one mind who cares about what they do and how they do. Collaborate with top-notch experts who are always ready to help and support you through any challenges. Join company-wide tech and cultural events, and contribute to meaningful CSR initiatives that resonate with your values. Feel supported by your HR, and take advantage of our referral bonus program. Embrace the opportunity to innovate with us! Interview steps - Pre-Screen (Recruiter) — resume vs. must-haves, motivations, salary alignment - HM Interview (VP Delivery) — career arc, leadership philosophy, organizational fit, consultancy mindset - Tech Interview – System Design — architecture exercise with trade-off decisions (AI/ML technical panel) & AI/ML Depth — case study of system they built; technical Q&A on GenAI and classical ML - BizDev Interview (VP BizDev) — client discovery role-play, pre-sales collaboration model - VP / BU Interview (BU Heads) — Pod operating model discussion, collaboration expectations - Final HM Interview (VP Delivery) — 90-day alignment, mutual expectations, reference check plan
At SPD Technology, we bring together a team of like-minded people who are driven by the desire to bring value through their work, united in their commitment to high performance and delivering custom, cutting-edge tech solutions that drive clients’ growth. We empower our people with a culture of excellence and enable them with the opportunity to uphold their accountability to contribute on each level. We value humanity and collaboration, encourage professional and personal growth, and foster a supportive and flexible work environment where everyone’s contribution is welcomed. About the role: SPD Technology is building a centralized AI Development Division (AI Studio) to unite efforts and enhance the revenue stream through AI-inclusive client engagements. The Head of AI Development will own this from zero: winning AI-related deals alongside BizDev, delivering solutions, building a team, and establishing SPD as a credible AI engineering partner. This is a build-and-ship role. Value is proven through won deals, delivered projects, and satisfied clients. Work Environment: The role offers a flexible work schedule, allowing you to adapt your working hours with the requirement to attend all team meetings. As a qualified expert You will Pre-sales & Solution Architecture - Lead technical discovery and solution design for AI opportunities - Produce solution-grade proposals: architecture, scope, risk assessment - Present to clients; partner with BizDev on positioning and differentiation - Build reusable pre-sales assets: reference architectures, case studies, estimation frameworks AI Studio Delivery - Stand up and operate the AI Studio as first-choice platform for AI-heavy work - Deliver across models: full ownership, component delivery, advisory, embedded expertise - Build reusable delivery frameworks and accelerators - Manage cross-team resource collaboration during ramp-up Team Building - Hire 2–3 engineers in first 6 months, scaling to 5–8 based on demand - Define team composition balancing pre-sales support with delivery capacity - Build career paths that attract and retain strong AI engineers Innovation & Knowledge Leadership - Lead pragmatic R&D with clear objectives and success criteria - Contribute to AI community of practice: tech talks, mentoring, knowledge sharing - Generate external thought leadership: conference talks, case studies, publications Cross-Functional Integration - Connect Studio work with Sales, Marketing, and Account Management - Collaborate with L&D on AI education for broader engineering staff qualification with AI skills - Operate as organizational asset — proactive engagement, not isolated silo We’re looking for you if you have - Production experience designing and delivering AI systems (LLMs, RAG, agentic workflows — not just POCs) - Non-dogmatic understanding of AI technology boundaries and architectural trade-offs - Proven client-facing capability: leading discovery, scoping solutions, presenting to executive and technical audiences - Consultancy mindset: discovery and analysis as value, not just build - Team leadership experience (3–5+ people); evidence of people growing under their leadership - Success operating in matrix/federated organizations without direct authority - Pragmatic R&D skills: bounded research plans, clear success criteria, ROI discipline Highly desired - Data architecture literacy: understanding of data pipelines, ETL/ELT patterns, vector databases, data quality, and governance — sufficient to design end-to-end AI solutions and direct data engineering work - Broader AI/ML background beyond GenAI (classical ML, deep learning, CV, NLP) - Understanding of sales cycles, marketing positioning, account management dynamics - Recognized technical authority that earns respect from senior AI practitioners Beneficial - Passion for training and enablement — sees knowledge sharing as contribution - Marketing and positioning savvy — can produce technical content for market differentiation - Experience with technology vendor partnerships and co-marketing Nice to have - Startup or 0→1 experience - Academic/research connections in AI - Distributed team experience across cultures What’s in it for You Reveal great tech solutions Join the team of experts who create custom, cutting-edge tech solutions for world-renowned businesses, fueling client growth. Unleash your potential, tackle new challenges, and be part of a team that values your skills and contributions. Focus on long-term impact and building tailored, long-lasting partnerships with our clients. Experience an agile and flexible working environment Enjoy the freedom of fully remote work with a flexible working schedule. Empower yourself with a stable workload and a stable income, supported by provided laptops and licensed software. We focus on lasting cooperation and unite result-oriented individuals who stand on a high-performance approach to work. Embrace the opportunity for personal and professional growth Benefit from performance and merit reviews, elevate your skills with personal development plans, and individual learning through the corporate library, public speaking support, and more. Be among like-minded people Work with a team of one mind who cares about what they do and how they do. Collaborate with top-notch experts who are always ready to help and support you through any challenges. Join company-wide tech and cultural events, and contribute to meaningful CSR initiatives that resonate with your values. Feel supported by your HR, and take advantage of our referral bonus program. Embrace the opportunity to innovate with us! Interview steps - Pre-Screen (Recruiter) — resume vs. must-haves, motivations, salary alignment - HM Interview (VP Delivery) — career arc, leadership philosophy, organizational fit, consultancy mindset - Tech Interview – System Design — architecture exercise with trade-off decisions (AI/ML technical panel) & AI/ML Depth — case study of system they built; technical Q&A on GenAI and classical ML - BizDev Interview (VP BizDev) — client discovery role-play, pre-sales collaboration model - VP / BU Interview (BU Heads) — Pod operating model discussion, collaboration expectations - Final HM Interview (VP Delivery) — 90-day alignment, mutual expectations, reference check plan