AI Success™

Job Description

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team advancing the state of the art in AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences.
About the Team This role sits within the Carbon Neutral Strategy (CNS) team in the Energy and Materials (E&M) division. CNS operates at the intersection of technology, business, and policy to inform decarbonization and circularity strategy across the Toyota ecosystem.
We combine energy systems modeling, machine learning, and real-world data to inform decisions around vehicle circularity, electrification and EV adoption, energy infrastructure and grid interaction, and policy analysis. While based in the U.S., our scope is global. We collaborate closely with TRI researchers across robotics, materials science, and behavioral science, as well as Toyota business leaders, policy teams, and external research partners.
The Opportunity We are looking for a Data Engineer to design and build the data systems that power advanced analytics, forecasting, and AI-driven research across CNS. You will define how data flows through the team, from fragmented sources to reliable datasets used in predictive modeling, scenario analysis, and LLM-enabled workflows. This role requires balancing strong engineering fundamentals with the flexibility to support rapid research iteration in a fast-evolving AI and sustainability landscape.
You will partner with ML researchers, technical leads, and research scientists at TRI to translate evolving research needs into robust data systems. You will also collaborate with Toyota partners on data access, governance, and use.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain data pipelines to ingest structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.
Develop data models that support predictive modeling, scenario analysis, and LLM-based workflows.
Improve data tooling and automation to enable rapid prototyping and iteration.
Integrate third-party APIs, domain-specific datasets, and global data sources.
Establish standards for data quality, lineage, governance, and reproducibility.
Participate in exploratory data analysis to validate assumptions, identify data gaps, surface insights and improve model inputs.
Collaborate with internal and external partners on secure data access and governance.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g. engineering, computer science, data science, or a related discipline).
Background in analytics, experimentation, or statistical analysis.
3-5 years of experience in data engineering or software engineering with a strong data focus.
Proven track record of designing and implementing pipelines across heterogeneous data sources.
Ability to validate ideas through fast experimentation and iterative prototyping.
Strong proficiency in Python, SQL, Unix tooling, and Git-based workflows.
Experience working with structured and unstructured data.
Experience with cloud services (preferably AWS and Databricks).
Experience integrating external APIs and third-party datasets.
Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across technical and business teams.
Experience with enterprise big data.
Familiarity with ETL frameworks and data warehousing concepts.

Bonus Qualifications

Experience with automotive, manufacturing, mobility, or energy systems data.
Experience in AI/ML model development, including LLM-driven or generative/agentic AI workflows.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $144,000 and $207,000/year for California-based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's experience, skills, job-related knowledge, and market location. TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) eligibility, paid time off benefits (including vacation, sick time, and parental leave), and an annual cash bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
Please reference this Candidate Privacy Notice to inform you of the categories of personal information that we collect from individuals who inquire about and/or apply to work for Toyota Research Institute, Inc. or its subsidiaries, including Toyota A.I. Ventures GP, L.P., and the purposes for which we use such personal information.
TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture. We believe diversity makes us stronger and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

About Toyota Research Institute

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re conducting research to amplify human ability, focusing on making our lives safer and more sustainable. Led by Dr. Gill Pratt, TRI’s team of researchers develops technologies to advance automated driving, energy and materials, human-centered artificial intelligence, human interactive driving, large behavior models, and robotics. We’re dedicated to building a world of “mobility for all” where everyone, regardless of age or ability, can live in harmony with technology to enjoy a better life. Through innovations in AI, we will:

- Develop technology for vehicles and robots to help people enjoy new levels of independence, access, and mobility.

- Bring advanced mobility technology to market faster.

- Discover new materials that will make batteries and hydrogen fuel cells smaller, lighter, less expensive, and more powerful.

Our work is guided by a dedication to safety – in how we research, develop, and validate the performance of vehicle technology to benefit society. As a subsidiary of Toyota, TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people who carry invaluable leadership, experience, and ideas from industry-leading companies. Over half of our technical team holds PhD degrees. We’re continually searching for the world’s best talent ‒ people who are ready to define the new world of mobility with us!

We strive to build a company that helps our people thrive, achieve work-life balance, and bring their best selves to work. At TRI, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds ‒ a fun start-up environment with brilliant people who enjoy solving tough problems and the financial backing to successfully achieve our goals. Come work with TRI if you’re interested in transforming mobility through designing safer cars, enabling the elderly to age in place, or designing alternative fuel sources. Start your impossible with us.

Industry

Biotech & Life Sciences

Company Size

201-500 employees

Headquarters

Los Altos, California

Year Founded

2016

Website

tri.global

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