Join us

Build something
weird and beautiful.

We're a small team of engineers, artists, and operators working to meld the best of robotics, AI, and creativity.

See open roles

People

You don't fit neatly
into one box.

You have a technical background but care about aesthetics. Or you're creative but love the mechanics of how things actually work. Either way, someone told you that you can't do something, so you went out and did it.

We care less about your resume and more about your curiosity, initiative, and energy.

Departments

Small team.
Lots to do.

Go To Market

Big ideas need big execution. For most people, a career in the arts requires a fine arts degree or serious money. This team changes that expectation.

Robotics

The team that makes a machine mimic an artist exactly as intended. Arms, motion, toolheads, paint handling, every mechanical decision exists to preserve the original intent, stroke for stroke.

Machine Learning

Designing a painting is a creative act. Applying every stroke is execution. Our machine learning team builds the systems that separate the two, so an artist or designer can own the full creative process without having to spend years learning colour theory.

Production

The production team handles both ends of the spectrum: high volume runs where consistency is everything, and one-off custom pieces where every job is its own problem. They handle the final product, and make sure every step preceding them is executed perfectly.

Values

What we look for.

Ownership

It's yours until it's done.

Nobody is waiting to review your work. You finish a goal and tell the rest of the team about it.

Team member taking ownership of a project
Team exploring new ideas in the lab

Curiosity

You want to know how everything works.

Our artists take courses on LLMs, our engineers learn how to paint.

Perseverance

You enjoy being challenged.

There's no textbook or handbook for this. We figure it out as we go.

Engineer iterating on a robotic arm prototype

Our Values

We don't blame, complain, or wait for permission, we do the thing. Talk to your manager. Force them to agree with you. Vouch for the resources. Solve the problem. Don't let the idea die.

We do the right thing when no one's watching. We handle tough feedback without ego. We say hard things to people's faces, with love.

We have each other's backs, especially when things are hard. When someone is struggling, work or personal, we step up and make their life easier.

We make our own luck. We have big goals and we don't wait for ideal conditions.

We solve problems with simplicity and creativity. When something feels stubborn, we take a step back, find the elegant angle, and try again.

The challenge is the fun part. The 5th set back in a row doesn't mean disaster, it means 5 more problems we get to solve.

We know what great looks like and we don't compromise on it. We cross the T's and dot the I's on documents no one will ever read.

We show up with energy, curiosity, and a point of view. We live full lives outside of work and bring new perspectives back to the table.

We surface problems early, ask for help, and admit mistakes without ego.

Come work with us.

Open roles

We're actively looking for people in these roles. Apply directly and we'll be in touch if we think you're a good fit.

Applied Machine Learning Engineer

Full-timeIn-person · Montreal
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About the Role

At Acrylic, we care deeply about art, creativity, and expression. Our goal is to bring physical art to everyday people, helping them connect with artists, develop taste, and hang something meaningful on their walls.

Our technical team builds systems that turn imagination into reality. There's no single model that solves this. We combine generative and recommendation AI, digital illustration pipelines, and robotics into one integrated stack that moves from idea to finished painting.

We're hiring an Applied Machine Learning Engineer to build and lead our machine learning team. You'll own the roadmap, make the architecture decisions, build the first production models yourself, and grow the team over time. We're looking for someone who wants to build at the frontier of AI creativity and ensure AI remains a tool and medium, not a replacement for artists.

What You'll Do

  • Own the ML roadmap with the Head of Engineering.
  • Pick the architecture for our stroke-generation system and build the first working version.
  • Work with our in-house artists to refine constraints, reward direction, and what "good" means for the model.
  • Get a working MVP into production that a designer can use end to end.
  • Hire and lead ML and software engineers as the team grows.
  • Work with curators and the robotics team so what's designed on screen ends up on the canvas.
  • Stay hands-on writing models.

What You Bring

  • You've shipped ML products that reached real users, ideally generative: diffusion, GANs, applied LLMs, or tools like ComfyUI, Runway, or ElevenLabs.
  • You think like an engineer. You care about what happens when a model hits production.
  • You've spent real time around creative work. Maybe at Adobe, Figma, or Midjourney.
  • You want to have a big impact on the world. You see startups as the way to do it.
  • You want to lead a team because teamwork is how real work gets done.

Who You Are

You are someone who leads by example.

  • You like to move fast.
  • You take on hard, ambiguous problems.
  • You have strong opinions.
  • You follow work through to completion.
  • You know how to lock in.

You are a force multiplier for people.

  • You hold yourself to the highest standards.
  • You give clear direction and context.
  • You challenge ideas directly and fairly.
  • You are generous with your time and attention.
  • You invest in people's growth.

What Success Looks Like

  • You get shit done.
  • And have a good time doing it.

How to Apply

Full-time, in-person in Montreal. Competitive salary plus meaningful early equity.

We review applications on a rolling basis and tailor the process to the role and the person. Our goal is to get to know you, not put you through a hiring gauntlet.

Robotics Engineering Intern

Internship · Fall 2026In-person · Montreal
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About the Role

At Acrylic, we care deeply about art, creativity, and expression. Our goal is to bring physical art to everyday people, helping them connect with artists, develop taste, and hang something meaningful on their walls.

Our technical team builds systems that turn imagination into reality. There's no single model that solves this. We combine generative and recommendation AI, digital illustration pipelines, and robotics into one integrated stack that moves from idea to finished painting.

We're hiring a Robotics Engineering Intern to help take that stack from prototype to product. You'll work on our production cell, not toy projects, and help ensure our technology can withstand thousands of paintings a week. This internship is intentionally hands-on: you'll be trusted with meaningful problems, supported by talented engineers, and expected to learn quickly, iterate often, and take ownership of your work.

What You'll Do

  • Work closely with engineers to refine and harden our industrial robotic cell into a commercial-ready, "ready to sell" system, improving reliability, efficiency, and repeatability.
  • Support the transition from prototype to product, focusing on code robustness, manufacturability, and the details that make a system trustworthy in the field.
  • Help develop and integrate custom digital design software that turns a design into the program the robot paints, owning features end to end, from the designer's screen to the robot's motion.
  • Work with our robotics and software teams so what's designed digitally ends up faithfully on the canvas.
  • Take ownership of production integration including robot setup, calibration, testing, and validation in real production environments.
  • Get your hands dirty doing real industrial automation and software work that directly impacts our ability to scale and ship.

Who You Are

You are someone who learns best by doing.

  • You like to move fast. You'd rather build a rough version early, test it, and iterate than wait for perfect clarity.
  • You have opinions about how things should work, and you're open to being wrong. You ask "why," challenge ideas respectfully, and change your mind when you learn something new.
  • You care deeply about whether something actually works for the user. Bugs, broken flows, and confusing behavior bother you.
  • You finish what you start. "Done" means tested, verified, and followed up on.
  • You are generous with your time and energy. You help teammates, ask good questions, and share what you learn.
  • You are comfortable with ambiguity. When requirements aren't fully defined, you make reasonable assumptions and keep moving.
  • You enjoy building things with your hands as well as with code, whether that's prototyping, tinkering, or experimenting with hardware or simulations.
  • You communicate clearly, are open to feedback, and care about doing good work.
  • You like supporting people. The best part of your day should be solving someone's problem.

You don't need to be an expert, but you should have some familiarity with or strong interest in Python, CAD, building software tools or GUIs, and the joys of matrix multiplication.

What Success Looks Like

  • You get shit done.
  • And have a good time doing it.

How to Apply

Internship, in-person in Montreal for the Fall 2026 term.

We review applications on a rolling basis and tailor the process to the role and the person. Our goal is to get to know you, not put you through a hiring gauntlet.

Rolling applications

We hire for these roles regularly. Applying adds you to our pool; we'll reach out when the right opportunity opens.

Art Designer & Curator

Part-time / Contract / FreelanceRemote possible
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About the Role

Acrylic Robotics is hiring a Part-Time Art Designer & Curator to select and create artwork for commercial clients like hotels, restaurants, and interior design firms. This role blends art curation with digital creation: choosing works from existing catalogs that fit a client's brand, and using AI/digital tools to generate new pieces when needed.

What You'll Do

  • Understand client branding and space requirements.
  • Select suitable, high-quality, machine-paintable artworks and artists from our network whose style matches a client.
  • Create new images using AI and design tools when catalog options don't fit.
  • Pitch and present artwork choices to clients, explaining the connection to their brand, taste, or space.
  • Hand off designs to our digital art team, who work off your images to produce pieces realized on canvas by our robotic technology.

Who You Are

  • Someone with a strong eye for art and design who can distinguish quality and fit.
  • Able to think commercially: art as part of branding and consumer experience.
  • Comfortable learning and using AI tools, digital editing, and design software.
  • A clear communicator who can explain and sell artistic choices.
  • Bonus: graphic design skills, proposal writing, or interior design/branding experience.

Digital & Fine Artist

Full-time or Part-timeIn-person · Montreal
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About the Role

We're looking for a Digital & Fine Artist to join our Montreal studio, someone who's equally comfortable working on-screen and hands-on with real paint. You'll design artworks for our robots, refine their outputs with manual touchups, and help run the production systems that bring our robotic paintings to life.

What You'll Do

  • Create digital artworks for robotic painting: visually compelling designs optimized for our robot's brushstrokes.
  • Perform manual touchups on robot-produced paintings to add human finesse and artistic detail.
  • Collaborate with our engineering team to improve the usability and creative range of our digital painting system.
  • Research and experiment with popular art styles, adapting them for robotic execution.
  • Operate and help maintain our production system, ensuring smooth workflow and consistent artistic quality.

Who You Are

  • Strong fine art skills using acrylic or oil paints, including brushwork, colour mixing, and composition.
  • Proficient in Adobe Illustrator with a deep understanding of colour theory, art trends, and contemporary visual culture.
  • Hands-on studio experience: comfortable painting, handling materials, and maintaining a creative workspace.
  • Collaborative and communicative: you'll work closely with both artists and engineers.
  • Curious and excited about art, robotics, and creative technology.

Robotic Operator

Internship · Fall 2026In-person · Montreal
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About the Role

We're looking for a full-time Robotic Operator to join our team in Montreal for the Fall 2026 term. You'll work directly with our robotic painting systems, ensuring smooth daily operations and contributing to the production of artworks that reach collectors and galleries around the world.

This role is hands-on, fast-paced, and collaborative, perfect for someone curious about how robotics and automation intersect with the arts. No prior robotics experience required; we'll train you. What we value most is your attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and eagerness to learn.

What You'll Do

  • Run robotic painting sessions: prepare canvases, load instructions, and oversee production runs for accuracy and consistency.
  • Monitor system performance: watch for errors or irregularities and make quick adjustments to keep production on track.
  • Maintain equipment: carry out basic maintenance, cleaning, and calibration to keep machines running smoothly.
  • Troubleshoot issues: identify and resolve minor technical or mechanical issues with guidance from our engineering team.
  • Coordinate logistics: manage packing and shipping of completed artworks, ensuring they arrive safely and on time.
  • Track performance: keep detailed records of runs, maintenance, and output quality to support continuous improvement.

What You'll Gain

  • Practical skills in robotics and automation through direct, hands-on work.
  • A firsthand look at how technology and fine art intersect in a startup environment.
  • Problem-solving, troubleshooting, and operational management skills that transfer to both engineering and creative industries.
  • The chance to take on tech projects in your spare time: adding features and fixing bugs in our full-stack products (React, Postgres, AWS), writing scripts to automate the painting pipeline, and helping improve our machine learning models.

Who Can Apply

  • A current student (college, undergraduate, or graduate program).
  • A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or refugee.
  • Available to work full-time in Montreal for the Fall 2026 term.

What You Bring

  • Strong attention to detail: able to spot small errors or inconsistencies quickly.
  • Problem-solving ability: resourceful and persistent when challenges come up.
  • Good time management and organizational skills: able to manage multiple tasks daily.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills: comfortable collaborating with a small team.
  • Independence and reliability: able to take ownership of tasks with minimal supervision.

Bonus Points

  • Experience with robotics, automation, or mechanical systems (academic or hobbyist).
  • A self-starter mindset with the confidence to suggest improvements.
  • Interest in entrepreneurship and startups, eager to wear many hats and grow with the team.
  • An artistic eye or background in fine art: understanding composition, colour, and texture.

Questions? careers@acrylicrobotics.ca