Chief Computer Vision & Machine Learning Engineer for Autonomous Anti-Drone SystemsAbout The Role:We are looking for a
Chief Engineer, Computer Vision/Machine Learning to own technical direction and architecture for the CV/ML systems at the core of our autonomous gun turret. Working with our VP of AI and CV/ML Engineering Managers and individual contributors, you will set the technical strategy for real-time drone detection, tracking, and classification, and see it through from architecture to fielded, military-grade systems. This is a senior technical leadership role: your time will center on architecture, design review, and the hardest technical problems on the program, with a small group of senior engineers reporting to you.
What You'll Do- Own the technical roadmap and architecture for the CV/ML stack, setting direction that Engineering Managers and their teams execute against.
- Make and document the consequential technical decisions: sensor and compute architecture, model strategy, real-time performance tradeoffs, and how the perception system evolves across weapon system variants and engagement ranges.
- Personally drive the hardest and most ambiguous technical problems on the program, from concept through field validation.
- Lead a small group of senior CV/ML engineers, and mentor senior and staff engineers and managers across the broader team through design review and technical guidance.
- Partner with the VP of AI and Engineering Managers to align technical strategy with product goals, delivery commitments, and hiring plans.
- Set and uphold the technical quality bar across the CV/ML organization through architecture review, design review, and validation standards.
What You'll Need- Deep expertise and 15+ years of experience in machine-learning-based computer vision and traditional image and signal processing, ideally in robotics, including systems deployed in real-time or safety-critical applications.
- A track record of owning the architecture of a complex perception or autonomy system across multiple years and releases, from initial design through production hardening.
- Demonstrated ability to set technical direction that other teams execute against, and to drive alignment through expertise and influence as well as authority.
- Experience mentoring and leading senior team members, whether as a formal manager or as a principal-level technical leader.
- At least a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, with a strong focus on machine learning and computer vision.
- Strong command of Python and C++ and modern ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow, with the depth to review and guide work across the stack even where you are not writing the code yourself.
- Comfort operating in a fast-moving, engineering-first environment where architecture decisions carry hard real-world consequences.
You'll Stand Out- Prior experience as a Principal Engineer, Chief Engineer, or technical director for a perception, autonomy, or weapons/aerospace program.
- Ph.D. in computer vision, machine learning, or related fields.
- Experience with object detection and tracking in challenging real-world conditions such as small targets, cluttered backgrounds, or low-contrast imagery.
- Background in defense, aerospace, or autonomous systems where performance and reliability requirements are non-negotiable.
- Experience architecting systems for edge hardware such as NVIDIA Jetson or similar embedded GPU platforms, or with multi-sensor fusion across modalities such as optical and infrared cameras.
- Experience taking a system through field testing, hardware integration cycles, and production hardening, not just software-only development.
What We Offer- Competitive salary
- ACS Equity Package
- Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
- Paid Time Off
