NVIDIA Corporation

Principal Perception Engineer, Obstacle Foundation Models - Autonomous Vehicles

NVIDIA Corporation • $272K — $431K *
Santa Clara, CA 95051In-Person
Transportation
11 - 15 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 15+ years experience in deep learning-based perception systems
  • Proficient in PyTorch with a proven track record from prototype to production
  • Demonstrated technical leadership in multidisciplinary environments
  • Strong programming skills in Python or C++
  • Excellent communication and collaboration abilities
  • BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields

Responsibilities

  • Own the technical vision and roadmap for 3D obstacle perception
  • Develop advanced 3D perception models incorporating multi-camera and sensor fusion
  • Lead production-grade deep learning model development
  • Define and drive KPI frameworks for perception performance
  • Establish data strategy for perception including data collection and annotation
  • Collaborate with safety and software teams for product readiness and compliance
  • Mentor and provide technical leadership to fellow engineers

Benefits

  • Equity participation
  • Comprehensive health benefits
  • Flexible work environment
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Work with industry-leading technologies and projects
Full Job Description
We are seeking an exceptional Principal Perception Engineer to lead the design and productization of NVIDIA's next-generation autonomous driving perception stack. This is a senior individual contributor role with broad technical leadership. You will set the technical direction for 3D obstacle perception, drive cross-functional execution, and mentor other engineers, while remaining deeply hands-on with architecture, algorithms, and implementation, including modern transformer-based, multi-modal, and vision-language techniques where they add real value.

What you'll be doing:
  • Own the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for 3D obstacle perception to support end-to-end autonomous driving functionalities, leveraging state-of-the-art CNN and transformer-based architectures where appropriate.
  • Design and develop advanced 3D perception models using multi-camera inputs and/or multi-sensor fusion (camera, radar, lidar) for obstacle detection and tracking, including opportunities to explore BEV and transformer-based 3D perception.
  • Lead the development of efficient, production-grade deep learning models: define objectives, select architectures, guide experimentation, and establish best practices for training and evaluation, using techniques such as large-scale pretraining, distillation, and parameter-efficient fine-tuning (e.g., LoRA).
  • Define and drive KPI frameworks to quantify perception performance; analyze large-scale real and synthetic datasets to identify failure modes and systematically improve accuracy, robustness, and efficiency, incorporating modern approaches like self-supervised and representation learning when beneficial.
  • Lead data strategy for perception: specify data and labeling requirements, prioritize data collection and annotation, and collaborate closely with data and ground-truth teams to maximize impact, including model-assisted workflows (e.g., active learning, auto-labeling, VLMs) and advanced model-in-the-loop tooling.
  • Partner with safety, systems, and software teams to ensure perception solutions meet stringent product requirements for safety, latency, resource usage, and software robustness, and are ready for deployment at scale.
  • Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other engineers, influencing design and implementation across the broader perception and autonomy teams.


What we need to see:
  • 15+ years of hands-on experience developing deep learning-based perception or closely related systems for complex real-world problems, with strong proficiency in frameworks such as PyTorch and a track record of taking models from prototype to production.
  • Demonstrated technical leadership as a senior or principal-level individual contributor: owning features or subsystems end-to-end, setting technical direction, making architectural decisions, and coordinating across teams.
  • Proven experience in data-driven development, including close collaboration with data, labeling, and ground-truth teams on data strategy, labeling quality, and iterative model improvement.
  • Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++, with a history of building reliable, high-performance, production-quality software.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence, align, and drive consensus across multidisciplinary teams.
  • BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields (or equivalent experience).


Ways to stand out from the crowd:
  • Proven track record leading the design and deployment of perception solutions for autonomous driving or robotics using camera-based deep learning at scale.
  • Hands-on experience architecting and deploying DNN-based perception pipelines on embedded or real-time platforms, including optimization for latency, memory, and compute constraints, and experience with modern architectures such as CNNs and transformers, plus familiarity with techniques like large-scale pretraining, parameter-efficient fine-tuning (e.g., LoRA), or vision-language models (VLMs).
  • Strong publication record or recognized contributions in deep learning, computer vision, or autonomous systems at leading conferences/journals (e.g., CVPR, ICCV, NeurIPS, IROS).
  • Deep understanding of 3D computer vision fundamentals, including camera modeling and calibration (intrinsic and extrinsic), multi-view geometry, and 3D representations, ideally with experience applying these concepts in transformer-based 3D or BEV perception pipelines.
  • Experience with CUDA development and optimizing training or inference pipelines through custom CUDA kernels or other GPU-accelerated components.


Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 272,000 USD - 431,250 USD.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until July 9, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

About NVIDIA Corporation

Nvidia, a global leader in graphics, gaming, and AI technology, offers Nvidia careers and internship opportunities for those passionate about driving innovation in the tech industry. you'll find a company committed to growth, teamwork, and leadership in computer science and machine learning domains.

About Nvidia

A Pioneer in Technology and Innovation

Nvidia has cemented its reputation as a powerhouse in developing advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) and has significantly contributed to the gaming industry's evolution. Moreover, its foray into AI and machine learning has opened new frontiers in technology, making Nvidia a beacon of innovation and a desirable workplace for ambitious tech professionals.

Job Opportunities

Diverse Positions in a Dynamic Field

Nvidia is continuously on the lookout for talented individuals across various domains, including hardware and software engineering, product design, marketing, and sales. Employment opportunities at Nvidia are vast, catering to a wide range of expertise and career aspirations.

Employment in Hardware and Graphics

For those fascinated by the intricacies of hardware and graphics technology, Nvidia offers positions that sit at the forefront of gaming and computing advancements.

Growth in Machine Learning and AI

Nvidia's leadership in AI and machine learning has created numerous vacancies for specialists eager to contribute to groundbreaking projects.

Recruitment in Computer Science

With the constant demand for innovation, Nvidia's recruitment efforts focus on computer science experts capable of pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Internship Program

Opening Doors to Future Innovators

Nvidia's internship program is designed to nurture the next generation of technology leaders, offering hands-on experience in a culture that celebrates creativity and teamwork.

Benefits and Culture

Interns at Nvidia enjoy a plethora of benefits, from competitive stipends to mentorship opportunities, all within an environment that values growth and learning.

Opportunities for Students

Whether you're an undergraduate, a master's student, or a Ph.D. candidate, Nvidia's internships provide a real-world glimpse into the tech industry, offering valuable experience in various technology fields.

Pathways to Full-Time Employment

Many interns have transitioned into full-time positions, marking the start of successful careers at Nvidia. The internship program is more than a stepping stone into the company; it’s an investment in the professional development of interns. The goal is to ensure that interns are well-equipped for future challenges.

Nvidia Careers: More Than Just a Job

Nvidia offers more than just a job to its employees; it provides a front-row seat on the journey into the future of technology. Nvidia stands as a pillar of innovation with its vast opportunities in hardware, graphics, gaming, machine learning, and computer science. Nvidia careers serve as a launching pad for talented workers who aim to redefine the technological landscape. Whether through full-time positions or internships, joining Nvidia means contributing to a legacy of breakthroughs and becoming part of a global community dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Learn more about NVIDIA Corporation
Size
22,473 employees
Market Cap
$350.4 billion
Industry
Manufacturing & Automotive
Net Income
$4.3 billion
Founded
1993
5 Year Trend
+31.3%
Revenue
$16.6 billion
NASDAQ
NVDA
* Ladders Estimates

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