Job OverviewYou will design and implement the perception systems that give our automated heavy machinery the awareness needed to operate effectively in complex, unstructured environments. This role combines high-level architecture decisions with hands-on algorithm development, hardware integration, and field testing. You will work across the perception stack, from integrating and calibrating advanced sensors to building real-time processing pipelines for images, point clouds, and other high-bandwidth data streams. Your work will power critical functions such as collision avoidance, motion planning, localization, and operator visualization.
Responsibilities- Integrate multi-spectral and TOF sensors into robotic systems with real-time processing constraints
- Work with motion and trajectory planning teams to design and synthesize sensor systems to extract required signals and inputs
- Implement algorithms to efficiently detect objects of interest from incoming data streams for the purposes of collision avoidance, motion planning, and trajectory planning
- Stitch together and manipulate camera feeds and data from other sensors to effectively visualize the state of physical systems to human operators
- Develop real-time pipelines for processing, sharing, and fusing data from multiple sensor sources
- Train Machine Learning (ML) models on existing and custom datasets and support collection and labeling of data for additional training and validation
- Develop simulation and visualization tools to aid in rapid prototyping of robotic software and control algorithms
- Own the integration, calibration, and testing of sensors, both for proof-of-concept prototypes and production systems
- Lead interdisciplinary teams, mentor new employees, and actively participate in the hiring process
Basic Qualifications- B.S. in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field
- 2+ years of professional or project experience with robotic software development, involving implementation of real-time algorithms for perception and data processing pipelines
- Demonstrated experience owning large-scale deliverables, leading teams, and driving product roadmaps
Preferred Skills & Experience- Experience working with safety-critical or real-time systems
- Experience working with embedded applications for robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, automotive, or construction
- Proficiency in C++ and Python, including development for Linux-based systems and bare-metal MCUs
- Experience training, testing, optimizing, and deploying online and offline machine learning models with existing and custom datasets
- Experience implementing algorithms or pipelines for robotic systems or feedback control from scratch in C++ or Python
- Experience performing object detection on multiple data sources including multi-spectral images and point clouds
- Experience programming FPGAs for high-throughput networking, compression, or DSP
Additional Requirements- Must be willing to work extended hours or weekends when needed to support critical deadlines or triage urgent deployment issues
- Comfortable with working in a fast-paced startup environment
- Must be willing to relocate to Austin, TX if not within commuting distance
Compensation & BenefitsBase compensation will vary based on factors such as relevant experience and education. Salaries and leveling will be determined on a case-by-case basis if an offer is extended. Our total compensation package also includes equity in TerraFirma. Relocation packages are available to help cover moving costs, if applicable.
