Knightscope

Staff Perception Engineer - Robotics

Knightscope$240K — $275K *
Consumer Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years experience in perception software for OEM, AV, or robotics
  • Expertise in 3D computer vision and sensor fusion
  • Strong ML fundamentals with production deployment experience
  • Proficient in C++ and Python; familiar with ROS2
  • Proven ability to transition models from development to real-world applications

Responsibilities

  • Design and deploy advanced 3D perception models using multi-modal sensor data
  • Manage the end-to-end ML pipeline for large-scale data and real-time deployment
  • Develop cross-sensor identity tracking for consistent entity recognition
  • Implement evidence-first capture for structured media output
  • Incorporate Vision-Language Models to enhance detection and scene understanding
  • Lead architectural decisions and mentor engineers in technical processes
  • Conduct evaluations and establish metrics for safety-critical perception

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) plan
  • Paid time off
  • Stock options for equity
  • Full-time, on-site role at Sunnyvale HQ
Full Job Description
In this role, you will own the full perception stack for our autonomous security robot platform, from raw LiDAR, camera, and thermal sensor data through 3D object detection, scene understanding, and persistent entity tracking. You will be a technical lead working across robotics, ML, and systems engineering to ship production-grade perception capabilities that power real-time threat detection, incident correlation, and evidence capture in the field. Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ (No relocation provided) Key Responsibilities • Design, train, and deploy 3D perception models, object detection, segmentation, and multi-object tracking, from multi-modal sensor data (LiDAR, camera, thermal, radar) using state-of-the-art BEV and transformer-based architectures. • Own the end-to-end ML pipeline from large-scale data curation and annotation strategy through model training, optimization (TensorRT/CUDA), and real-time onboard deployment on edge compute. • Build persistent cross-sensor identity: the same person, vehicle, or license plate maintains a stable track across camera handoffs, patrol legs, and time, feeding entity correlation and incident generation downstream. • Design and implement evidence-first capture: pre/post-event clips, full-frame and crop media, and structured detection output that is replay-safe and analyst-ready. • Explore and integrate Vision-Language Models (VLMs) to enrich detection outputs with scene narration, anomaly reasoning, and long-tail incident understanding, moving K7 beyond bounding boxes toward analyst-ready scene descriptions. • Drive technical decisions on architecture, data strategy, and roadmap; mentor engineers across the team. • Design and run rigorous offline and closed-loop evaluations; define metrics for safety-critical perception performance across diverse real-world deployment environments. Required Qualifications • 7+ years of hands-on experience at an OEM, AV company, physical security platform, or robotics tech company shipping perception software to production. • Deep expertise in 3D computer vision: LiDAR/camera 3D object detection, point cloud processing, multi-view geometry, and sensor fusion. • Strong ML fundamentals, CNNs, Transformers, multi-task architectures, with production deployment experience (TensorRT, ONNX, CUDA optimization). • Fluency in C++ (real-time systems) and Python; experience with ROS2 and simulation environments (CARLA, Isaac). • Production-first mindset demonstrated ability to take models from research to deployed, real-world systems operating under real operational constraints. Preferred Qualifications • Exposure to vision-language models (VLMs): fine-tuning, prompting, or integrating VLM outputs into a perception pipeline for scene understanding or anomaly narration. • Familiarity with Vision-Language-Action (VLA) or end-to-end policy models that map sensor observations directly to robot actions, and interest in applying these to active confirmation and repositioning behaviors. • Experience with ALPR, face recognition, or ReID systems in deployed security or automotive contexts. • Familiarity with evidence integrity, chain-of-custody media, or tamper-evident capture pipelines. • Publications or open-source contributions in 3D CV, embodied AI, or autonomous systems. • MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field. Compensation & Benefits • Base Salary: $240,000 to $275,000 (DOE) • Equity: Stock options • Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off • Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ

About Knightscope

Knightscope is a developer of autonomous security robots that are designed to enhance public safety and security. The company's robots are equipped with a range of sensors and cameras that allow them to detect and respond to potential threats, and they can be used in a variety of settings, including corporate campuses, shopping centers, and airports. Knightscope's robots are designed to be highly customizable and scalable, and they can be programmed to perform a wide range of tasks, including surveillance, monitoring, and reporting. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Learn more about Knightscope
Size
100 employees
Market Cap
$59.7 million
Industry
Founded
2013
NASDAQ

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