Principal Software Engineer, Perception
QUORE IT : Talent Sourcing & Recruitment · Alameda, CA
Apply & track with Apply EdgeTitle: Principal Software Engineer, PerceptionDuration: Full Time/Direct Hire
Has ~100 vessels actively deployed across the world's oceans. You won't be building PowerPoints — you'll own the hardest perception problems on real hardware running in some of the most challenging environments on Earth.Maritime perception is a genuinely novel problem. Ocean-based perception is fundamentally different from land-based autonomy. You'll tackle unique challenges around radar modalities, nighttime vs. daytime sensing, sea-state noise, and sensor fusion in conditions that don't have off-the-shelf solutions. If you're bored solving the same AV problems everyone else is solving, this is the antidote.You'll have outsized influence on a lean team. The perception team is bare-bones today. Ron (VP of Software, ex-Tesla) is explicitly looking for someone who can set technical direction, make architectural calls, upskill the existing team, and help shape hiring as the group scales. This is a true principal-level seat with real authority — not a title inflation situation.Hardware + software under one roof. Manufactures everything in-house at their Alameda waterfront facility — composites, battery modules, core compute boxes, final assembly. You'll work steps away from the physical systems your code runs on. Vessels launch into the lagoon right outside the office.Mission that actually matters. Your work directly supports national security, border protection, anti-trafficking operations, and partnerships with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Also has growing international partnerships (Denmark and others). This isn't speculative — it's combat-deployed today.Strong comp and equity. $300K–$380K base (75th percentile Radford benchmarking) plus competitive equity in a Series D+ company backed by Lockheed Martin, Lux Capital, and others with ~$300M in total funding. Hybrid schedule (3 days in office) at a gorgeous waterfront location in Alameda.Hiring manager notes: Must Have:Experience deploying perception systems that run on-board physical hardware (autonomous vehicles, robots, aerospace, defense, or similarly complex physical systems)Deep expertise with autonomous driving or robotics systems (perception, localization, planning, decision-making, model-based approaches, sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, and uncertainty modeling)Experience operating at a Senior level, setting technical direction and architecture for complex autonomous systems (staff level or beyond)Required:8+ years of experience as a perception engineer or robotics engineer, in a Staff role or operating at the Staff levelExperience at robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, or defense companiesStrong familiarity with computer vision and novel sensor modalities, especially for maritime environments (radar/nighttime sensitivities)Strong algorithmic/mathematical foundation in computer vision, localization, state estimation, tracking, mapping, or machine learning (linear algebra)Nice to Have:Preference for an advanced degree (Master's or PhD)Experience running inference workloads on constrained compute under latency constraintsEager to train, uplevel, and upskill other team membersRed Flag:Only off-board or backend microservices experience with no onboard software backgroundOnly legacy automotive experience (General Motors, Ford)What we're looking for:We need a Principal-level perception engineer with 8+ years of experience deploying perception systems on autonomous vehicles, robots, aerospace, or defense platforms. You should have deep expertise in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, and uncertainty modeling, with a proven track record of translating research-grade algorithms into reliable production systems running on constrained edge compute. Bonus points if you have experience with maritime or ocean-based autonomy, multiple sensor modalities (radar, camera, infrared), or have led perception architecture across multiple generations of an autonomous platform.What you'll do:Define the architecture and technical direction for the entire perception stack, including sensor fusion, localization, tracking, mapping, and uncertainty estimationTake ownership of the hardest perception problems — integrating heterogeneous sensors (radar, cameras, novel maritime-specific modalities) into a coherent, reliable information stream for downstream autonomyWork closely with the autonomy, navigation, and applied ML teams to ensure perception outputs drive safe and effective vehicle behavior in complex ocean environmentsTranslate state-of-the-art research and algorithms into robust production capabilities within real-world constraints on sensors, compute (Nvidia Jetson SOC), latency, and harsh environmental conditionsLead technical direction for senior and staff engineers through architecture decisions, technical reviews, and hands-on problem-solving — upleveling and upskilling the current perception teamGuide data labeling strategies, ground truth dataset construction, and evaluation frameworks to continuously improve perception system performanceHelp expand the perception team over time, serving as a voice of technical leadership and authority in hiring and mentorshipTech stackC++, Python, Sensor Fusion, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Probabilistic Estimation, State Estimation, Localization, Tracking, Mapping, SLAM, Uncertainty Modeling, Nvidia Jetson, Edge Computing, Radar, Camera Systems, Neural Networks, Simulation