Principal Software Engineer, Perception
rethink recruitAlameda (CA)
Principal Software Engineer, Perception
Posted 9 days ago
rethink recruitAlameda (CA)
SENIORITY
Lead
About the role
Principal Engineer, Perception Saildrone is a maritime defense company and the global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles. With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator, Saildrone maintains active, combat-deployed systems supporting national security and force projection around the world, 24/7/365.Saildrone's manufacturing and R&D headquarters are located in Alameda, CA, with business development and sales operations in Washington, DC, and deployment hubs in Europe and the Middle East. By combining proven autonomous operations, edge computing, advanced sensing, renewable power, and the most advanced unmanned surface technology on the planet, Saildrone is shaping how the Navy of the future operates. Saildrone builds autonomous maritime systems that must perceive and understand the world without continuous human supervision. As Principal Engineer, Perception, you will define the technical direction and architecture of the perception systems that enable Saildrone's vehicles to operate reliably in complex, changing environments. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will own the hardest perception problems, make architectural decisions, and connect sensing, estimation, machine learning, and production software into a coherent system deployed on real vehicles operating in the field.
What You'll Do:
- Define the architecture and technical direction for Saildrone's perception systems
- Lead the hardest problems in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, localization, tracking, mapping, and uncertainty estimation
- Determine how heterogeneous sensors and perception algorithms combine to produce reliable information for downstream autonomy
- Translate research and algorithms into robust production capabilities within real-world constraints on sensors, compute, latency, and environmental conditions
- Provide technical direction to senior and staff engineers through architecture, technical review, and problem solving
- You Should Have
- Exceptional depth in perception and robotics with a track record of deploying perception systems on autonomous vehicles, robots, aerospace, defense, or similarly complex physical systems
- Deep expertise in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, and uncertainty modeling
- Strong mathematical and algorithmic foundations with depth in multiple areas such as computer vision, localization, state estimation, tracking, mapping, or machine learning
- A track record of taking sophisticated algorithms or research from experimentation into reliable production systems
- Experience setting technical direction and architecture for complex autonomous systems
- Exceptional technical judgment demonstrated through consequential technical decisions and problem solving
Nice To Have:
- Research or applied-research experience in perception or robotics
- Experience deploying and maintaining autonomous systems in challenging or constrained environments
- Experience across multiple generations of an autonomous platform
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