Manager, Applied Research

What You’ll Do

ML & Reconstruction Quality

• Drive ML-driven quality improvements across the production 3D scene reconstruction pipeline, including panel geometry, background reconstruction, and output fidelity.
• Own model selection, deployment, inference optimization, and operational ownership of ML systems in production.
• Evaluate and apply traditional ML and applied deep learning techniques to improve reconstruction quality; understand when each approach is appropriate.
• Review and contribute to the production codebase, evaluate tradeoffs, identify bottlenecks, and guide technical decisions.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Build, manage, and grow a team of ML engineers and applied scientists within the Advanced Product Development team.
• Drive cross-functional alignment across the Applications & API and Platform teams.
• Partner with the APD technical leads and Director of Software Engineering to scope work, resolve technical blockers, and maintain delivery velocity.
• Operate effectively in a fast-moving startup where priorities shift; maintain focus on the highest-impact work without losing team momentum.

What You Bring

Must-Have Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field; PhD preferred. Bachelor’s with exceptional experience considered.
• 7+ years of experience in ML engineering or applied research, with at least 5+ years in a people management role overseeing engineers and/or applied scientists.
• Strong production ML expertise: model selection, deployment, inference optimization, and operational ownership. Experience spans traditional ML and applied deep learning; Not a LLM-focused role.
• Proven ability to review, direct, and contribute to a production codebase.
• Experience driving cross-functional alignment across engineering, research, and product stakeholders in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment.
• Heavy experience in 3D reconstruction, computer vision, or spatial computing domains (e.g., NeRF, 3D Gaussian Splatting, SLAM, SfM, or related techniques).
• Willingness to work in a hybrid capacity from our Technology Center in Columbia, Maryland, or willing to relocate.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Background in light transport, physically-based rendering, or GPU-accelerated compute.
• Experience with pose estimation, SLAM, or multi-view reconstruction
• Track record of shipping ML in production in a latency-sensitive or hardware-constrained environment.
• Prior experience at a deep tech startup or in a defense/government-adjacent technology context.
• Scientist or applied researcher who has successfully transitioned into an engineering leadership role.

What We Offer

Compensation

• Salary Range: $200,000 – $270,000.
• Annual bonus and equity as appropriate.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• HSA Account
• 401(k) with company match
• Life & disability insurance
• Paid holidays & generous PTO
• Opportunities for bonuses, equity, and career growth