Manager, Applied Research
Leads ML engineering for 3D scene reconstruction platform, driving quality improvements in production pipelines, managing team of engineers and scientists, and coordinating cross-functionally. Requires 7+ years ML experience including 5+ in management, heavy computer vision expertise, and master's degree.
About the job
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
Skills
Machine Learning, Deep Learning, 3D Reconstruction, Computer Vision, Nerf, 3D Gaussian Splatting, Slam, Sfm, Model Deployment, Inference Optimization, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Gpu Compute, Physically-Based Rendering, Pose Estimation
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