# Principal Software Engineer, Perception Architect

**Company:** [Zoox](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/zoox)
**Location:** Foster City, CA
**Role:** ML Engineering
**Salary:** $363k – $470k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Sensor Fusion, Slam, Lidar, Radar, Camera, C++, Python, State Estimation
**Posted:** 2026-04-20

> Designs end-to-end perception architecture for autonomous systems, bridging sensing and ML teams. Leads hardware-software co-design, AI pipeline evolution, and cross-functional teams. Requires 8+ years in autonomy, PhD/MS in CS/Robotics, expertise in CV and sensors.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Define the end-to-end perception architecture, assessing new sensing (LiDAR, Radar, Camera) to the final fused world model.
- Partner with Compute and Sensing teams for Hardware-Software Co-Design to ensure algorithms have necessary computational resources.
- Lead transition from current pipelines to AI innovation pipelines while maintaining safety and interpretability for edge deployment.
- Evaluate emerging technologies for 3-5 year roadmap viability.
- Collaborate on metrics for latency and accuracy across edge-computing environments.
- Lead cross-functional teams to plan migration to new platforms and align with organizational direction.

## Qualifications
- **Education**: Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field with focus on Computer Vision.
- **Experience**: 8+ years in autonomous systems, including at least 2 years in an architectural role shipping and evolving perception systems.
- **Domain Expertise**: Mastery of Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Foundational Models, Sensor Fusion, State Estimation (SLAM, EKF/UKF); deep understanding of sensor modalities (Camera, LiDAR, Radar).
- **Platform Proficiency**: Deep understanding of hardware acceleration, component budgeting, and platform transitions.
- **Mathematical Rigor**: Strong foundation in 3D geometry, linear algebra, probabilistic robotics.
- **Hands-on Skills**: Proficiency in **C++** (production-grade) and **Python** (prototyping); ability to run experiments and metrics.

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