# Staff Engineer, Perception Software

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** San Diego, CA
**Role:** ML Engineering
**Salary:** $200k – $300k/yr
**Experience:** 7+ years
**Skills:** C++, Python, Computer Vision, Object Detection, Object Tracking, Sensor Fusion, Image Processing, Mapping, CUDA, TensorRT, Cmake, Embedded Linux, Gitlab Ci, Simulation, Lidar
**Posted:** 2026-09-09

> Develop production C++ perception capabilities for autonomous systems, spanning algorithms, libraries, integration, validation, and release. The role requires deep expertise in at least one perception domain, strong systems debugging, and experience delivering maintainable software in complex robotics or real-time environments.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Design and implement production perception capabilities in modern C++, emphasizing clear interfaces, correctness, performance, maintainability, and automated test coverage.
- Own features across the development lifecycle, from requirements clarification and technical evaluation through algorithm and library development, runtime integration, SDK validation, documentation, and release readiness.
- Contribute technical judgment in object detection, object tracking, computer vision, image processing, sensor and measurement modeling, mapping, or multi-sensor fusion.
- Work across sensor data contracts, coordinate frames, timing, configuration, simulation, replay, analyzers, embedded deployment, and end-to-end perception workflows.
- Diagnose system behavior using source code, logs, recorded sensor data, simulation, and experiments; drive issues through root cause, corrective action, and regression coverage.
- Participate in design and code reviews, communicate tradeoffs, mentor engineers, and improve DTM architecture and engineering practices.
- Use AI-assisted engineering tools with accountability for technical accuracy, security, testing, and reviewability.
- Evaluate foundation-model capabilities for detection, tracking, image understanding, simulation, and perception workflows.

## Requirements
- Significant professional experience developing and delivering production C++ software for robotics, autonomy, perception, real-time systems, simulation, or complex technical products.
- Deep experience in object detection, object tracking, computer vision, image processing, sensor modeling, sensor fusion, estimation, or mapping.
- Ability to deliver maintainable software with clear interfaces, tests, diagnostics, documentation, and larger-system integration.
- Strong debugging and systems-thinking skills across algorithms, architecture, data contracts, configuration, timing, coordinate frames, compute behavior, and sensor data.
- Proficiency with Python for technical analysis, visualization, experimentation, or verification.
- Experience collaborating across teams and disciplines, making technical decisions amid ambiguity, and communicating designs, risks, and feedback.
- Experience using or quickly adopting AI-assisted development tools with disciplined human review and validation.

## Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with autonomous aircraft, maritime systems, ground robots, automotive systems, defense applications, or deployed robotic platforms.
- Experience with multi-target tracking, data association, estimation, multi-sensor or multi-agent fusion, angle-only tracking, or measurement modeling.
- Experience with EO/IR imagery, video pipelines, radar, LiDAR, GNSS/INS, camera models, calibration, or time-aligned sensor data.
- Familiarity with embedded Linux, edge or GPU compute, CUDA, TensorRT, NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm, or comparable environments.
- Experience with simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, recorded-data replay, performance analyzers, or real-world sensor evaluation.
- Familiarity with CMake, Nix, Conan, GitLab CI, or comparable package, build, configuration, and CI tooling.
- Familiarity with vision foundation models, vision-language models, learned visual representations, and robotics model adaptation workflows.
- Experience turning research, IRAD, partner-developed, or program-specific software into reusable product libraries and stable integration contracts.

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