Machine Vision Applications Engineer

Overview AI

. Lead feasibility studies, proof-of-concept testing, and technical validation for complex industrial inspection applications .

Posted 10/20/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $150,000 - $200,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in industrial machine vision and optical inspection systems, with a strong focus on designing, optimizing, and troubleshooting vision applications in manufacturing environments. Proficient in AI-based vision technologies and capable of mentoring engineers while collaborating effectively across teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Industrial Machine VisionOptical Inspection SystemsAI-Based VisionTechnical CommunicationMentoring Engineers

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Image AcquisitionCamera ConfigurationLens SelectionAdvanced Lighting TechniquesDeep Learning-Based InspectionTroubleshooting Inspection PerformanceVision Feasibility StudiesProof-of-Concept ProjectsOptical Trade-OffsPrecision Inspection

Soft Skills

Technical GuidanceProblem SolvingCollaboration

Tools & Technologies

CamerasLensesLightingOptical ComponentsPLCIndustrial Automation

Industry Keywords

ManufacturingProduction EnvironmentsImage QualityField of ViewEnvironmental Variability

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead feasibility studies, proof-of-concept testing, and technical validation for complex industrial inspection applications
Select, configure, and optimize cameras, lenses, lighting, filters, and optical components
Drive vision experimentation, testing standards, hardware evaluation, and application development in the San Francisco lab
Troubleshoot image quality, environmental variability, false rejects, missed defects, and inspection consistency
Work with image collection, labeling, model training, and evaluation to optimize AI-based inspection performance
Partner with customers and field teams to troubleshoot vision challenges and ensure successful deployment on production lines
Assess emerging vision technologies and recommend improvements to hardware and inspection capabilities
Mentor less experienced engineers, establish best practices, and provide technical guidance across teams
Collaborate with Product and Engineering to translate application challenges into product improvements
Serve as a technical resource for Applications, Sales, Product, and Engineering
Work directly with cameras, lenses, lighting, customer parts, and production environments
Travel up to 50%, typically lower

Requirements

What you’ll need

5+ years of hands-on experience in industrial machine vision, vision applications engineering, or optical inspection systems
Deep understanding of machine vision fundamentals, including optics, lenses, lighting, sensors, image acquisition, and camera configuration
Proven experience designing, building, and optimizing industrial vision systems for real manufacturing applications
Strong understanding of lens selection, field of view, working distance, depth of field, resolution, and optical trade-offs
Experience with advanced lighting techniques and solving challenging image acquisition problems
Demonstrated ability to independently lead vision feasibility studies and proof-of-concept projects
Experience troubleshooting inspection performance in production environments
Familiarity with traditional machine vision tools and inspection techniques
Working knowledge of AI-based vision, including classification, object detection, segmentation, and model evaluation
Strong technical communication skills, including documenting findings and explaining technical trade-offs to customers and internal teams
Comfortable working directly with hardware, running experiments, and solving problems independently
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work primarily from the SF office
Experience with deep learning-based industrial inspection
Familiarity with telecentric optics, advanced lighting configurations, and precision inspection
Experience with high-speed production lines, challenging defect detection, or variable manufacturing environments
Exposure to PLCs, industrial automation, triggering, and production-line integration
Experience working directly with manufacturing customers
Experience mentoring engineers or serving as a technical subject matter expert