Perception Engineer III

. Serve as the perception technical lead embedded within a program team .

Posted 11/4/2026full-timeRemote • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $155,000 - $185,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in robotics perception, state estimation, and sensor fusion, with a strong focus on developing and optimizing C++ perception code for real-time embedded systems. Capable of leading perception architecture and integrating with autonomy and guidance systems while mentoring junior engineers.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Robotics PerceptionNonlinear State EstimatorsModern C++ DevelopmentROS2 and DDS MiddlewareSensor Fusion

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

State EstimationTarget TrackingSensor FusionC++ ProgrammingNonlinear EstimatorsVIO/SLAMEmbedded SystemsLinear AlgebraEstimation TheoryGPU Acceleration

Soft Skills

Technical CommunicationMentoringCollaboration

Tools & Technologies

ROS2DDSNVIDIA JetsonCUDATensorRTPX4ArduPilotMAVLinkOpenVINSGTSAM

Certifications & Qualifications

Security Clearance

Industry Keywords

Autonomous SystemsDefense ContextMulti-Hypothesis TrackingWOSAMOSAHardware-in-the-Loop TestingFlight Test Data Analysis

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

C++

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as the perception technical lead embedded within a program team
Develop seeker, target state estimation, and world modeling capabilities on a common AI/ML platform
Design and develop target detection, tracking, and state estimation pipelines
Implement track initiation, maintenance, association, and termination logic
Develop and tune nonlinear state estimators for target motion modeling
Characterize seeker performance across engagement geometries, environmental conditions, and target signatures
Define confidence and covariance outputs for downstream autonomy
Architect world-state representations fusing self-state, target tracks, terrain, threats, and mission context
Integrate VIO/SLAM, sensor fusion, and target-tracking outputs
Manage temporal alignment, coordinate frames, and data association across heterogeneous sensor streams
Define perception-to-autonomy interfaces
Own perception architecture and align with autonomy, guidance, and mission software teams
Design DDS topic structures and message contracts within a WOSA-aligned architecture
Build ROS2 nodes and libraries with clean, versioned interfaces
Contribute reusable perception components to the common AI/ML platform
Balance program-specific customization with platform-level standardization
Develop and optimize C++ perception code for deterministic embedded performance
Profile compute, memory, and I/O for real-time constraints
Decide workloads for GPU, CPU, or dedicated accelerators
Support integration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and field validation
Write technical design documents, RFCs, and trade studies
Mentor junior perception engineers through code review, pairing, and technical direction
Represent perception in technical reviews and cross-team planning
Translate program requirements into measurable perception subsystem acceptance criteria

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's in Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related field (Master's preferred); equivalent industry experience also welcome
6-9+ years of experience in robotics perception, state estimation, or sensor fusion
Strong proficiency in modern C++ for real-time embedded systems, with emphasis on determinism, memory discipline, and performance
Hands-on experience with ROS2 and DDS-based middleware in production or program-delivered systems
Demonstrable experience developing and tuning nonlinear state estimators (EKF, UKF, or particle filters) for real applications
Working knowledge of at least one relevant area: target tracking, SLAM, VIO, or multi-sensor fusion
Experience deploying perception software on embedded compute platforms
Strong foundation in linear algebra, probability, coordinate frames, and estimation theory
Track record of owning a technical subsystem from architecture through delivery
Ability to communicate technical trade-offs to engineering and program stakeholders
Ability to obtain or maintain a security clearance
Preferred: experience with seeker systems, target tracking, or guidance-adjacent perception in a defense context
Preferred: hands-on work with WOSA, MOSA, or other open architecture standards
Preferred: deep DDS experience including QoS design, discovery, and performance tuning
Preferred: NVIDIA Jetson deployment experience
Preferred: experience with SLAM/VIO frameworks such as OpenVINS, VINS-Fusion, ORB-SLAM, GTSAM, or Ceres
Preferred: familiarity with PX4 or ArduPilot and MAVLink
Preferred: understanding of multi-hypothesis tracking, JPDA, or MHT
Preferred: background integrating classical perception with learned components
Preferred: GPU acceleration experience with CUDA and TensorRT
Preferred: hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure and flight test data analysis experience
Preferred: familiarity with model-based development workflows such as Simulink and ROS2 code generation
Preferred: publications, patents, or prior program contributions in tracking, estimation, or autonomous systems

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive total compensation package
Comprehensive benefit package options including medical, dental, vision, life, and more
401k with company match
3 weeks of paid time off each year
40 hours of sick time
12 annual company holidays
Cutting-edge defense and aerospace technology environment
Collaborative culture
Opportunities for professional development and career advancement