Computer Vision & Perception Engineer Power the Eyes and Mind of Next-Gen Autonomous Defense Systems!

Austin, TX | Hybrid

Opportunity Summary

A well-funded, venture-backed startup is developing compact, intelligent robotic systems to counter high-speed aerial threats. As one of the earliest engineering hires, youll own the design and deployment of our perception stack, turning raw sensor data into actionable intelligence in real time. This is a zero-to-one role where youll architect, implement, and field-test computer vision and sensor fusion systems that operate in extreme, unpredictable conditions. Youll work directly with technical leadership to integrate your algorithms into embedded platforms and see your work in action, moving from simulation to live operational hardware in days, not months.

About Us

We build autonomous robotic defense systems that perform in chaotic, high-threat environments. Our team blends deep expertise in defense systems, autonomy, robotics, and machine learning. We push the boundaries of perception, control, and embedded integration to deliver systems that work anywhere, anytime. Our mission is urgent, our pace is fast, and our engineering culture is built on trust, ownership, and solving hard problems head-on.

Job Duties

• Design and optimize multi-sensor perception pipelines for speed, accuracy, and robustness in real-world conditions
• Develop and deploy computer vision and object detection models tailored for compute-constrained embedded hardware
• Architect sensor fusion systems integrating camera, IMU, and acoustic data for reliable state estimation and situational awareness
• Lead data acquisition, labeling, and training workflows to improve performance across diverse environments
• Implement real-time tracking and classification for high-speed targets in noisy, dynamic scenes
• Bring up and integrate embedded vision hardware (cameras, IMUs, audio sensors) with custom drivers and firmware
• Prototype, test, and refine perception algorithms in both lab and outdoor field environments
• Collaborate with controls, embedded, and hardware teams to ensure full system integration and reliability
• Build internal visualization, replay, and diagnostics tools to accelerate development cycles
• Help set the technical roadmap for perception, influencing product direction from the earliest stages

Qualifications

• 5+ years designing and deploying computer vision systems for robotics, autonomy, or embedded platforms
• Proven experience shipping ML/CV models into latency- and resource-constrained environments
• Proficient in Python and C++ for both algorithm prototyping and embedded implementation
• Strong foundation in object detection, classification, and tracking in real-time systems
• Experience with sensor fusion (EKF/UKF or equivalent) using camera and IMU data
• Familiarity with audio-based sensing or acoustic signal processing for robotics applications
• Skilled with embedded inference platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson, Coral, or similar
• Hands-on engineer comfortable with sensor bring-up, debugging, and tuning in hardware

Preferred Experience

• Perception systems for unmanned vehicles, cUAS, robotics, or defense applications
• Edge inference optimization (model pruning, quantization, TensorRT) for speed and efficiency
• Knowledge of acoustic localization, triangulation, and noise filtering
• Background in startup or rapid iteration engineering environments
• Experience in safety-critical or real-time embedded systems

Why Join Us

• Founding engineer position with end-to-end ownership of perception systems
• Your work goes live fast, from code to operational hardware in days
• Engineering-led culture with high trust and autonomy
• Shape the technical vision and culture of the perception team
• Build a system that protects people and infrastructure in real-world missions
• Competitive salary plus early equity
• Healthcare coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• Relocation support for Austin

Compensation Details

$150,000 $220,000 + Equity

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