Perception Engineer

We are seeking a skilled Perception Engineer to join our software team and work on end-to-end perception and sensor-fusion stack. You will develop, train, and deploy vision and sensor based models; manage data pipelines; and enable real-time detection and tracking for our laser-based defense system. This role bridges data science, software engineering, and robotics to deliver reliable, high-throughput perception performance on edge hardware.

- Design, train, validate and fine-tune machine-learning and deep-learning models (e.g., YOLO, RT-DETR, CNNs) for object detection, classification, and segmentation.

- Integrate and fuse data from multi-modal sensors (RGB, thermal, LiDAR/ToF, IMU, encoders) to produce robust, real-time Regions of Interest (ROIs).

- Research, implement, and as-needed develop high and low-level image-processing techniques, such as deconvolution, low SNR detection, and motion-isolation techniques.

- Collaborate with hardware teams to integrate and troubleshoot sensors (global-shutter and rolling-shutter cameras, thermal imagers, LiDAR/ToF modules, IMUs) over GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, CAN, SPI, and I²C protocols; develop and debug embedded firmware in C/C++ (or Rust) for microcontrollers (STM32, NXP, TI) and FPGAs using VHDL/Verilog within RTOS environments (FreeRTOS, Zephyr).

- Build scalable data ingestion, labeling, augmentation, and storage pipelines (simulated and field data) ensuring 100k+ labeled frames accuracy.

- Optimize inference frameworks for edge deployment (GPU/FPGA), achieving ≥500 Hz end-to-end throughput.

- Develop dashboards and telemetry for drift analysis, hardware health monitoring, performance metrics, and automated retraining triggers.

- Author clear technical docs; mentor junior engineers on best practices in vision, sensor-fusion, and embedded firmware engineering.

- Determines development needs by directly analyzing technical and physical limitations of our goals.

- 2-6+ years in computer vision, sensor fusion, or robotics perception roles

- Strong C++ with deep ML engineering experience

- Hands-on with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and real-time inference engines (TensorRT, OpenVINO)

- Computer vision, tracking, and detection in real-time, real-world conditions

- Familiarity with ROS2, Docker, and CI/CD for ML pipelines

- Experience with multi-sensor calibration and data synchronization

Where you probably come from: Perception roles at defense companies, autonomous vehicle programs, robotics platforms, or aerospace programs that deploy perception against real targets.

We want to talk if: You've shipped a perception system that ran on real hardware against real targets. You know the gap between paper SOTA and what survives field conditions.

Not a fit if: Your background is research only without deployment, or your CV experience is offline batch processing only.

- Edge-AI optimization (quantization, pruning)

- Experience with FPGA or embedded GPU platforms

- Background in defense or safety-critical systems

- Familiarity with cybersecurity guidelines and secure coding practices

- BS, MS, or PhD in CS, EE, Robotics, or equivalent. Track record matters more than degree.

- Extreme bias for action. You ship working perception on real hardware, not slideware

- You debug from first principles, not intuition alone

- Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration in a startup environment

- Clear communicator across software, hardware, and operator-facing surfaces

- Self directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told

Why Join Aurelius Systems?

- Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.

- Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact.

- Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer - infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck.

- Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built.

Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up - nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down.

We don't manufacture intensity for show.

- Competitive salary + equity

- United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage

- Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days

- Travel to field test events and range days

- Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks

- E-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)

- Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work

This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S.

Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).