Senior Software Engineer (Perception Data Infrastructure)

• We are a team of high-output generalists where ML and systems engineering converge to push autonomy performance forward
• As a Senior Perception ML Data Infrastructure Engineer, you will own the critical bridge between our autonomous vehicle hardware, our human labeling operations, and our ML models
• You will take ownership of our core native perception data platform
• This is not a standard web development role; the stack is deeply adjacent to our core robotics infrastructure
• You will be dealing with massive, dense 3D point clouds at a scale that pushes the boundaries of industry state-of-the-art, alongside complex sensor parsing, pipeline propagation, and rigid performance constraints
• You will operate in highly ambiguous environments, inheriting complex systems, establishing strict API boundaries, and building the “good enough, fast enough” infrastructure that guarantees our ML models learn from high-quality data
• Design and advance systems that:
• Render and manipulate massive, multi-modal sensor datasets (Lidar, Camera, Radar) efficiently in UI environments
• Parse raw sensor data and manage complex data pipeline propagation between onboard hardware logs and offboard visualization
• Enforce strict data validation and annotation constraints to prevent upstream labeling errors from polluting downstream ML pipelines
• Create seamless, resilient API boundaries between our ML data pipelines and our Ground Truth/Data Platform infrastructure
• The Critical Path Owner: You will step into a complex, evolving ecosystem, quickly bring order to ambiguity, unblock critical operational bottlenecks, and architect sustainable long-term solutions that empower the entire Autonomy organization
• High-Velocity Impact: You optimize the engineering lifecycle for autonomy progress. You know the exact trade-off between over-engineering a system and deploying a highly performant, pragmatic integration that keeps our data pipelines flowing
• About the work:
• You’ll solve autonomy’s hardest data bottlenecks through systems rigor and infrastructure excellence:
• Architect Core Data Platforms: Take formal technical ownership of our native, C++ based perception data visualization and annotation platforms
• Optimize 3D Rendering & Robotics Data: Solve deep performance bottlenecks related to rendering next-generation, high-density Lidar point clouds and multi-camera projections in real-time
• Defensive Engineering: Build robust data validation layers that catch sensor calibration errors, synchronization failures, and human labeling mistakes before they enter the ML training loop
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Act as the technical bridge between ML, Data and Infrastructure engineers, and labeling operations

Benefits

• Free Caltrain pass and commuter benefits
• Company stock options
• Work from home opportunities
• Health insurance

• Experience: 4+ years of industry software engineering experience
• Systems Thinker: You possess deep practical experience in building robust, high-performance software systems or infrastructure. You care more about shipping integrated, impactful solutions than theoretical experimentation
• (Bonus) Robotics Expertise: Deep familiarity with robotics software stacks, sensor parsing, coordinate frames, and pipeline propagation
• Ambiguity Navigator: Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical projects, bring order to complex codebases, and drive them to completion in ambiguous settings
• Language Fluency. Fluency in C++ and strong familiarity with Python are non-negotiable
• BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related quantitative field
• (Bonus) Familiarity with 3D graphics/rendering (WebGL, OpenGL), point cloud processing, or autonomous driving sensor data