Senior Engineer, Research-to-Product Perception (R6022)

Shield AI

San Diego, CA

On-site

Who this role is best for

Geared toward candidates with advanced research experience and comfort with full-stack perception development, working in defense-tech with a focus on integrating algorithms into production-ready systems in San Diego.

Best fit for

Candidates with a PhD in computer vision or ML and a track record of turning research into production systems
— “We welcome recent PhD graduates and early-career researchers”
Individuals who thrive in domains requiring sensor fusion and edge deployment of AI models
— “Optimize and integrate capabilities for edge deployment”
Those who value technical depth and are motivated by solving real-world autonomy challenges
— “We value technical depth, curiosity, and enthusiasm to transfer research to business value more than publication count alone”

Things to consider

This role requires a cleared background check and may not be suitable for those with non-US citizenship or limited security clearance experience
— “All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check”
Military fellows may not qualify for benefits, which could affect overall compensation appeal
— “Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits”

How to stand out

Highlight your ability to bridge research and production, especially in sensor fusion or computer vision
— “help turn prototypes, research, and partner-developed technology into reusable, configurable, well-tested product capabilities”
Demonstrate experience with PyTorch and Python in your resume and interview responses
— “Strong Python skills and experience with PyTorch or a comparable ML framework”
Emphasize your approach to evaluating models and understanding failure modes in your application materials
— “A thoughtful approach to experiments, evaluation data, and understanding why models fail”
Showcase your software development experience, even if it's not exclusively in C++
— “Experience building substantial research software, an interest in developing production-quality C++”

Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

Evaluate emerging models
Build prototypes
Combine learned and classical approaches
Optimize and integrate capabilities

Typical background

PhD in computer vision, machine learning, roboticsExperience in research and production software

Skills & requirements

Required

C++PythonPyTorchResearch Software DevelopmentModel Optimization

Preferred

Vision-language ModelsEmbodied AIEdge Inference

Stack & domain

Object DetectionObject TrackingComputer VisionImage ProcessingSensor ModelingSensor FusionPythonC++PyTorchONNXTensorrtCUDALeadershipCommunicationTeamworkProblem-solvingStrategic ThinkingMentorshipInclusivityAccountabilityGrowth MindsetAutonomous SystemsHivemind Autonomy SoftwareV-batX-batAechelon SimulationSynthetic Reality Technologies

About the role

Original posting from Shield AI via Lever

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
Shield AI's Hivemind Detection, Tracking, and Mapping (DTM) team develops perception capabilities that allow autonomous systems to understand objects, motion, sensors, and terrain across air, maritime, and ground domains. We are seeking a Staff Engineer to develop these capabilities from algorithms and production C++ libraries through integration, verification, and delivery in the Hivemind SDK.
This is a full-stack perception product-development role. You will bring depth in at least one core area such as object detection, object tracking, computer vision, image processing, sensor modeling, or sensor fusion, and work comfortably across adjacent parts of the stack. You will help turn prototypes, research, and partner-developed technology into reusable, configurable, well-tested product capabilities.
What you'll do::
Evaluate emerging models and methods against representative sensor data and autonomy needs.
Build prototypes and experiments that reveal strengths, limitations, and practical deployment opportunities.
Combine learned and classical approaches to improve detection, tracking, geometric vision, or sensor fusion.
Optimize and integrate capabilities for edge deployment, contributing Python and C++ software with support from experienced product engineers.
Help deliver tested, documented capabilities and stay involved as other teams adopt them.
Required qualifications::
A PhD in computer vision, machine learning (ML/DL), robotics, or a related field, or an equivalent record of advanced research and hands-on engineering.
Research depth in an area such as multimodal vision, visual foundation models, video understanding, open-vocabulary perception, or embodied learning.
Strong Python skills and experience with PyTorch or a comparable ML framework.
A thoughtful approach to experiments, evaluation data, and understanding why models fail.
Experience building substantial research software, an interest in developing production-quality C++, and a collaborative approach to solving problems.
Preferred qualifications::
Experience bringing a research prototype into sustained use.
Experience with robotics, real sensors, temporal data, or multi-sensor perception.
Familiarity with vision-language models, vision-language-action models, or embodied AI.
Experience with C++, edge inference, or model optimization using tools such as ONNX, TensorRT, or CUDA.
You don’t need to meet every preferred qualification or arrive as an expert C++ engineer. We welcome recent PhD graduates and early-career researchers, and we value technical depth, curiosity, and enthusiasm to transfer research to business value more than publication count alone.
#LI-KC3
#LD
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

Source: Shield AI careers (Lever)