Perception Engineer - Talent Pool Q426/Q127

Arctic Research and Development; Nordown; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Health Insurance

Dental & Optician

Equity — meaningful options as anearly

Real field exposure — Arctic travel

Job summary

Arctic Research and Development in the UK seeks a Perception Engineer to design and deploy perception pipelines for autonomous platforms operating in extreme cold.

You will fuse multi-modal sensor data and build ML models for ice and terrain, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to field-test in Arctic environments. This role demands hands-on work with real sensors and field deployments.

Qualifications

• 5+ years industry experience in robotics, autonomy, or real-world ML perception systems.
• Strong foundation in computer vision, SLAM, and multi-sensor fusion.
• Proficiency in Python and C++ with production-grade engineering practices.
• Experience with perception frameworks (ROS / ROS2, OpenCV, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.).
• Comfort working with real sensors, calibration workflows, and noisy data.
• A track record of shipping perception systems that work outside controlled environments.
• Willingness to operate in safe but extreme cold environments during R&D field testing.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy perception pipelines for Arctic autonomous platforms (surface, subsurface, aerial).
• Fuse multi-modal sensor data (vision, LiDAR, radar, IMU, GNSS) for situational awareness and autonomy.
• Build ML models for ice classification, terrain mapping, and obstacle detection in low-visibility conditions.
• Train, evaluate, and harden ML models against snow cover, ice glare, low sun angles, and polar night conditions.
• Create synthetic training data and simulation environments for Arctic-specific scenarios.
• Work closely with mechanical, electrical, RF, and autonomy teams to co-design sensor placement, calibration, and integration.
• Support field deployments in the Arctic and iterate rapidly based on real-world data.

Skills

Python

C++

ROS/ROS2

OpenCV

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Sensor fusion

Computer vision

SLAM

Job description

PERCEPTION ENGINEER - TALENT POOL Q426/Q127

FULL-TIME | UK & ARCTIC | DEV

LOCATION: CALMSDEN, CIRENCESTER, UK & FIELD TESTING AS NEEDED

Note: At this stage we are keen to connect with interested candidates ahead of Q426/Q127.

THE LAST FRONTIER

The Arctic is a place of extremes: unforgiving, untamed, and undergoing rapid change. A literal defrosting reveals a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity spanning energy, defence, logistics, research, and infrastructure.

ARD was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox—an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence—is why we exist.

Our solution is autonomy.

We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don't always have to.

Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.

THE ROLE

We're looking for a Perception Engineer to build the eyes for autonomous systems operating in the world's most sensor-hostile environment. You'll develop computer vision and sensor fusion systems that cut through Arctic whiteout, polar night darkness, and ice fog — where traditional perception stacks fail. This isn't lab work: you'll deploy ML models on edge hardware that operates at -40°C, where every watt counts and failure means mission abort.

Note: At this stage we are keen to connect with interested candidates ahead of Q426/Q127.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and deploy perception pipelines for Arctic autonomous platforms (surface, subsurface, aerial)
• Fuse multi-modal sensor data (vision, LiDAR, radar, IMU, GNSS) for situational awareness and autonomy
• Build ML models for ice classification, terrain mapping, and obstacle detection in low-visibility conditions
• Train, evaluate, and harden ML models against snow cover, ice glare, low sun angles, and polar night conditions
• Create synthetic training data and simulation environments for Arctic-specific scenarios
• Work closely with mechanical, electrical, RF, and autonomy teams to co-design sensor placement, calibration, and integration
• Support field deployments in the Arctic and iterate rapidly based on real-world data

WHAT WE VALUE

• 5+ years industry experience in robotics, autonomy, or real-world ML perception systems
• Strong foundation in computer vision, SLAM, and multi-sensor fusion
• Proficiency in Python and C++ with production-grade engineering practices
• Experience with perception frameworks (ROS / ROS2, OpenCV, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.)
• Comfort working with real sensors, calibration workflows, and noisy data
• A track record of shipping perception systems that work outside controlled environments
• Willingness to operate in safe but extreme cold environments during R&D field testing

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive compensation
• Private Health Insurance
• Dental & Optician
• Equity — meaningful options as an early employee at an early-stage company
• Real field exposure — travel to Arctic sites and Outposts when needed (genuinely, not as a gimmick)
• Mission-driven culture — focus on impact, not hours logged
• Small team, real ownership — what you build matters and ships