Head of AI Robotics R&D – Industrial Perception Leader

Janicki; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 275,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Discretionary bonus

Job summary

Janicki Industries is a pioneering aerospace contractor seeking a Head of AI Robotics R&D to lead a team of AI engineers. You will drive research and deployment of object perception systems enabling robots to recognize, locate, and interact with parts and tooling across our factory floors.

You will guide 3D detection and pose estimation work using NVIDIA Isaac Perceptor, FoundationPose, and OpenCV, while mentoring engineers and aligning efforts with manufacturing stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Vision, Robotics, CS, Math, Physics or related field.
• 10+ years of engineering experience spanning robotics and AI required.
• Deep hands-on experience with industrial robot programming, integration, and deployment.
• Proven track record shipping applied AI/ML solutions in real-world environments.
• Strong background in robot perception (cameras, LiDAR, structured light, force sensing).
• Expert-level Python, AI ecosystems (PyTorch/TensorFlow, OpenCV, PCL, ROS/ROS2), and dev-ops tooling (Git, Docker, CI/CD).
• Comfortable with Linux/Windows systems, VMs, and complex development environments.
• US Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident; able to obtain U.S. Secret Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction and roadmap for object perception R&D, including 3D detection and pose estimation model strategy.
• Guide architecture decisions for multi-sensor perception pipelines (RGB, depth, LiDAR).
• Review calibration methodologies and production monitoring frameworks for perception accuracy.
• Evaluate emerging perception tech and data generation approaches; advise build-vs-buy decisions.
• Hands‑on technical work: model evaluation, architecture reviews, troubleshooting production issues.
• Hire, mentor, and manage a team of AI Engineers with clear goals.
• Build team capability through onboarding and growth planning.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, documentation and knowledge sharing.
• Communicate progress, risks, and resources to senior leadership.

Skills

Industrial robotics

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

OpenCV

ROS/ROS2

Docker

CI/CD

Linux/Windows

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Vision, Robotics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or related field

Tools

NVIDIA Isaac Perceptor

MoveIt

PCL

ROS/ROS2

Job description

Janicki Industries is a pioneering aerospace contractor seeking a Head of AI Robotics R&D to lead a team of AI engineers. You will drive research and deployment of object perception systems enabling robots to recognize, locate, and interact with parts and tooling across our factory floors.

You will guide 3D detection and pose estimation work using NVIDIA Isaac Perceptor, FoundationPose, and OpenCV, while mentoring engineers and aligning efforts with manufacturing stakeholders.