Head of Perception & Localization, Robotics

5V Tech; United States; Remote; USD 230,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

5V Tech is seeking a Head of Perception & Localization, Robotics to lead the localization and 3D perception team for a walking platform. The role is fully remote within the United States, reporting to the CTO, with ownership of SLAM, state estimation, and field performance as fleets grow.

We value 8+ years in perception, strong C++ production skills, and experience guiding teams of engineers in robotics. Equity is offered, and a pivotal moment awaits defining how humanoids perceive the world in

Qualifications

• 8+ years in perception, localization, or SLAM with deployed robots or vehicles.
• Experience leading teams of 3–20 engineers and reporting to CTO.
• Strong production C++, SLAM, and state estimation expertise; able to discuss field failures.

Responsibilities

• Own localization and 3D perception for navigation on a walking platform.
• Define technical direction blending classical and learned methods.
• Scale field performance metrics across fleets and supervise hiring.

Skills

Leadership

SLAM

Localization

C++

Perception

Field failure analysis

Education

MS in robotics

Tools

ROS

Git

Job description

Head of Perception & Localization, Robotics (Remote, US)

$230K–$300K base, plus equity in the company | Fully remote, US

Humanoids are leaving the lab and walking into factories, warehouses and homes. Every step depends on the robot knowing exactly where it is, and what's around it, while it moves among people.

I work with US humanoid and legged robotics companies, at Series B–C with robots moving into pilots and early deployments, that are hiring leaders for perception teams of roughly 3–20 engineers.

What you'd own

• The team that owns localization and 3D perception for navigation: SLAM, visual-inertial odometry, state estimation and relocalization, on a platform that walks.
• The hardest problems in legged robots: motion from every footstep, terrain and stairs perception, and tracking people safely in shared spaces.
• Technical direction, combining classical and learned methods, and deciding when each is right.
• Field performance as fleets grow: drift, relocalization success, latency and uptime.
• Growing the team, hiring and leading engineers, and reporting to the CTO

You're probably

• Leading perception or localization engineers today, as a Perception Lead, Localization Lead, Engineering Manager or Head of Autonomy.
• 8+ years in the field, having shipped localization or 3D perception to deployed robots, vehicles or drones. Legged or humanoid experience is a plus, and leaders from autonomous vehicles or AR/VR transfer well.
• Still technical enough to go deep on SLAM and state estimation in production C++, and someone who can tell the story of a hard field failure.

What's on offer

• $230K–$300K+ base, plus equity in the company.
• Fully remote, anywhere in the US.
• A chance to define how humanoids perceive the world, at a pivotal moment for the industry.