Head of Research & Development (AI / Computer Vision)

Panoptyc; California (MO); Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in retail security is seeking a Computer Vision Lead (R&D) to revolutionize theft detection using AI. This role involves leading a team to develop innovative computer vision products and managing the technical R&D roadmap. Join a fast-paced, fully remote team making a significant impact in loss prevention across thousands of stores.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in engineering roles with deep experience in AI, ML, and computer vision.
• Experience leading and scaling small engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a small team of engineers to prototype and develop computer vision and AI systems.
• Define and prioritize the technical R&D roadmap in collaboration with product and business teams.

Skills

AI

ML

Computer Vision

Prototyping

Leadership

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

OpenCV

ONNX

Triton

Job description

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About Panoptyc

At Panoptyc, we're on a mission to revolutionize loss prevention. Using visual AI and manual reviewers, we help retailers detect theft in over 15,000 markets across the United States. From Fortune 500 giants to local businesses, our impact is far-reaching. As a fully remote, rapidly growing team, we're excited to invite top talent worldwide to join us in reshaping the future of retail security.

Location:

United States

Commitment:

Full-time

Role Description

We're looking for a technical trailblazer—a hacker, builder, and visionary leader who can turn bold ideas into working systems. As our Computer Vision Lead (R&D), you'll lead the development of next-gen AI and computer vision products, managing a lean team of engineers and engaging in high-impact technical work. You will prototype quickly, validate in the field, and guide product evolution, starting with theft detection systems used in retail environments.

What You’ll Do

1. Lead and manage a small team of engineers to prototype and develop computer vision and AI systems.
2. Build and own early-stage proofs-of-concept, with rapid iteration and real-world validation.
3. Define and prioritize the technical R&D roadmap in collaboration with product and business teams.
4. Architect scalable systems for transition from lab to production (edge and/or cloud).
5. Evaluate new models, data architectures, and hardware deployments.
6. Contribute to setting the technical direction for new product lines.

What We’re Looking For

1. 8+ years in engineering roles with deep experience in AI, ML, and computer vision.
2. Track record of building 0 → 1 products or technical breakthroughs that went to market.
3. Hands-on skills with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow), video analytics (e.g., OpenCV), and deployment tools (e.g., ONNX, Triton, containers).
4. Experience leading and scaling small engineering teams.
5. Hacker energy: fast, creative, resourceful.
6. Experience creating data pipelines for large video datasets.
7. Bonus: Experience with edge computing, streaming pipelines, or hardware deployment in retail, robotics, or surveillance.

Why This Role?

1. Lead R&D at a company deployed in 20,000+ stores, catching hundreds of thousands of thefts annually.
2. Solve real-world loss prevention problems for Fortune 500 retailers using cutting-edge AI.
3. Own products with potential to become $500M+ businesses.
4. Work with a fast-moving, well-resourced team with real traction.

Senior Level & Employment Details

• Mid-Senior level
• Full-time
• Information Technology / Software Development

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