Lead Perception Engineer

Teleo, Inc.; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Teleo, Inc. is seeking a talented individual to join their robotics team to work on autonomous heavy equipment applications. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in machine learning, particularly in applying ML techniques to large-scale datasets, and experience shipping systems into production.

As a key member of the team, you will develop state-of-the-art perception algorithms, contributing to significant productivity gains in construction and defense industries.

Qualifications

• M.S. or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or related fields.
• 3+ years in applied ML with large-scale datasets.
• Experience shipping perception or ML systems into production.

Responsibilities

• Re-use and adapt existing perception algorithms for Teleo's operational domain.
• Develop novel multi-modal perception algorithms.
• Drive active learning by selecting the right data.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

Applied ML

Data management

Auto-annotation

Education

M.S. or higher in relevant field

Job description

Teleo, a Havoc company, is a robotics company that transforms construction heavy equipment, including loaders, dozers, excavators, and trucks, into autonomous robots for commercial and defense applications. Our technology enables a single operator to supervise and control multiple machines simultaneously, delivering significant productivity gains while improving operator safety and comfort.

Teleo was founded by a team of experienced technology leaders who previously led the development of Lyft's Self-Driving Car program and Google Street View. Teleo recently announced its merger with Havoc AI, a fast-growing defense technology company developing coordinated fleets of autonomous maritime vessels.

This is a unique opportunity to join a team building technology with real-world impact. You will work on cutting‑edge 100,000‑pound autonomous robots and engineer complex systems at the intersection of hardware, software, robotics, and AI.

Build perception algorithms and architecture, fusing multiple sensor modalities and supporting an evolving set of novel object classes, in order to provide safe operations for heavy machinery working on construction and mining sites.

Core Responsibilities

• Re‑use, adapt and extend existing perception algorithms (such as those commonly used in AV applications) to be applied to Teleo's operational domain and develop novel multi‑modal perception algorithms
• (Re‑)Train models as Teleo's operational domain evolves
• Develop auto‑annotation and auto‑labeling tools using SoTA methods, such as VLMs
• Define evaluation protocols that correlate with on‑ground performance
• Drive active learning: select the right data
• Integrate tightly with MLOps for continuous deployment

Required Qualifications

• M.S. or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3+ years in applied ML with large‑scale datasets
• Strong Python + PyTorch
• Experience shipping perception or ML systems into production
• Systems thinker: understands data, models, infra as one system

Strong Experience With

• Auto‑annotation techniques like VLM‑based labeling
• Model evaluation beyond single metrics (failure modes, edge cases)
• Perception tasks: detection, segmentation, depth, tracking
• Multi‑modal data (camera, LiDAR, radar)

Nice to Have

• Dataset management & slicing
• Experience with synthetic data or simulation
• Large‑scale data pipelines (Parquet, Arrow, object storage)

Teleo is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. All qualified people are encouraged to apply.