Machine Vision Applications Engineer

Overview; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Overview.ai is seeking a Machine Vision Applications Engineer to own complex vision applications from feasibility through production deployment. You will work hands-on in our San Francisco lab and directly with customers on manufacturing challenges.

We are looking for someone with 5+ years in industrial machine vision, deep optics and lighting knowledge, and a track record delivering production deployments.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in industrial machine vision, vision applications engineering, or optical inspection systems.
• Deep understanding of machine vision fundamentals including optics, lenses, lighting, sensors, and image acquisition.
• Proven experience designing, building, and optimizing industrial vision systems for real manufacturing applications.
• Strong understanding of lens selection, field of view, working distance, depth of field, resolution, and optical trade-offs.
• Experience troubleshooting inspection performance in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Own feasibility studies, proof-of-concept testing, and technical validation for complex industrial inspection applications.
• Lead optics and lighting design, camera selection, and hardware configuration for challenging requirements.
• Provide technical ownership of the SF lab: drive experimentation, standards, hardware evaluation, and development.
• Troubleshoot image quality, environmental variability, false rejects, missed defects, and inspection consistency.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to translate challenges into product improvements.

Skills

Industrial machine vision

Optics and lighting

Camera configuration

AI vision workflows

Technical leadership

Job description

Join a world-class team of engineers, scientists, and builders shipping AI vision systems that catch defects humans can't, deployed in factories across 5 continents.

We're not just another AI startup. We ship real hardware + software that runs 24/7 in demanding factory environments.

Solve Hard Problems

Work on real-time AI inference, edge computing, and multi-camera systems that inspect thousands of parts per minute in noisy, vibrating factory environments.

Global & Remote-Friendly

Our team spans San Francisco, Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo, Zurich, Taipei, Shanghai and more. Work from where you do your best work.

Ship Fast, Ship Often

We move at startup speed with manufacturing rigor. Small teams, big ownership, direct customer impact. You'll see your work in production, not PowerPoints.

Competitive Compensation

Competitive salary, equity, comprehensive health insurance, 401(k), and generous PTO. We invest in our people as much as our technology.

Learning & Growth

Work alongside former Tesla, Apple, and top-tier manufacturing engineers. We sponsor conferences, courses, and certifications.

Real-World Impact

Your code runs on real production lines catching real defects. Reducing waste, improving safety, and helping manufacturers compete globally.

Life at Overview.ai

Open Positions

Find your next role. We're looking for talented people who thrive on hard problems and want their work to matter.

Vision Applications Engineer

Location

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Hybrid

Overview US

Vision Applications Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Applications · Full-time, in office

Overview.ai is bringing cutting-edge AI computer vision to manufacturing, solving inspection problems that were previously not solvable with traditional machine vision. We're a full-stack company: we deploy GPU-powered cameras on production lines, run inference on the edge, and operate a platform that supports large fleets of devices deployed worldwide.

We're growing extremely fast. Our customers love the product because it works: high accuracy, fast deployment, and an operator-friendly experience that makes real factory rollouts possible, not just pilots.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We're looking for an experienced Machine Vision Applications Engineer to own complex vision applications from initial feasibility through production deployment.

You'll be our go-to technical expert for optics, lighting, image acquisition, and inspection performance, working hands-on in our San Francisco lab and directly with customers on real manufacturing challenges.

This isn't a purely research or advisory role. You'll build vision systems, evaluate hardware, lead proof-of-concept testing, troubleshoot difficult inspection problems, and make technical recommendations that directly influence customer deployments and product development.

We're looking for someone who has already solved challenging machine vision problems in industrial environments and wants to apply that expertise to the next generation of AI-powered inspection.

WHY THIS ROLE IS EXCITING

Own complex vision challenges: Lead the technical approach for applications where optics, lighting, image quality, and inspection reliability make the difference.

Be the vision expert: Serve as a technical resource for Applications, Sales, Product, and Engineering.

Shape our technology: Your evaluations and findings will directly influence hardware decisions, application development, and deployment strategies.

Bridge traditional and AI vision: Apply deep machine vision fundamentals to inspection problems that conventional systems struggle to solve.

Stay hands-on: Work directly with cameras, lenses, lighting, real customer parts, and production environments.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

Advanced vision application development: Lead feasibility studies, proof-of-concept testing, and technical validation for complex industrial inspection applications.

Optics and lighting design: Select, configure, and optimize cameras, lenses, lighting, filters, and optical components for challenging inspection requirements.

Technical ownership of the SF lab: Drive vision experimentation, testing standards, hardware evaluation, and application development.

Inspection performance optimization: Troubleshoot image quality, environmental variability, false rejects, missed defects, and inspection consistency.

AI vision workflows: Work with image collection, labeling, model training, and evaluation to optimize AI-based inspection performance.

Customer application support: Partner with customers and field teams to troubleshoot vision challenges and ensure successful deployment on production lines.

Technology evaluation: Assess emerging vision technologies and recommend improvements to our hardware and inspection capabilities.

Technical leadership: Mentor less experienced engineers, establish best practices, and provide technical guidance across teams.

Cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with Product and Engineering to translate application challenges into product improvements.

WHO YOU ARE

Required

5+ years of hands-on experience in industrial machine vision, vision applications engineering, or optical inspection systems.

Deep understanding of machine vision fundamentals, including optics, lenses, lighting, sensors, image acquisition, and camera configuration.

Proven experience designing, building, and optimizing industrial vision systems for real manufacturing applications.

Strong understanding of lens selection, field of view, working distance, depth of field, resolution, and optical trade-offs.

Experience with advanced lighting techniques and solving challenging image acquisition problems.

Demonstrated ability to independently lead vision feasibility studies and proof-of-concept projects.

Experience troubleshooting inspection performance in production environments.

Familiarity with traditional machine vision tools and inspection techniques.

Working knowledge of AI-based vision, including classification, object detection, segmentation, and model evaluation.

Strong technical communication skills, including documenting findings and explaining technical trade-offs to customers and internal teams.

Comfortable working directly with hardware, running experiments, and solving problems independently.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work primarily from our SF office.

Strong Preferences

Experience with deep learning-based industrial inspection.

Familiarity with telecentric optics, advanced lighting configurations, and precision inspection.

Experience with high-speed production lines, challenging defect detection, or variable manufacturing environments.

Exposure to PLCs, industrial automation, triggering, and production-line integration.

Experience working directly with manufacturing customers.

Experience mentoring engineers or serving as a technical subject matter expert.

Extreme growth and real-world impact: We're not just building demos. We're deploying AI systems on real production lines, at scale.

Talent density: Work alongside world-class engineers across AI, embedded systems, and enterprise deployment.

Front-row seat to AI in manufacturing: Help shape how manufacturers adopt the next generation of inspection technology.

Technical ownership: Your expertise will influence real engineering decisions and customer outcomes.

Global exposure: Solve challenging applications for some of the world's most advanced manufacturers.

Don't See the Right Role?

We're always interested in exceptional talent. If you're passionate about AI, manufacturing, or building products that work in the real world, we'd love to hear from you.