Machine Vision Applications Engineer

Overview Corporation; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Overview.ai, based in San Francisco, seeks an experienced Machine Vision Applications Engineer to own complex vision deployments from feasibility to production. You will directly work with customers, handle optics, lighting, image acquisition, and AI-based inspection challenges in real manufacturing environments.

In this hands-on role, you will evaluate hardware, lead proof-of-concept tests, troubleshoot performance, and influence product direction.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in industrial machine vision, or optical inspection systems.
• Deep understanding of optics, lenses, lighting, sensors, and image acquisition.
• Experience designing and optimizing industrial vision systems for real manufacturing apps.
• Knowledge of lens selection, field of view, working distance, DOF and resolution.
• Experience with advanced lighting techniques and image acquisition challenges.
• Ability to lead vision feasibility studies and proof-of-concept projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead feasibility studies and proof-of-concept testing for complex industrial inspection apps.
• Own optical and lighting design, selecting cameras, lenses, lighting, filters and components.
• Own the SF lab's technical direction, testing standards and hardware evaluation.
• Troubleshoot image quality, environmental variability, false rejects, and defects.
• Work with AI vision workflows: data, labeling, model evaluation to optimize inspection.
• Provide customer application support and ensure successful production deployments.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with Product and Engineering on improvements.

Skills

Machine vision

Optics

Lighting

Image acquisition

Camera configuration

AI vision

Proof-of-concept

Customer support

Technical communication

Job description

Machine Vision Applications Engineer
San Francisco, CA - Applications - Full-time, in office

Compensation: 150K - 200K OTE

Travel: Up to 50%, typically lower.

ABOUT OVERVIEW.AI

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 l