Perception Engineer

Aurelius Systems; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary + equity

Health insurance

Job summary

Aurelius Systems is seeking a Perception Engineer to join our software team and advance end-to-end perception and sensor fusion for our laser-based defense system. You will develop, train, and deploy vision models and manage data pipelines on edge hardware.

You will work at the intersection of data science, software, and robotics, collaborating with hardware engineers to integrate sensors and optimize real-time detection and tracking in challenging environments.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in CS, EE, or Robotics; track record matters.
• Strong C++ and ML engineering experience.
• Hands-on with TensorFlow/PyTorch and real-time inference.

Responsibilities

• Design, train, validate and fine-tune ML models for object detection and segmentation.
• Integrate and fuse data from multi-modal sensors to produce real-time ROIs.
• Develop high/low-level image-processing techniques for low SNR and motion isolation.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to integrate sensors over GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, CAN, SPI, and I2C; develop embedded firmware in C/C++ or Rust for microcontrollers and FPGAs.
• Build scalable data ingestion, labeling, augmentation, and storage pipelines; aim for 100k+ labeled frames.
• Optimize inference frameworks for edge deployment (GPU/FPGA) to achieve high throughput.
• Develop dashboards and telemetry for drift analysis and automated retraining triggers.
• Author technical docs; mentor juniors in vision, sensor-fusion, and embedded firmware.

Skills

C++

ML engineering

TensorFlow

PyTorch

ROS2

Docker

CI/CD

Sensor fusion

Edge AI

FPGA/embedded

Education

BS/MS/PhD in CS/EE/Robotics

Tools

VHDL/Verilog

GigE Vision

USB3 Vision

CAN

SPI

I2C

Job description

Aurelius Systems is a VC-backed defense tech startup developing autonomous, edge-deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We make laser systems to shot down drones.

Our small team includes engineers, former US military operators, and experts, focused on creating the first cost-effective, reliable, and robust laser weapon system.

The Role and Your Impact:

We are seeking a skilled Perception Engineer to join our software team and work on end‑to‑end perception and sensor‑fusion stack. You will develop, train, and deploy vision and sensor based models; manage data pipelines; and enable real‑time detection and tracking for our laser‑based defense system. This role bridges data science, software engineering, and robotics to deliver reliable, high‑throughput perception performance on edge hardware.

What You\'ll Own:

• Design, train, validate and fine-tune machine‑learning and deep‑learning models (e.g., YOLO, RT-DETR, CNNs) for object detection, classification, and segmentation.
• Integrate and fuse data from multi‑modal sensors (RGB, thermal, LiDAR/ToF, IMU, encoders) to produce robust, real‑time Regions of Interest (ROIs).
• Research, implement, and as-needed develop high and low-level image-processing techniques, such as deconvolution, low SNR detection, and motion-isolation techniques.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to integrate and troubleshoot sensors (global‑shutter and rolling‑shutter cameras, thermal imagers, LiDAR/ToF modules, IMUs) over GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, CAN, SPI, and I²C protocols; develop and debug embedded firmware in C/C++ (or Rust) for microcontrollers (STM32, NXP, TI) and FPGAs using VHDL/Verilog within RTOS environments (FreeRTOS, Zephyr).
• Build scalable data ingestion, labeling, augmentation, and storage pipelines (simulated and field data) ensuring 100k+ labeled frames accuracy.
• Optimize inference frameworks for edge deployment (GPU/FPGA), achieving ≥500 Hz end‑to‑end throughput.
• Develop dashboards and telemetry for drift analysis, hardware health monitoring, performance metrics, and automated retraining triggers.
• Author clear technical docs; mentor junior engineers on best practices in vision, sensor‑fusion, and embedded firmware engineering.
• Determines development needs by directly analyzing technical and physical limitations of our goals.

What We\'re Looking For:

• 2–6+ years in computer vision, sensor fusion, or robotics perception roles
• Strong C++ with deep ML engineering experience
• Hands‑on with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and real‑time inference engines (TensorRT, OpenVINO)
• Computer vision, tracking, and detection in real-time, real-world conditions
• Familiarity with ROS2, Docker, and CI/CD for ML pipelines
• Experience with multi‑sensor calibration and data synchronization

Where you probably come from:

Perception roles at defense companies, autonomous vehicle programs, robotics platforms, or aerospace programs that deploy perception against real targets.

We want to talk if:

You've shipped a perception system that ran on real hardware against real targets. You know the gap between paper SOTA and what survives field conditions.

Not a fit if:

Your background is research only without deployment, or your CV experience is offline batch processing only.

Nice to Haves:

• Edge‑AI optimization (quantization, pruning)
• Experience with FPGA or embedded GPU platforms
• Background in defense or safety‑critical systems
• Familiarity with cybersecurity guidelines and secure coding practices

Education:

• BS, MS, or PhD in CS, EE, Robotics, or equivalent. Track record matters more than degree.

How You Operate:

• Extreme bias for action. You ship working perception on real hardware, not slideware
• You debug from first principles, not intuition alone
• Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration in a startup environment
• Clear communicator across software, hardware, and operator-facing surfaces
• Self directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told

Why Join Aurelius Systems?

• Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.
• Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact.
• Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck.
• Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built.

How We Work:

Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we\'re sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don\'t manufacture intensity for show.

• Competitive salary + equity
• United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Travel to field test events and range days
• Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks
• E-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)
• Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work

Export Control Notice:

This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).