Perception Lead Engineer

Woven by Toyota; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401k program

Flexible vacation policy

Family planning and care benefits

Job summary

Woven by Toyota is seeking a Lead Engineer for the Perception team to develop state-of-the-art perception systems for autonomous driving. You will lead ML model development, guide data strategy, and validate production pipelines for deployment on our next‑generation vehicle platform.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with subteams, and drive agile practices in a fast-paced environment focused on safety, reliability, and real‑world performance.

Qualifications

• MS or higher degree in CS/CE/EE or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience with ML frameworks (PyTorch, Caffe, TensorFlow).
• Extensive experience with machine learning and classification.
• 5+ years in ML workflows: data sampling, preprocessing, training, evaluation, deployment, inference optimization.
• Strong programming skills in Python or C++.
• Passionate about self-driving car tech and its potential for humanity.
• Experience writing production-level code in a real-time operating system.
• Strong communication skills and ability to convey concepts clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead perception ML model R&D by prototyping, validating, and iterating on models.
• Own end-to-end development of new ML models from data strategy to deployment and tuning.
• Lead large, multi-person projects and drive technical direction of the Perception architecture.
• Mentor engineers, review code, and produce ML experiment reports.
• Drive agile practices in a high-velocity environment and ensure rapid delivery.
• Foster collaboration and accountability across the team.

Skills

PyTorch

Caffe

TensorFlow

Python

C++

Machine learning

Real-time OS

Communication

Self-driving tech

Education

MS or higher in CS/CE/EE

Tools

CUDA

OpenCL

Linux RTOS

Automotive compute platforms

Job description

Woven by Toyotais enabling Toyota’s once-in-a-century transformation into a mobility company. Inspired by a legacy of innovating for the benefit of others, our mission is to challenge the current state of mobility through human-centric innovation — expanding what “mobility” means and how it serves society.

Our work centers on four pillars: AD/ADAS, our autonomous driving and advanced driver assist technologies; Arene, our software development platform for software‑defined vehicles; Woven City, a test course for mobility; and Cloud & AI, the digital infrastructure powering our collaborative foundation. Business‑critical functions empower these teams to execute, and together, we’re working toward one bold goal: a world with zero accidents and enhanced well‑being for all.

TEAM

At Woven by Toyota, we work on a diverse set of problems ranging from solving optimization problems in 3D geometric computer vision, to minimizing latency on hardware accelerators, designing novel neural network architectures and applying and advancing the state‑of‑the‑art of machine learning (ML) for perception, prediction, and motion planning. We are looking for doers and creative problem solvers to join us in improving mobility for everyone with self‑driving technology. You will be interacting on a daily basis with other software and hardware engineers and researchers to tackle some of the most challenging problems in AI, robotics, and computer vision.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR

The Perception team is looking for a Lead Engineer to join us in developing a state‑of‑the‑art perception system for autonomous driving. In this role, you will lead the development and deployment of machine learning models, provide technical guidance and mentorship to the team, and help shape the direction of our perception capabilities. Your work will be deployed on our next‑generation autonomous vehicle platform and, ultimately, to millions of Toyota production vehicles.

We recognize the unique capabilities each team member brings and encourage applicants to reach out even if they do not match all of the characteristics described below.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead perception ML model R&D by prototyping, validating, and iterating on existing and new model architectures, setting direction and best practices for the team.
• Own end‑to‑end development of new ML models, from data strategy and initial development to optimization, production platform validation, and fine‑tuning based on metrics and on‑road performance.
• Lead large, multi‑person projects, shaping the overall Perception architecture and driving technical direction.
• Mentor and enable other engineers through coaching, leading by example in writing high‑quality code, conducting thorough code and design document reviews, and delivering rigorous ML experiment reports.
• Drive agile development practices in a high‑velocity environment, ensuring the team can adapt and deliver quickly.
• Foster a collaborative, “get things done” mentality, promoting accountability and high performance across the team.
• Collaborate with downstream stakeholders to define interfaces and requirements for the Perception stack.
• Closely collaborate with Perception subteams to develop end‑to‑end solutions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• MS, or higher degree, in CS/CE/EE, or equivalent in‑industry experience.
• 5+ years of experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch, Caffee, Tensorflow.
• Extensive experience with machine learning and classification.
• 5+ years of experience in machine learning workflows: data sampling and curation, pre‑processing, model training, ablation studies, evaluation, deployment, inference optimization.
• Strong programming skills in Python or C++.
• Passionate about self driving car technology and its potential for humanity.
• Experience in writing production level code in a real‑time operating system.
• Strong communication skills and ability to communicate concepts clearly and precisely.

NICE TO HAVES

• Hands‑on experience with building a perception stack for autonomous systems.
• Experience in runtime optimization for runtime‑critical systems on Linux and UNIX‑like real‑time operating systems.
• Experience with CUDA or OpenCL.
• Experience with automotive grade compute platforms.
• Experience with building safety‑critical software architectures.

For positions based in Palo Alto, CA, the base pay for this position ranges from $161,000- $264,500 a year

Your base salary is one part of your total compensation. We offer a base salary, short‑term and long‑term incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package. The total compensation offered to an employee will be dependent upon the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, location, and level.

WHAT WE OFFER

We are committed to creating a modern work environment that supports our employees and their loved ones. We offer many options of the best programs to allow you to do your most meaningful work and to help you shape the future of mobility.

• Excellent health, wellness, dental, and vision coverage
• A rewarding 401k program
• Flexible vacation policy
• Family planning and care benefits

Our Commitment

• We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity.
• Any information we receive from you will be used only in the hiring and onboarding process. Please see our privacy notice for more details.