Prediction and Planning - Technical Lead

applied; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition, Inc. is a Sunnyvale-based leader in ML-driven autonomous systems. The company seeks a Technical Lead to own end-to-end architecture for ML-first behavior prediction and planning, mentoring a team of engineers, and collaborating with perception, planning, and research groups to deliver scalable, state-of-the-art models for road users.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS, EE, Robotics, or related field.
• 3+ years building production software with modern software practices.
• Proven track record of leading complex projects and mentoring engineers.
• Experience shipping production ML software in real-world environments.
• Fluency in Python with intermediate experience in C++.
• Expertise in modeling, data pipelines, evaluation, deployment, or model optimization.
• Experience in end-to-end development of deep learning models.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical roadmap, system architecture, and execution for ML algorithms that generate driving trajectories for autonomous vehicles and other road users.
• Drive architecture reviews and leverage established products to build scalable software and infrastructure foundations for behavior ML development.
• Mentor and guide engineers while collaborating with cross‑functional leadership, perception, planning, and research teams on state‑of‑the‑art models.

Skills

Technical leadership

Production ML

End-to-end DL

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/Robotics

Tools

Python

C++

Job description

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

About the role

We are looking for a Technical Lead to provide technical leadership, end-to-end system ownership, and architectural direction for our ML-first behavior prediction and planning team. In this role, you will lead the development of ML-first behavior modules that predict future trajectories and interactions of road users, guide key architectural decision-making, and mentor a team of talented engineers. You will work closely with perception leadership on training data generation and with planning leadership on ML-based planner development, while collaborating with research teams on state-of-the‑art architectures. Your leadership will drive tangible impact across diverse domains, including passenger vehicles, trucking, and mining.

In addition to your technical and architectural contributions, you will foster engineering excellence, mentor team members, and shape best practices in a dynamic and customer‑focused environment. We move fast and focus on excellence for our products and business. If you are a hands‑on leader eager to have a multiplying effect on making autonomous systems a reality, Applied Intuition is the place for you!

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Lead the technical roadmap, system architecture, and execution for ML algorithms that generate driving trajectories for autonomous vehicles and other road users

• Drive architecture reviews and leverage established products at Applied Intuition to build scalable software and infrastructure foundations for behavior ML development

• Mentor and guide engineers while collaborating with cross‑functional leadership, perception, planning, and research teams on state‑of‑the‑art models and techniques

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or related field

• Proven track record of technical leadership, including leading complex projects, mentoring engineers, and influencing architectural direction

• Proven track record of shipping production ML software in complex, real‑world environments

• Expertise in at least one of the following subdomains: modeling, input pipelines, evaluation, deployment, or model optimization.

• Experience with the end‑to‑end development cycle of deep learning models

• 3+ years of experience building production software using modern software practices

• Fluency in Python with intermediate experience in C++

Nice to have:

• Peer‑reviewed research at machine learning conferences like NeurIPS, CVPR, ICML, ICLR, ICCV, ECCV, IROS, or ICRA.

• Experience with driver assistance or autonomous driving systems

• Experience in evaluating and improving system‑in‑the‑loop model performance

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request.
If you require an accommodation please contact [e-mail]. We will work with you!