Principal AI/ML Computer Vision Engineer

TP-Link Systems Inc.; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free snacks and drinks

Paid medical, dental, vision insurance

401k contributions

Bi-annual reviews and annual pay increases

Health and wellness benefits

Quarterly team-building events

Job summary

A leader in smart home technology is seeking a visionary Principal AI/ML Computer Vision Engineer in Irvine, California. This crucial role requires strategic leadership in developing next-generation smart home products, focusing on innovations in AI and machine learning. The candidate must have extensive experience in AI/ML applications, particularly in embedded systems. Key responsibilities include defining AI strategies, architecting AI pipelines, and fostering team growth. The company offers a competitive salary and a range of benefits.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in AI/ML, including 7+ years in embedded AI or edge computing applications.
• Proven experience in designing and scaling real‑time perception systems.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define AI/ML strategy for smart device perception.
• Architect real‑time AI pipelines for object detection.
• Drive innovation and prototyping of new AI features.

Skills

AI/ML Experience

Deep Learning Frameworks

Computer Vision

Embedded Systems

Leadership

Communication Skills

Education

PhD or Master’s in Computer Science or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

OpenCV

Job description

Principal AI/ML Computer Vision Engineer

Base pay range: $170,000.00/yr - $240,000.00/yr

We are seeking a visionary Principal AI/ML Computer Vision Engineer to lead the technical direction of next‑generation smart home automation products, including smart cameras, video doorbells, and autonomous vacuum cleaners. This role goes beyond hands‑on development—it requires strategic leadership in research, architecture, and system design, driving innovations from conception to deployment across edge and cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the long‑term AI/ML strategy and vision for smart device perception, edge computing, and multi‑sensor intelligence
• Architect next‑generation real‑time AI pipelines for object detection, multi‑target tracking, scene understanding, and environment mapping across multi‑modal sensors (camera, audio, radar/LiDAR)
• Lead complex cross‑functional initiatives involving embedded systems, cloud services, hardware acceleration, and ML infrastructure
• Establish company‑wide best practices for model training, deployment, compression (quantization, pruning), and monitoring in production environments
• Drive innovation and prototyping of new AI‑powered features by evaluating and integrating emerging research from academia and industry
• Influence hardware/software co‑design to optimize performance, power efficiency, and cost across multiple product lines
• Mentor and grow senior/staff‑level engineers, fostering a culture of excellence, ownership, and continuous learning
• Collaborate closely with cloud AI and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless end‑to‑end system integration and lifecycle management
• Represent the company in industry forums and contribute to patents or publications in the field of computer vision, edge AI, or perception systems

Required Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in AI/ML, including 7+ years in embedded AI or edge computing applications
• Proven experience in designing and scaling real‑time perception systems on embedded platforms and resource‑constrained environments
• Expert knowledge in deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and computer vision toolkits (OpenCV, FFmpeg, gstreamer)
• Demonstrated leadership in shipping multiple AI‑powered products from concept to mass production
• In‑depth experience in multi‑sensor fusion, temporal modeling, and high‑efficiency model deployment (TFLite, ONNX, Jetson, OpenVINO, etc.)
• Track record of technical leadership in cross‑functional teams spanning hardware, firmware, and cloud
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence both technical and non‑technical stakeholders

Desired Qualifications

• Recognized contributions to the AI/ML community via publications, patents, or open‑source projects
• Experience with VLMs (Vision‑Language Models), foundation models, or generative AI applied to visual understanding
• Familiarity with hardware/software co‑design and ML accelerator integration (e.g., NPUs, TPUs, FPGAs)
• Experience driving system‑level performance optimization and benchmarking across edge and cloud components

Benefits

• Free snacks and drinks, and provided lunch on Fridays
• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance (partial coverage for dependents)
• Contributions to 401k funds
• Bi‑annual reviews, and annual pay increases
• Health and wellness benefits, including free gym membership
• Quarterly team‑building events

At TP‑Link Systems Inc., we are continually searching for ambitious individuals who are passionate about their work. We believe that diversity fuels innovation, collaboration, and drives our entrepreneurial spirit. As a global company, we highly value diverse perspectives and are committed to cultivating an environment where all voices are heard, respected, and valued. We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, and we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Beyond compliance, we strive to create a supportive and growth‑oriented workplace for everyone.

Please, no third‑party agency inquiries. We are unable to offer visa sponsorships at this time. You must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employment visa sponsorship now or in the future.