Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception

AI Chopping Block; Irvine, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

FieldAI is building autonomous perception for robots operating in harsh, real-world environments. We seek a Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception to lead development of perception stacks, fuse LiDAR, camera, RADAR, and multispectral data, and deploy on real robots for federal autonomy programs.

You will work hands-on across software and hardware, ensuring robustness, scalability, and production readiness while collaborating with autonomy, controls and platform teams.

Qualifications

• PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field or MS with 2+ years industry experience or BS with 4+ years experience.
• Strong background in robot perception, localization, and mapping (SLAM) for real-world robotic systems.
• Hands-on experience developing and deploying perception software in field robotics environments (not just simulation).
• Proficiency in modern robotics software development (C++, Python) and ROS/ROS2 based systems.
• Experience with sensor fusion and state estimation (VIO, LIO, mapping).

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain perception systems for autonomous robots in real-world environments.
• Develop and integrate sensor-based perception (LiDAR, cameras, RADAR, inertial sensors).
• Deploy perception software on physical robotic systems and debug on-robot issues.
• Improve robustness and scalability; develop tools and tests for performance monitoring.
• Collaborate across teams to define perception requirements and deliver production-ready solutions.

Skills

C++

Python

Robot perception

SLAM

ROS/ROS2

Education

PhD in Robotics / CS / EE or related

MS in related field + 2+ years industry

BS in related field + 4+ years experience

Tools

ROS/ROS2 (robotics middleware)

Docker / CI/CD

Job description

Who are We?

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.

Learn more at https://fieldai.com.

About the Job

At FieldAI, we’re building autonomy for robots that operate in the real world, in harsh environments, and under challenging conditions where traditional sensing breaks down. We’re looking for a Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception to own and advance perception capabilities for our federal autonomy programs. In this role, you will lead development of the perception stack for robots operating in unstructured terrains, taking responsibility for performance, robustness, and deployment on new platforms and sensor configurations. You’ll work hands-on across software and hardware for integrating LiDAR, RADAR and multispectral, and sensing into production autonomy systems and delivering capabilities that directly support customers.

What You Will Do

1. Build and Maintain Perception Systems

• Design, implement, and maintain perception systems for autonomous robots operating in real-world environments.

• Develop robust localization and mapping capabilities that perform reliably in unstructured, off-road, and field conditions.

• Continuously evaluate and improve perception performance through testing, iteration, and field validation.

2. Develop and Integrate Sensor-Based Perception

• Implement perception algorithms that fuse data from multiple sensors such as LiDAR, cameras, RADAR and inertial sensors.

• Support the integration of new sensing modalities and sensor configurations as robotic platforms evolve.

• Ensure perception software operates reliably across simulation and real-world deployments.

3. Deploy Perception Software on Real Robots

• Bring perception algorithms from development to deployment on physical robotic systems.

• Debug and resolve issues discovered during on-robot testing and field operations.

• Collaborate with autonomy, controls, and platform teams to ensure perception systems integrate cleanly into the full autonomy stack.

4. Improve System Robustness and Scalability

• Contribute to code quality, testing, and long-term maintainability of perception systems.

• Develop tools, metrics, and tests to monitor performance and catch regressions over time.

• Help scale perception solutions across multiple robots, environments, and missions.

5. Collaborate Across Teams

• Work closely with engineers, researchers, and operators to define perception requirements and deliver reliable solutions.

• Communicate technical designs, tradeoffs, and results clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Support field operations and customer demonstrations by ensuring perception systems are production-ready.

What You Have

• PhD degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field or MS degree in a related field with 2+ years of industry or applied research experience, or BS degree in a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience.

• Strong background in robot perception, localization, and mapping (SLAM) for real-world robotic systems.

• Hands-on experience developing and deploying perception software in field robotics environments (not just simulation).

• Proficiency in modern robotics software development (C++, Python) and ROS/ROS2 based systems.

• Experience working with robot perception and state estimation (VIO, LIO, mapping, sensor fusion etc.).

• Ability to take ownership of complex subsystems, from design through field deployment and long-term maintenance.

• Comfort working close to hardware, including debugging sensor data, calibration, and real-world failures.

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to operate independently in fast-moving, small teams.

The Extras That Set You Apart

• Experience with thermal, LWIR, or multispectral passive sensing for robotic perception.

• Experience integrating and calibrating custom sensor rigs (e.g., stereo, thermal, or multi-LiDAR setups).

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, performance regression testing, and benchmarking for perception systems.

• Experience aligning or unifying perception stacks across multiple platforms or product lines.

• Demonstrated leadership in research, field operations, or mentoring junior engineers and researchers.

• Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern DevOps practices.