Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Tocaro Blue; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Health/dental/vision

Paid time off

Job summary

Tocaro Blue in Birmingham, AL is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to advance our ProteusCore radar tracking and ApolloCore fusion. You will design, train, and deploy ML models for detection, segmentation, and tracking in challenging maritime settings, while organizing data collection and synthetic data augmentation.

You will optimize models for edge devices (CPU/ARM64) and contribute to ML-Ops with large-scale training and field validation trips.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant field with a strong ML background.
• 7+ years applying ML to real-world dynamic systems; signal processing experience preferred.
• Demonstrated mastery of semantic segmentation and object classification; RGB/ Radar data a plus.
• Expert Python skills and experience with ML frameworks; C++ inference on edge devices is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design, train, and deploy ML models for object detection, segmentation, and tracking in maritime environments.
• Develop ML pipelines and synthetic augmentation for radar and camera datasets.
• Optimize models for edge hardware (CPU/ARM64) with efficient inference.
• Collaborate with fusion and autonomy engineers to integrate ML outputs into multi-target tracking and SLAM pipelines.
• Lead ML-Ops workflows including data management and CI for field data.

Skills

Python

TensorFlow/Keras

PyTorch

Edge deployment

C++ inference

Education

MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics

Tools

TensorFlow

Keras

PyTorch

Job description

Transform Maritime Intelligence with Cutting-Edge AI/MLAre you an experienced machine learning researcher ready to push the limits of AI in one of the toughest domains—maritime autonomy? At Tocaro Blue, your expertise in designing, training, and deploying custom ML models will directly advance our foundational perception stack, ProteusCore radar tracking and ApolloCore radar/camera fusion.
As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, you will build ML models for object detection, semantic segmentation, and tracking. You’ll design algorithms capable of distinguishing vessels, land, shoreline constructions, wakes, and markers in dynamic maritime environments where off-the-shelf models fall short. You will be responsible for organizing dataset design, data collection in real and simulated environments, and synthetic augmentation of radar and camera datasets.
Your Work Will Fuel Products Used By
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Defense customers developing USVs/ASVs for the U.S. Navy.

Commercial OEMs bringing advanced marine ADAS and autopilot features to market.

This role is an opportunity to define the ML foundations of maritime autonomy—where perception evolves from situational awareness, to navigation assistance, to full autonomy.

Core ML and Autonomy Innovation
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Invent and refine custom deep learning architectures for Radar and EO/IR imagery, with an emphasis on semantic segmentation and temporal tracking

Develop multi-stage ML pipelines (context + characteristic models, segmentation + classification) tailored to low-SNR Radar returns

Train models on proprietary large-scale datasets (millions of Radar samples and camera sequences) with design-of-experiment methods for data collection and annotation

Optimize and deploy models to resource-constrained edge hardware (CPU-only and ARM64 platforms), including C++ inference layers

Advance fusion-aware ML models that integrate Radar with EO/IR, AIS, and cartography for robust classification in GPS-denied or cluttered environments

Collaborate with fusion and autonomy engineers to ensure ML outputs integrate seamlessly into multi-target tracking and SLAM pipelines

Contribute to ML-Ops workflows: data management, large-scale training, continuous integration of new field data, and automated evaluation pipelines

What Sets You Apart
Essential Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or related field
• 7+ years applying machine learning and signal processing to real-world dynamic systems (graduate research counts if directly applicable)
• Demonstrated mastery of semantic segmentation and object classification models, ideally applied to non-vision sensor modalities
• Expert-level Python skills with ML frameworks (TensorFlow/Keras, PyTorch, or equivalent)

Preferred Expertise

• Track record of developing ML models beyond standard YOLO-style detectors, particularly for segmentation of noisy or sparse data (Radar, sonar, or medical imaging)
• Strong background in computer vision and temporal modeling (CNNs, transformers, RNNs for sequential sensor data)
• Experience deploying ML to embedded/edge platforms with optimized C++ inference
• Knowledge of marine, automotive, or aerial robotics systems
• Contributions to large-scale ML data pipelines: annotation strategies, dataset balancing, simulation-to-real transfer
• Passion for pushing the boundaries of AI in GPS-denied, cluttered, and low-visibility environments

Why Tocaro Blue?
Competitive Compensation & Growth

• Competitive base salary with potential equity in a rapidly growing company
• Comprehensive benefits: 401(k) with 4% company matching, full health/dental/vision, life & disability insurance, generous PTO
• Continuous learning via conferences, training, and professional growth

Innovation-First Culture

• Direct impact on defining the AI backbone of maritime autonomy
• Work on problems unsolved in automotive AI: Radar segmentation, maritime multi-object tracking, sensor fusion in GPS-denied waters
• Collaborative environment with elite engineers and researchers

Exciting Work Environment

• Full-time, in person Birmingham (AL)
• Hands-on field validation through semi-monthly data collection trips at our Pensacola test facility
• A culture that balances innovation with personal growth

Equal Opportunity & Eligibility
Tocaro Blue, LLC is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
All employees must be eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance. With few exceptions, this is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (a.k.a. current Green Card Holders). Tocaro Blue LLC is not able to sponsor work visas nor permanent resident cards ("green cards") for this role.