Senior Software Engineer - Computer Vision and Autonomy Lead

Charles River Analytics; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus & retirement

Medical & dental insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Gym allowance

Paid time off

Free parking

Casual environment

Job summary

Charles River Analytics, a GRVTY company, seeks a Senior Software Engineer – Computer Vision and Autonomy Lead in Cambridge, MA. This role combines senior technical leadership with people management for projects in robotic navigation, autonomous systems, and sensor processing.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in computer vision, strong communication, and a desire to mentor engineering staff while delivering production-quality software and deployable models.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or related field; master preferred.
• 10+ years in computer vision, perception, or autonomy system development.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for computer vision and autonomy algorithms and software systems.
• Lead and mentor a team of CV, perception, and autonomy engineers; support hiring and professional development.
• Develop robust software for object detection, tracking, SLAM, visual odometry, sensor fusion, and image processing.
• Optimize and deploy ML models on embedded, edge, and real-time systems using PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Oversee system architecture, code quality, and engineering best practices.
• Collaborate with scientists and operators to define requirements and translate research to solutions.

Skills

Python

C++

ROS2

OpenCV

PyTorch

TensorFlow

CUDA

Docker

Kubernetes

Helm

APIs

CI/CD

Git

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

ROS2

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenCV

PyTorch

TensorFlow

CUDA

Job description

Senior Software Engineer - Computer Vision and Autonomy Lead

Cambridge, MA

Charles River Analytics, a GRVTY company, creates solutions and technology to tackle the world’s most challenging problems. Our team of technological entrepreneurs works together to push at the forefront of enhanced AI, robotics, smart sensing, and human-centered computing. The resulting research and development help to continuously advance government programs and discover new possibilities in the commercial marketplace. At Charles River, we take great pride in our success at attracting and retaining the most talented and creative problem-solvers in our field. Now a part of GRVTY, we offer the same trusted capabilities with increased organizational depth and expanded capacity across mission‑critical national security domains. Are you ready to accelerate our mission‑focused innovations? We’d love to hear from you!

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineering Leader to provide technical leadership, architectural guidance, and team management for projects involving robotic navigation, autonomous systems, and advanced sensor processing. This position includes both senior‑level technical responsibilities and the future opportunity to lead a team of engineers. The ideal candidate demonstrates deep expertise in computer vision and autonomy, strong communication skills, and an interest in developing and mentoring engineering staff.

How you will make an impact

• Provide technical leadership in the design, development, and integration of our existing computer vision and autonomy algorithms and software systems.
• Lead and mentor a team of computer vision, perception, and autonomy engineers; support hiring, onboarding, performance feedback, time management, and professional development.
• Develop robust, maintainable software solutions for applications such as object detection and tracking, SLAM, visual odometry, sensor fusion, and image processing.
• Optimize and deploy machine learning models on embedded, edge, and real‑time systems using frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Oversee system architecture, technical reviews, code quality, and adherence to engineering best practices.
• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, and operational subject matter experts to define technical requirements and translate research concepts into implementable solutions serving the ground, sea, air and space domains.
• Participate in customer engagements, including technical briefings, requirements discussions, field testing, and integration activities.
• Contribute to proposal development, technical documentation, reports, and transition planning for applied research and product development programs.
• Support the growth and scaling of internal technical capabilities to meet emerging program and commercialization needs.

What you need

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field; a master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred.
• 10 or more years of experience (or a master’s degree with 8 or more years) in computer vision, perception, or autonomy system development.
• Proficiency in Python and C++ with experience developing both research prototypes and production quality software.
• Experience working with robotics frameworks such as ROS2 and simulation environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in several key areas of computer vision, including object detection, tracking, SLAM, visual odometry, segmentation, or related fields.
• Experience conducting laboratory and field testing of robotic or autonomous systems.
• Familiarity with networking, system integration, and distributed system debugging.
• Strong understanding of software development best practices, including testing, version control, and code review processes.
• Demonstrated interest in technical team leadership and the ability to support the development of engineering talent.
• Ability and willingness to travel for customer meetings, integration events, and field exercises.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.
• Ability to work on a hybrid schedule with at least 60% in‑office presence at our Cambridge headquarters.

Our ideal candidate has

• Experience with systems engineering, requirements analysis, and system level design.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines or modern DevOps/DevSecOps methodologies.
• Experience with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes, Helm)
• Experience integrating complex software systems into larger systems (APIs, communication).
• Familiarity with tools such as OpenCV, PyTorch, TensorFlow, and CUDA.
• Experience with data engineering practices and management of large datasets.
• Experience preparing technical deliverables such as specifications, reports, or contributions to academic publications.

Salary Range

$175,000 - $225,000

The above salary range is an estimate based on the internal job level(s) for which this role is being considered. The final salary will be decided after careful evaluation of the individual's work experience, education, and overall qualifications. This range does not include the substantial total rewards, as listed below, that you will also be eligible for as an employee at Charles River Analytics.

Why Charles River?

Charles River Analytics thrives on collaboration and values each team member. We offer competitive compensation plus bonus and retirement contribution, with an attractive benefits package including 100% employer‑paid medical and dental insurance, as well as vision, life, and disability insurance, paid maternity/paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, monthly gym allowance, free parking, generous paid time off, and a casual environment. We offer tremendous flexibility and value work‑life balance. We are also accessible by public transportation. Charles River became an employee‑owned company in 2012, to set the stage for the next‑generation of innovation, service, and growth in R&D. As we entered 2026, we joined forces with GRVTY, gaining the scale and capacity to transition, field, and sustain our innovations faster and more effectively than ever before.