Senior Staff AI Engineer

Renesas; Maryland; On-site; USD 140,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

HSA/FSA programs

Dental and Vision insurance

Life insurance & AD&D

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

Renesas is seeking a Senior Staff AI Engineer to lead the Edge AI Applications Lab in Columbia, MD, driving R&D, PoC and AI product demos with hardware builds for MCU deployments. The role includes lab space and equipment management, plus cross-BU and customer support.

The candidate brings hands-on PoC fabrication experience and deep knowledge of AI algorithms applied to real-world sensor data on embedded platforms. Leadership across teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in electrical engineering or related field with research exposure.
• Experience deploying AI/ML models on microcontroller platforms.
• Hands-on fabrication and prototyping of hardware systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Edge AI Applications Lab, overseeing projects, people, facilities and scheduling.
• Develop edge AI demos and solutions using tiny ML models across hardware environments.
• Collaborate with customers and internal teams to ingest and analyze data for model development.
• Work with AI and embedded engineers to optimize models for MCUs and embedded platforms.
• Manage projects technically and logistically in a lab setting; plan parts and instrumentation.
• Fabricate hardware setups and collect real-world data to support model development.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical leadership across teams.
• Stay current with emerging AI, embedded ML, and DSP technologies.

Skills

AI/ML algorithms

Edge AI

DSP

Sensor data

Project leadership

Education

Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Python

MATLAB

C

3D Printing

Design tools

Job description

Senior Staff AI Engineer

100% onsite - Columbia, MD

We are seeking a highly skilled and hands‑on Senior Staff AI Engineer to head our Edge AI Applications Lab. The role includes leadership of R&D, PoC and AI product demo projects involving physical hardware builds associated with microcontroller deployment of tiny AI models. It includes management and scheduling of the associated physical lab space and equipment in support of these projects, as well as cross‑BU and customer support efforts that may require physical lab implementations. The ideal candidate will bring significant skills in small scale PoC fabrication, coupled with understanding of a range of AI algorithms and their practical applications to real‑world sensor data microcontroller. Individual should have demonstrated project and small-team people and technical leadership experience, and bring a creative, hands‑on disposition.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Edge AI Applications Lab, including management of project, people, facilities and scheduling.
• Develop and maintain edge AI based applications, demos and solutions combining tiny ML models in a wide variety of physical hardware settings, including consumer devices, industrial machines and automotive.
• Collaborate with customers and internal product teams to ingest, debug, and analyze their data for model development.
• Work with other AI and embedded engineers to optimize and deploy AI models suitable for microcontrollers (MCUs) and embedded platforms.
• Manage a variety of projects both technically and logistically in an industrial laboratory setting, including planning, part procurement, instrumentation, hardware setup and creating ML models.
• Fabricate and assemble hardware setups (e.g., physical systems, sensor arrays, embedded boards) and collect data from real-world physical environments to support model development and validation.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical leadership across teams.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in AI, embedded ML, and signal processing.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related technical field, and 7-12 years career experience.
• Understanding of AI/ML algorithms with experience deploying models on MCUs.
• Practical fabrication of prototype systems that include physical, microelectronic, and sensor elements in novel combinations, including familiarity with design tools, 3D printing, and hands‑on electrical and physical assembly.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams and collaborating effectively across multiple cross-functional groups.
• Broad familiarity with types of sensors and their placement and applications in practical systems. Including hands‑on experience with audio, electrical, accelerometers and control system signals.
• Experience working with large high-frequency sensor datasets (e.g., audio, electrical, motor control, accel, etc.), including debugging, preprocessing and ML Ops.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, and C, specifically including experience with real-time edge computing and embedded systems.
• Background in digital signal processing (DSP) for audio and time-series data preferred.

Additional Information

The expected annual pay range for this position is $139,500 - $185,000. This position is also eligible for bonus opportunities and commission pay. Please note that the final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience, and skillset of the candidate.

• Renesas offers a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, and pet insurance.
• In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive company-paid life insurance and AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as paid sick time, paid holidays, and accrued paid vacation. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose 'To Make Our Lives Easier'. As the industry's leading expert in embedded processing with unmatched quality and system-level know-how, we have evolved to provide scalable and comprehensive semiconductor solutions for automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT industries based on the broadest product portfolio, including High Performance Computing, Embedded Processing, Analog & Connectivity, and Power.

With a diverse team of over 22,000 professionals in more than 30 countries, we continue to expand our boundaries to offer enhanced user experiences through digitalization and usher into a new era of innovation. We design and develop sustainable, power-efficient solutions today that help people and communities thrive tomorrow, 'To Make Our Lives Easier'.