Software Engineer: Perception

Lodestar; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Lodestar is seeking a Software Engineer - Perception to join their vision and perception teams in Los Angeles. You will research and build algorithms to detect and understand space targets, developing custom models for autonomous decision-making.

This role includes integrating perception models into mission simulations, optimizing existing models, and collaborating with various teams to enhance performance and scalability in autonomous systems.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of distinguished industry experience in Machine Learning, robotics, or computer vision.
• Excellent software engineering skills in C++ and Python.
• Strong DNN/ML background and experience in CV and image processing libraries.

Responsibilities

• Research and build algorithms to detect, classify, and understand unknown space targets in real-time.
• Develop custom models combining computer vision, image processing, and machine learning.
• Integrate perception models into mission simulation environments and real-time autonomy pipelines.

Skills

C++

Python

Machine Learning

Computer Vision

Robotics

Linux

Git

Docker

Kubernetes

Networking Protocols

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in AI/ML, Computer Science, Robotics, or equivalent experience

Tools

OpenCV

CUDA

TensorRT

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in, AI/ML, Computer Science, Robotics, a related field, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of distinguished industry experience in Machine Learning, robotics, computer vision, or a related field
• Excellent software engineering skills in C++ and Python
• Strong DNN/ML background and experience in CV and image processing libraries (OpenCV, CUDA-accelerated vision, PCL)
• Broad understanding of modern perception systems and their architecture
• Experience developing and deploying ML models to real-time systems
• (Desirable) Experience processing sensor measurements from a variety of sensors including RADAR, electro-optical sensors, RF sensors, or LIDAR
• (Desirable) Familiarity with image processing techniques (e.g., feature extraction, segmentation, filtering, stereo matching) to support 3D reconstruction and target classification
• (Desirable) Track record optimizing neural networks and geometric algorithms using CUDA kernels, TensorRT, or other GPU acceleration frameworks
• (Desirable) Experience with distributed training and cloud-based scaling of ML models (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
• (Desirable) Experience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelines
• (Desirable) Comfortable with containerization tools such as Docker and Kubernetes
• (Desirable) Strong understanding of networking and communication protocols for distributed autonomy systems

What the job involves

• As a Software Engineer - Perception at Lodestar you’ll be joining the perception and machine visions teams to rapidly grow our vision and perception models at MITHRIL’s center
• You’ll focus on researching and building algorithms to detect, classify and understand unknown space targets in real-time
• By combining computer vision, image processing and machine learning, you’ll develop custom models - providing the foundation for autonomous decision-making in complex and uncertain space environments
• Scoping architecture for the perception system core to Lodestar’s autonomy software suite
• Research and adapt novel perception algorithms - everything from lit. review, through training and evaluation, to optimisation and deployment
• Design, develop ML algorithms from the ground up, in addition to build on and optimizing our existing models for edge computing
• Further develop our robust methods for predicting relative pose of dynamic space targets in harsh and unpredictable visual environments
• Integrate perception models into mission simulation environments and real-time autonomy pipelines
• Contribute to the design of realistic sensor models and digital twins to improve perception fidelity in mission scenarios
• Own perception tooling, model training infrastructure, and evaluation frameworks for ongoing development and deployment
• Collaborate across autonomy, estimation, and mission software teams to ensure perception fidelity, performance, and scalability