Staff Machine Learning Engineer (Autonomy)

Mariana Minerals; San Francisco, Houston, Ann Arbor (CA, TX, MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Mariana Minerals in San Francisco, CA, is building autonomous mining vehicles. We seek a Machine Learning Engineer (Autonomy) to own modules of the autonomy stack, sensor fusion, perception, and localization, and to collaborate with hardware and controls teams to drive safe, reliable operation.

You will turn sensing into motion, develop simulation and data pipelines, and validate on bench, rig, and field tests, bringing first-principles engineering to a real-world mineral-sourcing platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, CS, Electrical, or related engineering.
• 5–10+ years developing autonomy, robotics, or embedded software.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Python; ROS/ROS 2 experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop autonomy software for autonomous mining vehicles focusing on perception, SLAM, motion planning, and control.
• Integrate and calibrate sensing suite (LiDAR, cameras, radar, IMU, GNSS), implementing sensor fusion and time synchronization robust to mining environments
• Build and maintain embedded and real-time software bridging sensing, compute, and actuation with safety and reliability in mind
• Develop simulation, logging, and data pipelines to test autonomy behavior and drive performance against safety targets
• Lead bench, rig, and field validation of the autonomy stack, debugging across the software‑hardware boundary
• Collaborate with hardware and controls engineers to integrate sensing, compute, and actuation into a complete vehicle

Skills

C++

Python

ROS/ROS 2

Sensor fusion

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, CS, Electrical, or related engineering

Tools

ROS/ROS 2

Job description

About Mariana Minerals

Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company on a mission to supply the critical minerals powering modern energy, AI, and defense technologies. We’re reimagining the minerals supply chain by combining deep industry expertise with advanced software, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

Role Overview

We are hiring Machine Learning Engineers (Autonomy) to build the autonomy and sensor-integration software that lets our mining vehicles perceive, decide, and drive themselves.

In this role you will own parts of the software and sensor integration that enables full mining autonomy — sensor fusion across LiDAR, cameras, radar, and IMU/GNSS; perception, localization, and mapping; and the autonomy stack that turns sensing into safe vehicle motion. You will carry work from architecture and algorithm design through implementation, simulation, and bench and field validation, working hand in hand with our hardware, controls, and systems-engineering teams. This is a hands‑on, first-principles role for an engineer who wants to develop the world’s first fully autonomous mines.

What You’ll Do

• Develop autonomy software for autonomous mining vehicles focusing on one or more area: perception, SLAM, motion planning, and control

• Integrate and calibrate the sensing suite (LiDAR, cameras, radar, IMU, GNSS), implementing sensor fusion and time synchronization robust to dust, vibration, and corrosion‑heavy mining environments

• Build and maintain embedded and real‑time software that bridges sensing, compute, and actuation, with attention to safety, latency, and reliability

• Develop simulation, logging, and data pipelines to test autonomy behavior and drive performance against safety and availability targets

• Lead bench, rig, and field validation of the autonomy stack, debugging across the full software‑hardware boundary

• Collaborate with hardware and controls engineers to integrate sensing, compute, and actuation into a complete vehicle

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical, or related engineering discipline

• 5-10+ years developing autonomy, robotics, or embedded software, ideally for mobile robots or vehicles

• Strong proficiency in C++ and/or Python, and with a robotics middleware such as ROS/ROS 2

• Hands‑on experience with sensor integration and fusion - LiDAR, cameras, radar, IMU, GNSS - and with perception, localization, or motion‑planning algorithms

• Working knowledge of real‑time and embedded systems, and of the controls and software‑hardware integration that drive actuation

• Experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, automotive, or off‑highway equipment strongly preferred

Our culture is built on four principles:

Everyone Gets Home Safe. We never put speed or cost ahead of people.

Extreme Ownership. We take full responsibility for outcomes, relentlessly driving toward solutions.

Engineer Out Requirements, then Automate. We simplify, optimize, and then automate for scale.

Share Your Legos. We collaborate openly, share knowledge, and empower each other to build bigger, better solutions.

Join us as we build the future of responsible mineral sourcing and supply!