Principal Software Engineer, Perception

Saildrone • Alameda, CA

3d

About The Position

Saildrone is hiring a Principal Engineer, Perception, to define the technical direction and architecture of perception systems for autonomous maritime vehicles. The systems must enable vehicles to perceive and understand their surroundings without continuous human supervision and operate reliably in complex, changing environments.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. The engineer will own difficult perception problems, make architectural decisions, and integrate sensing, estimation, machine learning, and production software into a coherent system deployed on real vehicles. The work must account for practical constraints involving sensors, compute, latency, and environmental conditions.

Requirements

• Exceptional depth in perception and robotics, with a track record of deploying perception systems on autonomous vehicles, robots, aerospace, defense, or similarly complex physical systems.
• Deep expertise in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, and uncertainty modeling.
• Strong mathematical and algorithmic foundations, with depth in multiple areas such as computer vision, localization, state estimation, tracking, mapping, or machine learning.
• A track record of taking sophisticated algorithms or research from experimentation into reliable production systems.
• Experience setting technical direction and architecture for complex autonomous systems.
• Exceptional technical judgment demonstrated through consequential technical decisions and problem solving.

Nice To Haves

• Research or applied-research experience in perception or robotics.
• Experience deploying and maintaining autonomous systems in challenging or constrained environments.
• Experience across multiple generations of an autonomous platform.

Responsibilities

• Define the architecture and technical direction for Saildrone's perception systems.
• Lead difficult problems in sensor fusion, probabilistic estimation, localization, tracking, mapping, and uncertainty estimation.
• Determine how heterogeneous sensors and perception algorithms combine to provide reliable information for downstream autonomy.
• Translate research and algorithms into robust production capabilities within real-world constraints on sensors, compute, latency, and environmental conditions.
• Provide technical direction to senior and staff engineers through architecture, technical review, and problem solving.

Benefits

• Competitive paid time off (PTO) accrual, an annual holiday schedule, and paid sick leave.
• Medical, dental, and vision plans with significant company contributions for employees and dependents.
• Equity grants.
• 401(k) retirement plan with pre-tax and Roth payroll contribution options.
• Annual professional development reimbursement program.
• Relocation assistance for eligible roles.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed