Senior Camera Engineer

Kodiak•Mountain View, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. is a leader in autonomous ground transportation, founded in 2018 with a mission to create a safer and more efficient future. The company utilizes an AI-powered technology stack for commercial trucking and the public sector, currently delivering freight daily across the southern United States. Kodiak made history in 2024 as the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Additionally, Kodiak is applying its self-driving software to develop and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. We are seeking a Senior Camera Engineer to spearhead the design and development of Kodiak’s camera sensing pipeline. This is a hands-on role requiring deep expertise in camera hardware, ISP tuning, compression, drivers, and the application of sensor data in modern computer vision and ML techniques. The successful candidate will be responsible for optimizing the camera pipeline for ML consumption, managing the entire pipeline from pixel to compute, including sensor selection and configuration, testing, IQ tuning, and close collaboration with perception, ML, and software teams to build a robust and scalable Kodiak driver.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field
7+ years of experience in camera, computer vision, or perception engineering
Strong experience with testing and selecting camera sensors and complete camera modules
Understanding of image signal processing (ISP) pipelines — familiarity with auto white balance, auto exposure, tone mapping, and how ISP tuning affects downstream perception
Basic understanding of computer vision and ML fundamentals
Hands-on experience developing and deploying camera pipelines for robotics
Basic software engineering skills in C++ and/or Python
Ability to collaborate effectively with hardware, systems, and software teams

Nice To Haves

Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, AR/VR, or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
Experience with challenging imaging conditions and understanding of how image quality maps to perception performance
Experience with camera system integration — understanding data interfaces, bandwidth constraints, latency requirements, and how imaging subsystems integrate into larger robotic platforms.

Responsibilities

Own camera-based perception pipelines from sensor selection to production deployment
Evaluate and select camera sensors, modules, and optics based on system and application requirements
Tune and optimize ISP pipelines (image quality, color, HDR, noise, latency, synchronization) for machine and human consumption
Work with perception and software teams to deploy next-generation camera systems
Run hands-on testing in the field to troubleshoot camera system issues and test next-gen hardware
Debug camera issues across the entire stack from sensor to ISP
Drive design decisions around compression and sensor synchronization
Manage relationships with suppliers and external partners
Research and evaluate emerging imaging technologies

Benefits

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
Fidelity 401(k)
Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

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