Software Engineering Manager II - Unified Modeling (Machine Learning)

Latitude AI • Palo Alto, CA

3d • $218,240 - $327,360

About The Position

Latitude AI is building the future of Ford’s autonomy roadmap. The Unified Model development team creates advanced, generalizable, latency-critical computer vision and machine learning models that generate representations of actors, map elements, temporal attributes, and scenes for downstream autonomy systems. The team takes algorithms from research through production deployment, optimizing them for onboard vehicle performance.

The Engineering Manager for Unified Modeling leads and supports an engineering team building production-grade deep learning models for autonomous driving. The role combines people leadership with hands-on technical guidance to help translate computer vision research into robust, real-time software deployed to vehicle compute. It oversees delivery of unified multi-sensor models from prototyping through track and public-road deployments and coordinates with downstream autonomy and infrastructure teams.

Latitude AI is a Ford Motor Company subsidiary headquartered in Pittsburgh, with engineering centers in Dearborn, Michigan, and Palo Alto, California. The position is full-time. The expected base salary range for this position in California is $218,240–$327,360 USD. Starting pay depends on factors including work location, experience, training, education, and skills. Employees may also be eligible for annual bonuses, equity compensation, and company benefits. Visa sponsorship is available; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis, with eligibility verified at hire.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field and 8+ years of experience; or a Master’s degree and 6+ years; or a Ph.D. and 4+ years.
• At least 2 years of experience managing software or ML engineering teams, or 4+ years as a technical lead guiding complex machine learning perception projects.
• Expert-level knowledge of deep learning architectures, computer vision, and spatio-temporal modeling using frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Proven track record developing and deploying computer vision models onto production systems or physical robotic/embedded systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and C++, with a solid grasp of software design and testing principles.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally with autonomy consumers, data infrastructure teams, and systems engineers.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis; employment eligibility will be verified at hire.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. focused on machine learning or computer vision.
• Direct experience developing autonomous-vehicle perception systems or multi-sensor fusion architectures using camera, radar, and LiDAR.
• Experience optimizing models for low-latency edge accelerators using TensorRT, ONNX, or custom inference runtimes.
• Familiarity with safety-critical software standards in automotive or robotics domains.

Responsibilities

• Hire, manage, and mentor engineers at different levels; conduct regular one-on-ones and performance reviews, and support career growth.
• Own sprint planning, roadmap execution, and technical delivery of unified multi-sensor models from prototyping to track and public-road deployments.
• Provide architectural and modeling guidance across spatio-temporal deep learning, camera/radar/LiDAR fusion, and multi-task learning networks.
• Partner with downstream autonomy teams, including Motion Planning, Tracking Prediction, and Localization, to align on output formats, latency budgets, and interface contracts.
• Work with ML infrastructure, data platform, and compute/hardware platform partners to support efficient distributed training and optimized onboard runtime execution.
• Promote high software engineering standards, reproducible ML training workflows, and comprehensive model validation suites for safety-critical automotive systems.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages, including eligibility for annual bonus programs and equity compensation.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for individuals and families.
• Health savings account with available employer match.
• Employer-matched 401(k) retirement plan with immediate vesting.
• Employer-paid group term life insurance and optional voluntary life insurance.
• Paid parental leave.
• Paid medical leave.
• Unlimited vacation.
• 13 paid holidays.
• Daily lunches, snacks, and beverages at office locations.
• Pre-tax healthcare and dependent-care spending accounts.
• Pre-tax commuter benefits.
• Monthly wellness stipend.
• Adoption and surrogacy support program.
• Backup child and elder care program.
• Professional development reimbursement.
• Employee assistance program.
• Discounted programs including legal services, identity theft protection, and pet insurance.
• Employee resource groups, quarterly team activity stipend, and wellness initiatives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager