Lead Perception Engineer

Lead Perception Engineer
About the Company
We're a venture-backed robotics and automation company developing intelligent systems that solve complex real-world challenges through advanced software, AI and robotics.
Our multidisciplinary engineering team combines expertise across perception, robotics, machine learning, software and hardware to build next-generation autonomous systems. Working from early-stage concepts through to commercial deployment, we're creating technology that operates reliably in demanding real-world environments.
Joining the team means working on technically challenging problems with significant ownership, collaborating across engineering disciplines, and helping shape products that push the boundaries of intelligent automation.

The Opportunity
We're seeking an experienced Lead Perception Engineer to lead the design and development of advanced perception systems for robotic platforms.
This is a highly technical leadership position suited to someone who enjoys solving difficult real-world perception problems while remaining hands-on with software development. You'll guide technical direction, mentor engineers, and oversee the development of perception pipelines that combine classical computer vision with modern machine learning techniques.
You'll work across sensing, AI, software and robotics to deliver reliable, production-ready perception systems capable of operating in dynamic environments.

What You'll Be Doing
Technical Leadership
Lead a team of perception engineers through the full software development lifecycle, from concept and architecture through deployment and continuous improvement.
Provide technical direction on perception algorithms, system architecture and sensor integration.
Mentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews and technical coaching while helping establish engineering best practices.
Perception & Machine Learning
Design and develop perception pipelines using both classical computer vision and machine learning techniques.
Build AI models for object detection, classification, tracking and scene understanding.
Develop solutions for depth estimation, localisation and 3D perception.
Evaluate and integrate appropriate sensing technologies for a range of robotic applications.
Improve system performance through optimisation, testing and continuous refinement.
Systems Engineering
Design scalable, low-latency perception systems capable of reliable real-time performance.
Debug complex interactions across hardware, software and sensing systems.
Validate system performance through simulation and real-world testing.
Identify technical risks, evaluate architectural trade-offs and drive long-term platform improvements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with multidisciplinary engineering teams to integrate perception capabilities into larger robotic systems.
Work closely with software, robotics, controls and systems engineers to deliver complete product solutions.
Support product development from prototype through commercial deployment.

What We're Looking For
8-10 years of software engineering experience in robotics, computer vision, perception or a related field.
2-3+ years of technical leadership experience as a Team Lead, Tech Lead or Principal Engineer.
Strong understanding of robotics fundamentals including coordinate transformations, sensor calibration, perception architectures and state estimation.
Proven experience developing production-grade perception systems for robotics or intelligent automation.
Extensive hands-on experience debugging complex robotic systems and resolving hardware/software integration challenges.
Expert-level programming skills in Python together with C++ and/or Rust.
Experience building, deploying and optimising machine learning pipelines for production environments.
Strong knowledge of computer vision and machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, OpenCV, PCL, Open3D and CUDA.
Experience working with a variety of sensing technologies including LiDAR, stereo vision, depth cameras and sensor fusion techniques.
Excellent communication, technical leadership and problem-solving skills.

Nice to Have
MSc or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Computer Vision, Machine Learning or a related discipline.
Experience working with ROS2 or comparable robotics middleware.
Familiarity with SLAM, localisation or autonomous navigation systems.
Experience deploying AI models to edge or embedded computing platforms.
Contributions to open-source robotics, AI or computer vision projects.