Sr. Perception Software Engineer / Researcher, Cambridge, Mass.

Job Description

Job Description
Our Mission Our mission is to solve the most important and fundamental challenges in AI and Robotics to enable future generations of intelligent machines that will help us all live better lives.
Senior Perception Software Engineer / Researcher will have proven hands-on experience developing and integrating state of the art computer vision systems for real-life robot operation. Overall we are looking for T-shaped people – with deep competence in one of our core areas and broad understanding of the field as a whole. What You Will Do:

• Integrate existing state-of-the-art vision algorithms on robot hardware.
• Work with other researchers on designing, training, developing, and implementing new vision algorithms for robotic manipulation, navigation, state estimation, calibration, etc.
• Collaborate with other teams by designing modular software systems and assisting with software infrastructure like calibration efforts, camera drivers, and containerization.
• Promote and enforce quality and reliability of code through the application of best coding and design practices, mentorship, and regular code reviews.
• Share your innovative work with the community through publications at top-tier conferences (e.g., RAL, ICRA, IROS, RSS, CVPR, NeurIPS, etc.)
• Mentor junior engineers and researchers.

What We Are Looking For:

• BS, MS or PhD in computer science, robotics, electrical/mechanical/aerospace engineering, or a related field
• 5+ years in a related industry
• Strong programming skills with Python and C++
• Experience with ROS 2 and robotic software integration
• Good grasp of at least a handful of computer vision techniques, for example 3D object modeling, depth sensing, scene graphs, robot state estimation, object pose estimation, Gaussian splatting, or point/object tracking
• Proven track record of collaboration and mentorship of junior colleagues
• Experience taking research code to production level

Stand Out of the Crowd:

• Deep expertise in software optimization, hardware acceleration or parallel computing (CPU, GPU, CUDA).
• A proven expert-level knowledge of deep learning in the context of robotics problems like semantic segmentation, 3D reconstruction, point cloud registration, or object detection.
• Direct, hands-on experience implementing and debugging factor graph state estimation systems (e.g., using libraries like GTSAM, Ceres, or custom solvers).
• Proven expert-level knowledge of ROS 2 middleware.
• Deep expertise with IMUs, including calibration and integration.
• A track record of publishing at top-tier robotics and computer vision conferences (e.g., RAL, ICRA, IROS, RSS, CVPR, NeurIPS, etc.)

The current reasonable and good faith estimate of the annual base salary range for this position is $128,100 - $237,900, which is based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, educational background and certifications, performance and qualifications, market demand for the role, geographic location, and other organizational needs. An individual candidate may be considered for this position at a different job level, in which case the appropriate salary range will be provided to the candidate after their qualifications have been established.
Employees who are new to the RAI Institute typically receive an offer that is between the minimum and the midpoint of the posted salary range to allow for growth within the range over time.
Base pay is part of a competitive total compensation package that may include an annual bonus, a long-term cash incentive, monthly cell phone cost reimbursement, commuter cost subsidy, medical benefits, and more.
Any final job offer will be determined based on our established compensation range for the role, the candidate’s experience and qualifications, internal parity, and market and business considerations. The advertised pay range is not a guarantee or promise of a specific wage.We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.