Hybrid Principal Software Engineer, Perception Architect

at Zoox

• Job title: Principal Software Engineer, Perception Architect
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: $363,000 - $470,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Postgraduate Degree
• Tech skills: Python
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Foster City, United States

About the role

• Perception Architect designing sensory systems for next-generation autonomous products. Evolving perception architecture, liaising between sensing teams and core ML systems.

Responsibilities

• Define the end-to-end perception architecture—assess new sensing (LiDAR, Radar, Camera) to the final fused world model.
• Partner with Compute and Sensing teams to influence the design, ensuring our algorithms have the "computational oxygen" they need.
• Lead the transition from current pipelines to **AI innovation pipelines, **while maintaining the safety and interpretability required for edge deployment.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and determine their viability for the 3-5 year roadmap.
• Collaborate on rigorous metrics for latency and accuracy across diverse edge-computing environments.
• Lead cross functional teams to create a viable plan to move to new platforms and unlock further technical capabilities for Perception systems. Coordinate projects across partner teams to make sure work is aligned with the overall org direction.

Requirements

• **Education:** Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on **Computer Vision**.
• **Experience:** 8+ years in autonomous systems with at least 2 years in an **architectural role**, shipping and evolving perception systems
• **Deep Domain Expertise:** Mastery of systems focused on Computer Vision, Deep learning, Foundational models, Sensor Fusion, and State Estimation (SLAM, EKF/UKF). Deep understanding of sensor modalities and their impact to perception/autonomy systems, including: Camera, lidar, radar.
• **Platform Proficiency:** Deep understanding of hardware acceleration, component budgeting and transition to new platforms.
• **Mathematical Rigor:** Strong foundation in 3D geometry, linear algebra, and probabilistic robotics.
• **Hands on Skills:** Proficiency in **C++** (production-grade) and **Python** (rapid prototyping). Ability to run experiments across system components and run metrics platforms.
• **Soft Skills:** Curious, Data driven, with ability to translate complex technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders and **executive leadership**.