Perception Engineer IV - Project Based

This is a project-based employee role supporting the development, integration, and validation of ASI's autonomous reach stacker platforms. Development phases of this nature typically continue through project completion, often spanning two to four years, although scope and duration are determined by business and customer needs.

JOB SUMMARY

The Perception Engineer IV develops and advances perception systems that enable ASI's autonomous reach stackers to understand container-yard environments, detect and track surrounding objects, identify containers and stacking locations, and safely perform material-handling operations. This role works with cameras, LiDAR, radar, GPS/GNSS, inertial sensors, and other sensing technologies to support environmental awareness, container detection, equipment tracking, precision alignment, obstacle avoidance, and autonomous task execution.

As a Level IV engineer within ASI's five-level engineering structure, this position independently leads complex perception features and subsystem initiatives from technical definition through integration and field validation. The role influences perception architecture, resolves difficult cross-system problems, and provides technical guidance to other engineers while collaborating with GNC, embedded software, systems, test, and field operations teams. Broader platform strategy and organization-wide technical direction remain aligned with engineering leadership and Level V technical authorities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, integrate, and validate advanced perception algorithms for autonomous reach stacker applications
• Lead complex perception features involving object detection, classification, segmentation, tracking, obstacle detection, free-space identification, and environmental modeling
• Develop capabilities for detecting and tracking shipping containers, trucks, trailers, chassis, reach stackers, personnel, buildings, fences, and other yard objects
• Develop perception solutions that support container identification, stack-position recognition, pickup and placement verification, and precision vehicle alignment
• Process and fuse data from cameras, LiDAR, radar, GPS/GNSS, inertial sensors, encoders, and other vehicle systems
• Develop environmental models that support navigation, motion planning, container handling, stacking, loading, unloading, and yard-management workflows
• Lead defined perception workstreams from requirements development through architecture, implementation, integration, testing, and release
• Contribute to perception architecture and technical design decisions for autonomous reach stacker platforms
• Establish technical approaches, performance metrics, and acceptance criteria for complex perception capabilities
• Integrate perception software with autonomous vehicle platforms, embedded computing systems, vehicle interfaces, and supporting autonomy software
• Evaluate perception performance using recorded datasets, simulation, software-in-the-loop testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and full-vehicle field validation
• Analyze large datasets to identify false detections, missed detections, tracking failures, alignment errors, environmental limitations, and system-level edge cases
• Develop and improve automated workflows for data collection, labeling, replay, regression testing, visualization, and performance analysis
• Lead troubleshooting of complex issues involving sensor calibration, timing, synchronization, coordinate transformations, vehicle movement, computing performance, and system integration
• Guide sensor selection, placement, mounting, configuration, calibration, and validation activities on reach stacker platforms
• Optimize perception algorithms for real-time execution on embedded CPUs, GPUs, and other computing platforms
• Collaborate with GNC engineers to ensure perception outputs support safe navigation, motion planning, obstacle avoidance, container approach, and precision positioning
• Partner with systems engineers to define interfaces, requirements, failure responses, and operational constraints for perception subsystems
• Work with test engineers and field testers to develop comprehensive validation scenarios for container yards and intermodal environments
• Investigate difficult field failures and lead the development and verification of corrective actions
• Conduct design reviews and code reviews while providing technical feedback to other engineers
• Mentor less-experienced engineers and support improvements to engineering practices, development tools, and team standards
• Communicate technical risks, system limitations, findings, and recommendations to engineering teams and leadership
• Document algorithms, architectures, interfaces, assumptions, test results, technical decisions, and known system limitations
• Support customer demonstrations, field deployments, acceptance testing, and troubleshooting activities as required

ESSENTIAL EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE, JOB SKILLS

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mathematics, or a related technical field
• Typically eight or more years of experience developing perception, computer vision, robotics, machine learning, sensor-fusion, or autonomous-system software
• Advanced proficiency in C++ and Python
• Demonstrated experience independently developing and delivering complex perception features for robotic or autonomous systems
• Strong experience with computer vision, point-cloud processing, sensor fusion, object tracking, environmental modeling, or machine-learning algorithms
• Experience working with cameras, LiDAR, radar, GPS/GNSS, inertial sensors, or other robotic sensing technologies
• Strong understanding of coordinate systems, geometric transformations, sensor calibration, data synchronization, and three-dimensional geometry
• Experience designing software interfaces and integrating perception components into complex hardware and software systems
• Experience developing and optimizing real-time software for embedded or constrained computing platforms
• Advanced experience working in Linux-based software-development environments
• Experience with ROS, ROS2, or comparable robotics middleware
• Experience developing production-quality software using version control, peer review, automated testing, continuous integration, and configuration-management practices
• Ability to define meaningful performance metrics and use large datasets to evaluate perception-system performance
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex software, sensor, computing, and system-integration issues
• Ability to provide technical guidance and constructive feedback to other engineers
• Strong analytical, debugging, and technical problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with engineering, operations, customer-facing, and field-testing teams

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Machine Learning, or a related discipline
• Experience developing perception systems for autonomous reach stackers, container-handling equipment, industrial vehicles, heavy equipment, or mobile robots
• Familiarity with container yards, ports, intermodal terminals, distribution centers, or material-handling operations
• Experience with container detection, identification, pose estimation, stack-position recognition, or precision alignment applications
• Familiarity with reach stacker spreaders, twistlocks, container pickup and placement, stacking workflows, or chassis-handling operations
• Experience with OpenCV, Point Cloud Library, PyTorch, TensorFlow, CUDA, TensorRT, or similar technologies
• Experience developing machine-learning solutions for detection, segmentation, classification, depth estimation, pose estimation, or tracking
• Experience with LiDAR point-cloud registration, filtering, clustering, mapping, and object detection
• Experience with multi-object tracking, occupancy grids, free-space detection, semantic mapping, or environmental modeling
• Familiarity with Kalman filtering, Bayesian estimation, probabilistic robotics, or other sensor-fusion methods
• Experience optimizing software for GPUs, embedded computers, or real-time systems
• Experience with simulation, recorded-data replay, software-in-the-loop testing, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Familiarity with functional safety principles and validation practices for autonomous or safety-critical systems
• Experience validating autonomous systems in industrial, outdoor, low-light, high-traffic, dusty, or weather-exposed environments

BENEFITS

ASI offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 401k with employer match
• Generous HSA contribution
• PTO, paid holidays, and flextime
• ASI covers 90% of employee medical plan costs

At Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI), we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all employees and applicants have equal opportunities. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic. ASI complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding nondiscrimination in employment and is dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process.

This is a full-time, project-based employment opportunity.

Your employment with ASI will be "at will," meaning that either you or ASI may terminate your employment at any time for any lawful reason, with or without cause or advance notice.