Machine Learning / Perception Engineer

Company Background:

Swarmbotics AI is pushing the frontier of advanced machine learning models and architectures on edge devices for swarms of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). We see an urgent need for low-cost intelligent autonomous swarm UGV systems in the defense space. Our primary product is a defense application of swarm UGVs, collectively termed - Attritable, Networked, Tactical Swarm (ANTS). Each UGV in ANTS is an independently-tasked, attritable robot designed for on-demand and autonomous mobility. When operating as a swarm, ANTS is capable of executing advanced and coordinated high-level capabilities across multiple domains.

Stephen Houghton and Drew Watson are the Founders and have decades of experience in self-driving cars and trucks, humanoids, and UAVs with experience from NASA, JPL, Cruise, Embark, McKinsey, Amazon, and the CIA.

Position description: 

Swarmbotics AI is seeking a highly skilled Machine Learning / Perception Engineer to design, develop, implement, and own cutting-edge off-road, terrain-aware navigation systems for autonomous DoD ground vehicles. This engineer will play a pivotal role in designing and implementing machine learning-based perception systems that enable our autonomous vehicles to navigate complex and unstructured off-road environments. This engineer will work closely with company leadership to align autonomous navigation capabilities with the Swarmbotics AI product roadmap.

What you’ll do:

• Design, implement, train, and test multiple deep learning models including:
  • Deep computer vision models
  • Dense disparity prediction models
  • Reinforcement learning models
  • Vision Language Action (VLA) models
  • Object detection and panoptic segmentation models
• Optimize models to run real-time on edge devices (Jetson Orin) through model quantization and distillation
• Deploy trained models in the field
• Write robust Python, PyTorch, and C++ code
• Work collaboratively across multiple teams such as SLAM/localization, navigation, tracking, and swarm intelligence

Required qualifications:

• Minimum 2 years industry experience in ML related field
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, or related field
• Strong mathematical foundation of neural networks, transformers, convolutional networks, and statistics
• Python, PyTorch, C++, ROS, ONNX, TensorRT
• Familiarity with modern ML / computer vision tools such as OpenCV, Numpy, and Pillow
• Strong organization and communication skills to work well across teams in a fast-paced startup environment
• Comfort working in the high-paced, fluid environment of a tech startup
• Excitement about contributing to the defense of the United States and its allies
• Ability to relocate to Phoenix, AZ area

Nice to have qualifications:

• Masters or PhD in computer science, math, engineering, or related field
• Prior robotics experience or autonomous driving background
• Experience with owning an entire data to production model pipeline
• Academic publications in related fields

The preceding description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for the position. Swarmbotics is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, caste, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law.