Senior Robotics Perception Engineer

Senior Robotics Perception Engineer at Pave Robotics — San Francisco, CA, US

  • Company: Pave Robotics
  • Location: San Francisco, CA, US
  • Employment type: FULL_TIME
  • Salary: USD 150000–200000 / year
  • Posted: 2026-07-17

About this role

This is a full-time, in-office opportunity to work at the cutting edge of robotics in unstructured real-world environments. If you thrive in a fast-paced startup environment and want to push the boundaries of robotics engineering, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

Build out early-stage robot to work in real-world unstructured road environments

Create motion and path planning algorithms for high-speed crack sealing

Develop robust perception algorithms for real-time crack detection

Implement sensor fusion algorithms for reliable localization and state estimation (encoders, IMU, cameras, etc.)

Work with a team to deploy AI solutions in real-world applications, focusing on improving model performance

Develop and implement novel approaches to model fine-tuning, optimization, and evaluation

Optimize robot system-wide to hit engineering requirements across accuracy, speed, and reliability

Qualifications

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Math, Robotics, or relevant field

3-5 years at an early stage startup

Experience with ROS/ROS2, Python, C++

Expertise in one or more of the following core robotics competencies:

Localization/mapping

Perception

Motion/path planning

Motion control

Simulation + sim-to-real

Experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow

Experience with applied machine learning in a robotics context (image classification/segmentation preferred)

Knowledge and experience with robot simulation (Gazebo, IsaacSim, etc.)

Experience with containerization platforms such as Docker

Knowledge and experience working with Jetson, Arduino

Experience working cross-functionally across hardware and software environments

Ability to rapidly prototype solutions, perform field testing, and iterate on software design

Ability to quickly diagnose complex problems system-wide across multiple domains of robotics

Portfolios highly regarded

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