{"slug": "robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-field-ai", "title": "Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception — Field AI", "summary": "Field AI is hiring a Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception for an on-site role in Irvine, CA, to lead development of the perception stack for robots operating in unstructured terrains under the company's federal autonomy programs. The position requires a PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related field, or an MS with 2+ years of industry or applied research experience, or a BS with 4+ years of relevant experience, plus hands-on SLAM and sensor-fusion work with LiDAR, cameras, RADAR and inertial sensors. The posting, filed under MLOps/Infra, does not publish a salary; 424 of 575 MLOps/Infra roles in the United States on the board publish pay, with a median of $223k.", "body_md": "# Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception\n\n- Salary\n- Not published\n- Location\n- Irvine, CA\n- Work type\n- On-site\n- Posted\n- today\n- Verified live\n- today\n\n[Apply on company site (opens in new tab)](https://jobs.lever.co/field-ai/95c1d7a7-f2b4-45ca-9888-2196b14afa77/apply)\n\nFiled under[MLOps / Infra](https://frontierroles.com/mlops-engineer-jobs/)\n\n424 of 575 [MLOps / Infra roles in the United States on this board](https://frontierroles.com/mlops-engineer-jobs/) publish pay; their median is **$223k**.\n\nWho are We?\n\nField AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.\n\nLearn more at https://fieldai.com.\n\nAbout the Job\n\nAt FieldAI, we’re building autonomy for robots that operate in the real world, in harsh environments, and under challenging conditions where traditional sensing breaks down. We’re looking for a Robotics Autonomy Engineer - Perception to own and advance perception capabilities for our federal autonomy programs. In this role, you will lead development of the perception stack for robots operating in unstructured terrains, taking responsibility for performance, robustness, and deployment on new platforms and sensor configurations. You’ll work hands-on across software and hardware for integrating LiDAR, RADAR and multispectral, and sensing into production autonomy systems and delivering capabilities that directly support customers.\n\nWhat You Will Do\n\n1. Build and Maintain Perception Systems\n\nDesign, implement, and maintain perception systems for autonomous robots operating in real-world environments.\n\nDevelop robust localization and mapping capabilities that perform reliably in unstructured, off-road, and field conditions.\n\nContinuously evaluate and improve perception performance through testing, iteration, and field validation.\n\n2. Develop and Integrate Sensor-Based Perception\n\nImplement perception algorithms that fuse data from multiple sensors such as LiDAR, cameras, RADAR and inertial sensors.\n\nSupport the integration of new sensing modalities and sensor configurations as robotic platforms evolve.\n\nEnsure perception software operates reliably across simulation and real-world deployments.\n\n3. Deploy Perception Software on Real Robots\n\nBring perception algorithms from development to deployment on physical robotic systems.\n\nDebug and resolve issues discovered during on-robot testing and field operations.\n\nCollaborate with autonomy, controls, and platform teams to ensure perception systems integrate cleanly into the full autonomy stack.\n\n4. Improve System Robustness and Scalability\n\nContribute to code quality, testing, and long-term maintainability of perception systems.\n\nDevelop tools, metrics, and tests to monitor performance and catch regressions over time.\n\nHelp scale perception solutions across multiple robots, environments, and missions.\n\n5. Collaborate Across Teams\n\nWork closely with engineers, researchers, and operators to define perception requirements and deliver reliable solutions.\n\nCommunicate technical designs, tradeoffs, and results clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.\n\nSupport field operations and customer demonstrations by ensuring perception systems are production-ready.\n\nWhat You Have\n\nPhD degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field or MS degree in a related field with 2+ years of industry or applied research experience, or BS degree in a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience.\n\nStrong background in robot perception, localization, and mapping (SLAM) for real-world robotic systems.\n\nHands-on experience developing and deploying perception software in field robotics environments (not just simulation).\n\nProficiency in modern robotics software development (C++, Python) and ROS/ROS2 based systems.\n\nExperience working with robot perception and state estimation (VIO, LIO, mapping, sensor fusion etc.).\n\nAbility to take ownership of complex subsystems, from design through field deployment and long-term maintenance.\n\nComfort working close to hardware, including debugging sensor data, calibration, and real-world failures.\n\nStrong problem-solving skills and ability to operate independently in fast-moving, small teams.\n\nThe Extras That Set You Apart\n\nExperience with thermal, LWIR, or multispectral passive sensing for robotic perception.\n\nExperience integrating and calibrating custom sensor rigs (e.g., stereo, thermal, or multi-LiDAR setups).\n\nFamiliarity with CI/CD pipelines, performance regression testing, and benchmarking for perception systems.\n\nExperience aligning or unifying perception stacks across multiple platforms or product lines.\n\nDemonstrated leadership in research, field operations, or mentoring junior engineers and researchers.\n\nKnowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern DevOps practices.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-field-ai", "canonical_source": "https://frontierroles.com/jobs/field-ai-robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-870849/", "published_at": "2026-09-16 22:36:15+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-17 04:53:21.535715+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["robotics", "mlops", "ai-startups"], "entities": ["Field AI", "Irvine, CA"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-field-ai", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-field-ai.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-field-ai.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/robotics-autonomy-engineer-perception-field-ai.jsonld"}}