Systems Engineer, Perception

About the role

Applied Intuition is seeking a Perception Systems Engineer to define and manage the end-to-end requirements for the perception subsystem within the context of autonomous driving at scale. The role owner is responsible for evaluating the perception stack to confirm it meets stringent safety and performance criteria across diverse operational conditions. You will act as a critical bridge between perception software, hardware teams, and stakeholders to ensure alignment on technical direction. This position will heavily influence the automotive industry solutions by shaping subsystem requirements and driving verification activities. You will design monitoring strategies to track perception performance and ensure intended requirements are upheld in real-world scenarios. The role demands close coordination with software engineers to translate high-level needs into testable subsystem specifications. Ultimately, you will provide clear goals and manage the execution of all perception-related activities to ensure timely delivery of robust autonomous driving solutions.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Design, monitor, and manage full subsystem-level requirements for the complete perception stack and evaluate the subsystem to ensure that it meets intended requirements.
• Support tools development to derive perception requirements from stakeholder needs and safety case to meet program level standards.
• Work with the team to develop and manage scalable V&V pipeline for perception to evaluate performance and support release.
• Coordinate with perception SW team to align on requirements and ensure traceability throughout the development lifecycle.
• Work with HW teams on designing the perception sensor set and hardware to optimize system capabilities.
• Provide clear goals for all areas of a project and manage tasks to oversee their timely execution and successful completion.
• Evaluate perception subsystem performance using defined metrics and drive improvements based on data-driven insights.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to translate high-level objectives into actionable subsystem requirements.
• Ensure all perception-related activities adhere to industry standards and safety guidelines for autonomous systems.
• Drive the integration of perception components within the broader autonomous driving framework.
• Identify gaps in subsystem performance and lead initiatives to close them through iterative testing and validation.
• Support the creation of documentation that captures requirement baselines, test results, and design decisions for auditability.
• Facilitate trade-off analysis between hardware, software, and system-level constraints for optimal perception outcomes.
• Lead root cause analysis for perception subsystem issues and define corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in a system engineering role responsible for owning system requirements, testing systems for verification, and designing system requirements in the automotive industry.
• Experience in working on perception systems within the context of ADAS or autonomous driving.
• Expertise in different sensor modalities used for autonomous driving, including but not limited to cameras, lidar, and radar.
• Coding expertise developing scripts for overall perception requirements framework and evaluation, with Python preferred and C++ nice to have.
• MS/BS degree in Computer Science, Mechanical, Systems Engineering or equivalent.
• Expertise in mechanical, electrical, and software engineering as they apply to automotive systems.
• Experience with ADAS, autonomous systems, and robotics, particularly in L2++ systems.
• Proven ability to manage complex subsystem requirements and ensure traceability to system-level objectives.

Nice to have

• Project management and leadership experience in the AV industry.
• Research experience in the AV and robotics fields.

Practical notes

This role is based in Sunnyvale and operates as an in-office position with an expectation that employees work primarily from the Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. The company recognizes the importance of flexibility and trusts employees to manage their schedules responsibly, which may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier to accommodate family commitments. Compensation for eligible roles includes base salary, equity, and benefits such as comprehensive health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401k retirement benefits with employer match, learning and wellness stipends, and paid time off. Benefits may vary based on jurisdiction. Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor.