Senior Software Engineer, Perception Data Infrastructure

About the role

This role focuses on owning the complete data intake, build, review, ship, and partner workflow for perception infrastructure. Decisions made in this position directly influence how the Nuro Driver™ platform and local mapping pipelines process real-world motion. The work centers on establishing robust data foundations that enable reliable autonomy at scale. You will architect intake systems designed to normalize messy sensor logs before any heavy computation begins. These foundational systems ensure that raw data from our vehicles is clean, consistent, and ready for downstream processing. A key function involves establishing review gates that rigorously validate data quality and annotation integrity. This defensive work is essential for preventing errors from propagating into ML training corpora. You will frequently guide cross-functional trade-offs, navigating where engineering constraints intersect with real-world driving variability.

Location: USA

Engagement: Full-time

Compensation: $171,200.00 base per year

What you'll do

You will architect intake systems designed to normalize messy sensor logs before any heavy computation begins. These foundational systems ensure that raw data from our vehicles is clean, consistent, and ready for downstream processing. You will design and build mechanisms specifically for efficient point cloud handling across the Nuro Driver™ and mapping stacks. Solving performance challenges related to high-density data is a central responsibility. A key function involves establishing review gates that rigorously validate data quality and annotation integrity. This defensive work is essential for preventing errors from propagating into ML training corpora. You will also optimize ship processes to ensure that visualization tools remain responsive even under dense multi-sensor loads. Coordination with partners is another core duty, requiring you to define resilient API contracts between perception pipelines and external datasets. You will champion ingestion strategies that carefully balance latency, accuracy, and operational simplicity on a daily basis. Implementing defensive checks to catch calibration drifts early is a standard practice in this role. You will frequently guide cross-functional trade-offs, navigating where engineering constraints intersect with real-world driving variability. This requires a deep understanding of how theoretical systems perform in practical scenarios. You will optimize ship processes to ensure that visualization tools remain responsive even under dense multi-sensor loads. Coordination with partners is another core duty, requiring you to define resilient API contracts between perception pipelines and external datasets. You will architect intake systems designed to normalize messy sensor logs before any heavy computation begins. These foundational systems ensure that raw data from our vehicles is clean, consistent, and ready for downstream processing.

Requirements

A BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related quantitative field is required. Candidates must bring 4 or more years of industry software engineering experience within complex systems. Fluency in C++ is mandatory, and strong familiarity with Python in production contexts is essential. You must navigate ambiguity while simultaneously managing strict API boundaries and performance constraints. A deep understanding of sensor data flows, calibration logic, and pipeline propagation is non-negotiable. This role demands comfort with high-stakes technical decisions that impact large-scale data processing. You will be expected to solve some of autonomy's hardest data bottlenecks through systems rigor and infrastructure excellence. You must navigate ambiguity while simultaneously managing strict API boundaries and performance constraints. A deep understanding of sensor data flows, calibration logic, and pipeline propagation is non-negotiable. This role demands comfort with high-stakes technical decisions that impact large-scale data processing. You will be expected to solve some of autonomy's hardest data bottlenecks through systems rigor and infrastructure excellence.

Nice to have

Prior experience with large point cloud datasets is highly valuable. Familiarity with visualization tools and labeling operations provides a significant advantage in this position. These skills help accelerate onboarding and broaden your impact across the perception team.

Practical notes

This role requires a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of data quality and system reliability. The successful candidate will play a key role in scaling Nuro's autonomy platform for future deployments.