Senior Staff AI Software Engineer

Responsibilities

• Own the technical vision and system architecture for Digit’s perception systems in structured and dynamic environments.
• Analyze tradeoffs across sensing modalities, model design, redundancy, safety, latency, robustness, and embedded compute budgets.
• Prototype, validate, and build critical perception components hands-on.
• Partner with functional safety and systems engineering on safety-case strategy and required evidence.
• Support system-level failure mode and hazard analysis for autonomous robotic systems.
• Evaluate emerging research and technology for adoption into future robot architectures.
• Set verification and validation standards for ML-based perception systems, especially for rare and safety-critical scenarios.
• Collaborate with navigation, controls, and hardware teams to align perception architecture with the whole robot.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads and represent system architecture to executives, partners, customers, regulators, certifiers, and safety auditors.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in machine learning or perception for robotics, including defining system architecture.
• Master’s or Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience architecting ML or perception systems for safety-critical or safety-rated contexts such as human detection, functional safety, automotive, robotics, or comparable regulated domains.
• Deep expertise in deep convolutional neural networks, multi-object tracking, data association, supervised learning, and pose estimation.
• Experience making system-level tradeoffs involving sensing modalities, redundancy, and compute constraints on embedded or real-time hardware.
• Track record of setting technical direction at an organizational level.
• Experience supporting a safety case or certification submission, architecting redundant or diverse sensing systems, or working with humanoid or legged robots is preferred.
• Experience presenting technical architecture to regulators, third-party certifiers, or safety auditors and conducting FMEA or hazard analysis is preferred.
• Publications in the field, particularly in CVPR, ICCV, RSS, or ICRA, are a plus.
• Applicants must have current authorization to work in the United States.

Benefits

• Remote role with hybrid work available for candidates within commuting distance of offices in Salem, Oregon; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; or Fremont, California.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% company match, company stock options, and an annual discretionary bonus for eligible roles.
• Company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance for employees, with benefits beginning the first day of employment.
• Employee Assistance Program, paid parental leave, professional development, tuition reimbursement, and relocation assistance for eligible roles.
• Exempt employees receive flexible unlimited PTO and 12 company holidays including a winter shutdown; non-exempt employees receive 10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays including a winter shutdown.
• Catered lunches four times per week and snacks and refreshments at Salem and Pittsburgh offices.
• Flexible work arrangements and a supportive professional work environment.