Overview As Principal Engineer on the Mapping and Localization team, you design high-fidelity sensor fusion and localization systems to achieve centimeter-level accuracy for autonomous trucks. You shape the localization architecture, balancing build-vs-buy decisions and long-term roadmaps, and tackle edge cases in GPS-denied or dynamic environments. You work closely with cross-functional teams to maintain large-scale HD maps and ensure safety in complex ODDs. This role combines research-grade concepts with production-scale delivery in a fast-growing company at the forefront of autonomous trucking.
Compensation / Benefits- Catered free lunch
- Unlimited snacks and beverages
- Competitive salary
- 401(k) plan
- Hybrid work arrangement
- Career growth opportunities
Responsibilities- Lead the localization architecture and roadmap, balancing build-vs-buy decisions
- Design and implement real-time sensor fusion, visual/ LiDAR odometry, and global localization algorithms
- Develop pipelines to generate, maintain, and query HD maps
- Work on priors-based localization and semantic map matching
- Solve stale map issues via change detection and near real-time map updates
- Maintain and update large-scale LiDAR-based HD maps for autonomy
- Optimize code for embedded compute constraints (latency, memory, power) while ensuring safety
- Provide self-diagnosis capability for localization
- Mentor senior and junior engineers and conduct code reviews to uphold engineering standards
Key requirements- M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
- 7+ years in robotics with at least 4 years in production-level localization or mapping systems
- Expert-level Modern C++ (14/17/20) with strong memory management, multi-threading, and real-time considerations
- Strong foundation in probabilistic robotics (Kalman Filtering, nonlinear optimization, SLAM)
- Deep understanding of 3D geometry, linear algebra, and coordinate transforms (quaternions, SE(3
- Familiarity with Eigen, Ceres, PCL, OpenCV, GTSAM
- Mentorship and leadership
- Code review and engineering excellence mindset
- Cross-functional collaboration
- CUDA/GPU programming or optimization for ARM-based embedded platforms
- Experience with LOAM, lego-LOAM, ORB-SLAM, or VINS
- Experience shipping localization stacks for deployed autonomous vehicles or mobile robots
