Lead Perception Engineer

About ATI:

Automated Tire (ATI) is on a mission to reinvent tire changing and wheel balancing using cutting-edge robotics. We are transforming a process that hasn’t fundamentally changed in decades into an automated, high-performance system built for the future of automotive service.

Founded by experienced entrepreneurs and backed by leading players across the automotive and tire industries, ATI is building technology that will redefine how cars are serviced. Our team combines deep robotics expertise with real world deployment, moving fast from prototype to production and scaling solutions directly in the field.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of robotics and industrial automation, applying cutting-edge AI and ML techniques to develop advanced vision control systems. If you are a perception or computer vision engineer with a passion for solving complex automation challenges, we encourage you to apply and become a key part of our innovative team.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Perception Engineer to lead a team of engineers solving challenging robotic perception problems using both classical computer vision and machine learning (ML) approaches.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical leadership with hands-on engineering experience and has a proven track record of developing and deploying perception systems end to end. This includes sensor selection and architecture, vision and data pipeline development, algorithm and model development, software integration, system validation, and deployment in real-world robotic environments.

This role requires someone who can define the technical direction of the perception stack while remaining actively involved in implementation, experimentation, debugging, and field deployment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership: Lead the perception team through the full development lifecycle, from concept and architecture through deployment and continuous improvement.

• Perception Development:

• • Develop classical vision and ML solutions for classification, detection, tracking, localization, pose estimation, and 3D reconstruction.
  • Select and integrate sensing technologies such as LiDAR, time-of-flight, stereo, and RGB/RGB-D cameras.
  • Build scalable data collection and evaluation pipelines using real-world and synthetic data.
  • Develop, train, and deploy deep learning models, including CNNs, vision transformers, temporal models, and multimodal approaches.
  • Define performance metrics and lead testing, validation, and calibration to ensure accuracy, robustness, and reliability.

• System Design: Design and maintain high-throughput, low-latency perception pipelines for real-time robotic systems.

• Hands-On Debugging: Diagnose and resolve perception and hardware-software integration issues, including hands-on debugging of robotic systems on the shop floor and in the field.

• Engineering Excellence and Mentorship: Set high standards for architecture, code quality, testing, and documentation while mentoring and developing engineers.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with mechanical, systems, mechatronics, robotics, software, simulation, and quality teams to deliver perception solutions aligned with product and system requirements.

• Master’s or PhD degree or equivalent knowledge in Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• 8–10 years of professional software engineering experience in robotics and computer vision for robotics applications.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, testing, and optimizing vision solutions for robotic or automation applications.
• At least 2–3 years of experience in a formal or informal leadership capacity, such as a Team Lead, Tech Lead, or Mentor, with a track record of guiding technical projects and junior engineers.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python, C++ and/or Rust with a focus on writing production-grade, well-tested code for autonomous systems.
• Proficiency in AI/ML frameworks (e.g. PyTorch) and computer vision libraries (OpenCV, PCL, Open3D or CUDA).
• Proficiency in building ML pipelines and optimizing/productizing ML models.
• Experience with deep learning approaches (CNN (ResNet), LSTM, Transformer (ViT) as well multimodal models (VLM, VLA))
• Strong foundation in robotics including kinematics, sensor calibration, perception pipeline design, and system architecture. 
• Experience with geometry based computer vision, with a strong foundation in 3D geometry, multi-view geometry, filtering, tracking for real time perception.
• Ability to evaluate sensor selection and system-level tradeoffs, and to define test and validation plans that prove robust operation in production.
• Proven ability to perform hands-on, low-level debugging and systematic troubleshooting of complex robotic systems in real-world environments.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work in a dynamic environment.
• Excellent communication and mentorship skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing within the ROS 2 ecosystem.

Why Join ATI:

• Be part of a groundbreaking startup transforming automotive service technology
• Work with a team of industry veterans and top-tier robotics and software talent
• Our customers are our investors, so you'll develop and test in real service lane environments
• A genuine data advantage: proprietary inspection imagery from real shops that no public dataset can replicate
• Clear Total Addressable Market with strong pull from B2B partners
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package
• Prime location in Woburn, MA with on-site parking
• Collaborative, low-ego, high-intensity work environment