Machine Learning Engineer, Autonomy

We’re Blue River, a team of innovators driven to create intelligent machinery that solves monumental problems for our customers. We empower our customers - farmers, construction crews, and foresters - to implement safer and more sustainable solutions, driving increased profitability with less reliance on scarce labor. We believe that focusing on the small stuff - pixel-by-pixel and task-by-task - leads to big gains. 

Blue River Technology aligns with John Deere’s vision to “innovate on behalf of humanity” by quickly identifying and solving high-value, high-uncertainty challenges in AI, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics. BRT acts as a research and development flywheel, building not only new products but also new platforms that reliably create value for both Deere and its customers. From fully autonomous machines to highly precise farming equipment, BRT and Deere are partnering to create technical breakthroughs in industries like agriculture and construction. 

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, this mission-driven team is eager to define the new frontier of robotics. We are always asking hard questions, rapidly iterating, and getting our boots in the field to figure it out. We won’t give up until we’ve made a tangible and positive impact on the planet!

Blue River Technology is based in Santa Clara, CA. 

Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Machine Learning Engineer to join the team responsible for building the perception stack for Blue River's autonomous tractor initiative. The hire will be responsible for developing CVML models and training and testing pipelines to enhance system safety and performance in challenging production environments. This role will range from developing initial prototypes all the way to scaling for production. We’re looking for a motivated and collaborative individual to help build the future of autonomous agriculture.

• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Work Location: Remote in the United States
• Visa sponsorship: Open to visa sponsorship. 

Job Responsibilities

A combination, not necessarily all-inclusive, of the following:

• Design, develop, and optimize CVML models and training pipelines for perception tasks including segmentation and depth estimation, with a focus on safety and performance in challenging production environments.
• Own the full ML development lifecycle: from initial prototyping through to production-scale deployment on edge and cloud systems.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering teams to integrate perception models into BRT's autonomous tractor initiative.
• Evaluate and improve model performance through rigorous implementation, testing, and analysis of metrics across large-scale datasets.
• Contribute to advancing autonomous agriculture by applying cutting-edge machine learning and computer vision techniques to real-world farming challenges.

Required Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field, graduate degree preferred.
• 2 years of experience developing high-performance ML systems, training and optimizing DNNs for segmentation, depth, and related perception tasks with large-scale datasets.
• Strong Python + PyTorch/TensorFlow skills.
• Solid grasp of vision + deep learning fundamentals.
• Strong communication skills to work closely with interdisciplinary teams to integrate models into edge and cloud systems.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience in building and deploying full-stack ML pipelines, from data ingestion to model training, testing, and deployment.
• Edge deployment or real-time optimization know-how.
• Experience in working with CVML & Robotics projects.
• Experience with multi-view geometry or SLAM.
• Experience in the vehicle autonomy space.
• Experience in metrics implementation, analysis, and dashboarding.
• Knowledge of robotics libraries such as ROS / ROS2.

At Blue River, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $113,000 - $202,000/year for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus and a competitive benefit package. During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.

We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing in our programs, including recruiting, mentorship, career development, and learning & development, to ensure they support our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. We support each employee in living a full life, enabling a thriving career, and accomplishing a meaningful, challenging mission while collaborating with incredible people. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align completely with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.