Perception & State Estimation Engineer - DoorDash Air

About the Team

DoorDash Labs is an independent team within DoorDash. We explore robotics and automation to transform last mile logistics in the long term. If you have a passion for applying robotics solutions in a service used by millions of people, then we want to talk to you!

About the Role

We're hiring a State Estimation & Perception Engineer in our Autonomy Software team. In this role, you'll own and develop the perception and state estimation for our package pickup and delivery system. You'll influence system design decisions, including sensor selection, sensing architecture, and observability analysis, at the earliest stage when choices still matter.

You're excited about this opportunity because you will…

• Play an integral role on a small and focused team
• Own tuning and implementation of the state estimation stack on the drone (PX4 EKF modifications, fault tolerance, multi-sensor fusion with VIO and laser odometry)
• Own state estimation and perception of the delivery mechanism, including dynamics modeling, observation model design, and sensor selection
• Work closely with controls and planning to close the loop on automated pickup and delivery
• Work closely with the hardware team to define sensing principles and sensor placement
• Design and execute flight test campaigns to validate estimator performance
• Identify and resolve failure modes in estimation (degenerate geometries, sensor dropout, initialization)

We're excited about you because…

• You have deep experience with state estimation and filtering (EKF, UKF, MSCKF, particle filters)
• You have experience with optimization-based methods (factor graphs, GTSAM, Ceres, SymForce)
• You have experience with visual-inertial odometry (VIO) and/or laser odometry (LIO)
• You're proficient in modern computer vision (feature extraction, tracking, depth estimation)
• You have strong C++ and/or Rust skills, with Python for prototyping and analysis
• You have experience deploying estimation on real hardware with real sensor noise
• You can derive an EKF from scratch, including process model, measurement model, observability analysis, and consistency checks
• You have deep linear algebra knowledge (matrix decompositions, sparsity exploitation, numerical conditioning)
• You've closed a perception-to-control loop on real hardware under degraded conditions
• You're comfortable operating at the intersection of theory and embedded reality
• You're driven by a passion for delivering outstanding customer experiences
• You have a proactive approach to development, often crafting new tools
• MS/PhD degree in CS, EE, ME, Robotics, or related technical field

Nice to have experience includes 

• Experience with PX4 / ArduPilot EKF internals
• Experience with multi-body state estimation (tethered or suspended payloads)
• Familiarity with SLAM in GPS-denied environments
• Publications or open-source contributions in state estimation or VIO
• You've debugged estimator failures in the field, not just in simulation

Applications for this position are accepted on an ongoing basis

Compensation

The successful candidate’s starting pay will fall within the pay range listed below and is determined based on job-related factors including, but not limited to, skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. Base salary is localized according to an employee’s work location. Ranges are market-dependent and may be modified in the future.

In addition to base salary, the compensation for this role includes opportunities for equity grants. Talk to your recruiter for more information.

DoorDash cares about you and your overall well-being. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package to all regular employees, which includes a 401(k) plan with employer matching, 16 weeks of paid parental leave, wellness benefits, commuter benefits match, paid time off and paid sick leave in compliance with applicable laws (e.g. Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act). DoorDash also offers medical, dental, and vision benefits, 11 paid holidays, disability and basic life insurance, family-forming assistance, and a mental health program, among others.

To learn more about our benefits, visit our careers page here.

See below for paid time off details:

• For salaried roles: flexible paid time off/vacation, plus 80 hours of paid sick time per year.
• For hourly roles: vacation accrued at about 1 hour for every 25.97 hours worked (e.g. about 6.7 hours/month if working 40 hours/week; about 3.4 hours/month if working 20 hours/week), and paid sick time accrued at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (e.g. about 5.8 hours/month if working 40 hours/week; about 2.9 hours/month if working 20 hours/week).

The national base pay range for this position within the United States, including Illinois and Colorado.

$198,600—$292,000 USD

About DoorDash

At DoorDash, our mission to empower local economies shapes how our team members move quickly, learn, and reiterate in order to make impactful decisions that display empathy for our range of users-from Dashers to merchant partners to consumers. We are a technology and logistics company that started by enabling door-to-door delivery, and we are looking for team members who can help us go from a company that is known as the place you order food to a company that people turn to for any and all goods.

DoorDash is growing rapidly and changing constantly, which gives our team members the opportunity to share their unique perspectives, solve new challenges, and own their careers. We're committed to supporting employees’ happiness, healthiness, and overall well-being by providing comprehensive benefits and perks including premium healthcare, wellness expense reimbursement, paid parental leave and more.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We’re committed to growing and empowering a more inclusive community within our company, industry, and cities. That’s why we hire and cultivate diverse teams of people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that true innovation happens when everyone has room at the table and the tools, resources, and opportunity to excel.

Statement of Non-Discrimination: In keeping with our beliefs and goals, no employee or applicant will face discrimination or harassment based on: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, or veteran status. Above and beyond discrimination and harassment based on “protected categories,” we also strive to prevent other subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (i.e., stereotyping) from ever gaining a foothold in our office. Whether blatant or hidden, barriers to success have no place at DoorDash. We value a diverse workforce - people who identify as women, non-binary or gender non-conforming, LGBTQIA+, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, differently-abled, caretakers and parents, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Thank you to the Level Playing Field Institute for this statement of non-discrimination.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.

If you need any accommodations, please inform your recruiting contact upon initial connection.