Lead Software Engineer (m/f/d) Perception & Autonomous Systems

The future of mobility isn’t just coming; we’re building it. At the heart of our mission is the drive to bring Level 4 autonomous technology to Germany. Our in-house AI is paving the way for Europe’s first certifiable system, backed by a team of experts who have been innovating hand-in-hand since 2017. We don't just follow trends - we lead the transformation.

Tasks

• Take technical leadership of our Perception & Autonomous Systems team: set direction on architecture and design decisions, define engineering standards, and guide the team's roadmap for our real-time C++ software stack, including ROS2 nodes and processing pipelines. You remain hands-on (roughly 50% of your time), directly contributing to implementation, code reviews, and critical design work rather than stepping back into a purely managerial role
• Drive the technical vision for our computer vision stack, combining classical computer vision techniques with hybrid CPU/CUDA solutions for computationally intensive perception and image processing pipelines. You'll make key architectural calls, unblock your team on hard technical problems, and personally implement core components where your expertise adds the most value
• Guide the integration of machine learning models across the team - overseeing efficient inference pipelines, runtime optimizations such as quantization, and model deployment and training workflows. You will also shape the overall software architecture of the autonomous vehicle stack, including SOTIF considerations, mentor engineers on best practices, coordinate with adjacent teams, and participate in field testing and experimental validation activities

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Machine Learning, Computer Vision or a related technical discipline
• At least 8 years of professional experience in modern C++ software development for high-performance or real-time systems, including experience taking technical ownership of complex systems or leading engineers through design and implementation decisions
• At least 8 years of experience in Machine Learning Engineering, Computer Vision, or deploying machine learning models in production environments
• Several years of experience in Data Engineering or the design of scalable data processing pipelines
• Proven track record of providing technical leadership - setting architecture direction, mentoring engineers, and driving cross-functional alignment - while staying hands-on and directly contributing to code and design
• Strong expertise in modern C++, software architecture, ROS2, and performance optimization, combined with solid knowledge of classical computer vision and image processing
• Experience with CUDA, GPU programming, MLOps, and inference optimization frameworks such as TensorRT or ONNX Runtime is considered an advantage
• Strong analytical thinking, a structured approach to problem solving, and the ability to guide an interdisciplinary engineering team while remaining a hands-on contributor
• Fluent in English; knowledge of German is an advantage

Benefits

• Genuine team spirit: working in teams that drive change forward - no matter how complex and extensive the projects are
• Flexible working hours - with room for the realities of life (parenthood, caregiving responsibilities, voluntary work, etc.)
• Whether it's fashion, beauty, travel or culture - you'll receive numerous discounts through our partner Corporate Benefits
• Social relevance: We work on solutions that have game-changing qualities
• Subsidy for public transport tickets
• Your professional development is important to us - that's why we cover the costs of further education and training
• Excellent transport links: attractive location in Wedding with very good public transport connections
• Focus on people: Our strength lies in our diversity. We respect each other for who we are

We particularly welcome applications from women and explicitly encourage them to apply for this position.

At our new premises, we place great importance on getting to know one another and working together to drive our vision forward. Our international team is growing and working together on this exciting mission. Face-to-face collaboration is the key to success, which is why we have decided not to become a fully remote company.

We ask recruitment consultancies and agencies not to submit candidate profiles without our prior express request. Any candidate profiles submitted without a prior written placement agreement signed by both parties shall be deemed to have been submitted unsolicited. No entitlement to placement fees or other charges shall arise from their use or from the subsequent recruitment of the candidate.