{"id":1643182,"url":"https://alion.io/job/saildrone-perception-engineer","title":"Perception Engineer","company":{"id":58789,"name":"Saildrone","domain":"saildrone.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/saildrone","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":14,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-13T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Robotics","role_family":"Robotics","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Alameda, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":144500,"max":300000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":300000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Computer Vision","optional":false},{"name":"Sensor Fusion","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"Rest API","optional":true},{"name":"SLAM","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-21T17:39:23Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-01","last_verified_at":"2026-10-13T06:46:04Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":21,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":21},"description":"THE COMPANY\nSaildrone is a maritime defense company and the global leader in autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). With more ocean miles and real-world operational experience than any USV manufacturer or operator, Saildrone maintains active, combat-deployed systems supporting national security and force projection around the world, 24/7/365. \nSaildrone’s manufacturing and R&D headquarters are located in Alameda, CA, with business development and sales operations in Washington, DC, and deployment hubs in Europe and the Middle East. By combining proven autonomous operations, edge computing, advanced sensing, renewable power, and the most advanced and robust unmanned surface technology on the planet, Saildrone is shaping how the Navy of the future operates. Join a fast-moving, mission-driven team at the forefront of maritime security and autonomous innovation.\nTHE POSITION\nSaildrone's autonomous vehicles rely on perception systems to understand their surroundings and estimate their position and motion. As a Perception Engineer, you will develop and deploy the perception and estimation capabilities that turn raw sensor data into rich, accurate inputs that power downstream autonomy and product capabilities.\nYou will work across perception algorithms, sensor fusion, production C++, and real-world vehicle testing.\nTHE RESPONSIBILITIES\nDevelop perception, localization, state-estimation, multi object tracking, and sensor-fusion algorithms for autonomous vehicles.\nProcess camera, radar, and similar sensor data to produce reliable estimates of the vehicle and its environment.\nImplement, test, and optimize production perception software in C++.\nAnalyze real-world data and vehicle behavior to diagnose failures and improve robustness.\nIntegrate perception capabilities with the broader autonomy stack and validate them on real vehicles.\nContribute to perception architecture and system design.\nTHE QUALIFICATIONS\nHands-on C++ development skills\nExperience developing perception, computer vision, localization, state estimation, sensor fusion, or related robotics systems.\nStrong understanding of robotics and the mathematics underlying perception and estimation.\nExperience working with real sensor data and physical systems.\nExperience integrating, configuring, and calibrating sensor systems.\nExperience debugging and benchmarking integrated robotics or autonomous systems.\nNICE TO HAVE\nExperience with probabilistic state estimation, Kalman filtering, SLAM, visual odometry, or related techniques.\nExperience deploying autonomous systems in the field.\nPython experience for analysis, experimentation, or tooling.\nThe base salary range for this position is shown below. Actual compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and qualifications. This range reflects the base salary for candidates in states requiring pay transparency disclosure.\nSalary Range\n$144,500—$300,000 USD\nTo view Saildrone's candidate privacy policy, please visit: https://www.saildrone.com/privacy-policy.\nBENEFITS\nAt Saildrone, we’re building operational capability that matters-and that requires people who can do their best work over the long term. We invest in our team’s well-being, financial security, and professional growth so you can focus on delivering real-world impact with confidence and stability. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support you and your family while you contribute to a mission with lasting significance. \n Generous Time Off: Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual plus a robust annual holiday schedule and paid sick leave ensure you can rest, reset, and sustain performance over time.\nComprehensive Health Coverage: Premium, multi-tier Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with significant company contributions for employees and dependents-providing security and peace of mind.\nShared Ownership in the Mission: Equity grants are a core part of our compensation, allowing you to participate in the long-term value you help create through meaningful, operational work.\n Retirement Savings: Access to a 401(k) retirement plan with flexible pre-tax and Roth payroll contribution options supports long-term financial planning.\nInvestment in Your Growth: We support your continuous learning through an annual professional development reimbursement program, empowering you to sharpen your skills and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving field.\n Relocation Support: For eligible roles, we offer relocation assistance to help bring the world’s best talent to our mission-critical locations.\nSaildrone is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4902,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning","Equity","Professional development","Relocation assistance","Retirement plans"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Military","Drones & UAVs","Naval Systems"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-01T22:41:41Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":27,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.497,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":21,"expected_fill_days":20,"reasons":["conf:2","stale_co","velocity","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-13T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":300000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/saildrone-perception-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/saildrone-perception-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-13T09:25:10Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":14187,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":58789},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=58789"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsaildrone-perception-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsaildrone-perception-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsaildrone-perception-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/saildrone-perception-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsaildrone-perception-engineer"}]}