Senior Machine Learning Engineer (Robotics)

TL;DR

Senior Machine Learning Engineer (Robotics): Developing, training, and deploying perception models for autonomous surface vehicles with an accent on edge optimization and real-world maritime validation. Focus on building robust data pipelines, implementing real-time sensor fusion, and ensuring safe navigation in complex ocean environments.

Location: Must be based in San Diego, CA (in-office). Due to export control requirements, only U.S. persons (citizens, permanent residents, asylees, or refugees) can be considered.

Salary: $180,000–$250,000/yr

Company

hirify.global builds unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) that provide persistent monitoring and data acquisition for defense, scientific, and commercial customers.

What you will do

• Define and drive the ML roadmap for vehicle perception systems.
• Train, fine-tune, and optimize models for compute-limited edge hardware.
• Build and maintain data pipelines for fleet dataset organization and labeling.
• Establish evaluation frameworks to validate model behavior before deployment.
• Collaborate with the vehicle software team to integrate models into the autonomy stack.
• Lead technical efforts and mentor other engineers on the team.

Requirements

• 7+ years in machine learning, with 5+ years solving perception problems in production.
• Deep background in computer vision, foundation models, and custom model training.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and PyTorch, with strong knowledge of OpenCV.
• Hands-on experience with edge model optimization (quantization, pruning, TensorRT/ONNX).
• Experience with MLOps tooling for versioning, experiment tracking, and deployment.
• Must be a U.S. person as defined by U.S. export control laws.

Nice to have

• Experience with probabilistic algorithms for tracking and change detection.
• Knowledge of real-time multi-modal sensor fusion (LiDAR, radar, camera, IMU).
• Familiarity with maritime or acoustic data.
• Experience with path-planning and control algorithms.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive insurance including a 99% employer-covered Gold HMO plan.
• 401k matching up to 4% of salary.
• Unlimited/Flex PTO policy.
• Four free lunches per week and an employee activity fund.
• Pet-friendly office environment.
• Stock options.