Third Wave Automation
Robotics
SeniorPerceptionEngineer-Robotics
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“Senior Perception Engineer - Robotics at Third Wave Automation. Skills: Perception Engineering, Robotics, Sensor processing, Object detection. Own and improve core perception capabilities. Design, implement, and optimize perception algorithms”
What You'll Achieve.
Improve the reliability, accuracy, and robustness of our perception systems; Advance the automation stack for our autonomous forklifts; Support our rapid growth projections; Measurable improvements in perception reliability, autonomy performance, and customer outcomes
Industry & Context.
Accelerate problem-solving; Reason about uncertainty, noisy sensor data, occlusion, latency, calibration
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Bachelor's Degree in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related quantitative discipline, 7+ years of industry experience, 5+ years of hands-on robotics or autonomy, Deep experience developing robot perception systems for real-world robotics, autonomous vehicles, warehouse automation, mobile robots, or similar deployed systems, Foundation in sensor processing, especially LiDAR and/or vision-based perception, Experience with one or more of the following: object detection, object tracking, segmentation, classification, sensor fusion, occupancy grids, scene understanding, obstacle detection, localization support, or mapping, Ability to reason about uncertainty, noisy sensor data, occlusion, latency, calibration, and other real-world perception challenges, Software development skills with the ability to write efficient, clean, reusable production-quality code in C++, Command of OOP/OOD, Fluency in developing, debugging, and deploying robotics software in Linux-based environments, Experience integrating perception outputs into downstream autonomy systems such as motion planning, prediction, behavior planning, control, or safety systems, Track record of bringing important robotics or perception features from ideation through implementation, testing, deployment, and iteration, Fluency with AI-assisted development tools such as Cursor, Copilot, Gemini, or LLM-based workflows to augment development, testing, debugging, and deployment, Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex perception concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Nice to Have
Advanced degree, Master's or Ph. D. , in Robotics, Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Electrical Engineering, or a related quantitative field, Deep experience with LiDAR perception, computer vision, sensor fusion, or perception systems for autonomous mobile robots, Experience developing perception systems that operate in production, safety-critical, or mission-critical environments, Experience with warehouse automation, autonomous forklifts, autonomous vehicles, AMRs, AGVs, industrial robotics, or other deployed robotic platforms, Familiarity with SLAM, localization, mapping, calibration, and their relationship to perception system performance, Experience analyzing large volumes of robot logs, field data, or sensor data to improve system performance, Experience with simulation, data replay, scenario testing, automated evaluation, or perception performance metrics, A proven history of providing technical leadership and mentoring junior engineers, Experience supporting shipping products and working through field deployment issues, Experience with safety systems or certification requirements such as ISO 3691, ISO 13849, CE Marking, or related standards
What You'll Do.
Own and improve core perception capabilities
and optimize perception algorithms
Develop robust sensor processing pipelines
Work with data from LiDAR
and other onboard sensors
Improve perception performance in real-world conditions
Integrate perception with planning and autonomy systems
Ensure perception outputs are accurate
Drive product maturity through deployed robotics
customer deployment learnings
and system failures into improvements
Build in an AI-first engineering environment
Leverage AI-assisted development tools
Debug complex autonomy issues end-to-end
Investigate perception-driven autonomy failures
Influence technical direction
Help shape the roadmap for perception and autonomy improvements
Mentor and raise the technical bar
Provide technical leadership
Contribute original ideas
Mentor junior engineers
Establish best practices for perception development
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Collaborate across robotics disciplines to identify root causes; Key member of a small, empowered engineering team
Communication Scope
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Ability to explain complex perception concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Full Job Description
Senior Perception Engineer - Robotics Work location: Union City, CA [Hybrid] Third Wave Automation (TWA) is a rapidly growing startup that has demonstrated its core technology components, proven its market fit, and just closed its Series C funding. If you are excited about cutting edge machine learning, robotics that affects the real world, and want to join a company where your skills can have a huge impact, you’ll fit right in. TWA is applying modern machine learning to materials handling—delivering site-specific forklift navigation and infrastructure-free pallet handling that continuously adapts to changing floor configuration and warehouse demand. We are looking for senior and principal level Robotics Engineers with strong Perception Engineering expertise to help advance the automation stack for our autonomous forklifts. As TWA expands with successful customer deployments, we are adding engineers who can improve the reliability, accuracy, and robustness of our perception systems in real-world warehouse environments. This role will focus heavily on sensor processing, perception pipelines, object detection and tracking, environmental understanding, localization support, and perception-to-planning integration. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience building perception capabilities for deployed robotic systems and is comfortable working across adjacent areas such as prediction, motion planning, vehicle behavior, and system-level debugging. You will be part of a core team working to pioneer new solutions while also driving product maturity to support our rapid growth projections. We empower our team with an AI-first engineering culture, leveraging LLMs and generative tools to accelerate problem-solving, automate the mundane, and allow engineers to focus on the high-level architectural, safety, and reliability challenges unique to autonomous robotics. How You Can Make An Impact Own and improve core perception capabilities: Design, implement, and optimize perceptio
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