Senior Perception Engineer (Spacer Robotics)

We're seeking a Senior Perception Engineer to join the core team building Spacer's production level robot. This role is highly hands-on and multidisciplinary, working at the intersection of hardware, sensors, and autonomy. You'll be responsible for designing, integrating, and validating sensor systems and perception pipelines to enable reliable robot behavior in real-world construction environments. As an early hire, you'll play a critical role in proving technical feasibility, shaping our engineering culture, and leading perception architecture for the autonomy team. Spacer Robotics is building autonomous, non-humanoid robotic systems to construct infrastructure in extreme environments-from lunar bases to next-gen terrestrial job sites. Our vision is to disrupt the $16 trillion global construction industry by pioneering a new Deep Tech philosophy that blends robotics, AI, and systems engineering at the frontier. About you:

• 6+ years of experience in robotics perception, computer vision, and sensor integration;
• Expert-level proficiency in C, C++, and Python for production robotics systems;
• Strong experience with ROS2 in real-world deployments;
• Proficiency with Git for version control and collaborative development;
• Working knowledge of Docker for reproducible builds, deployment, and CI pipelines;
• Deep experience with:
• Sensor fusion & filtering (EKF, UKF, factor graphs);
• SLAM & localization;
• LiDAR-based perception and 3D point cloud processing;
• Camera-based perception (object detection, segmentation).
• Strong understanding of:
• Coordinate frames and transformations;
• Sensor calibration (intrinsic and extrinsic);
• Real-time and embedded system constraints.
• Proven track record of delivering perception systems on physical robots, not only in simulation;
• Experience leading perception architecture for a commercial robotics product;
• Ready to roll up the sleeves and join an early stage startup environment.

What will you do: Perception Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Own the perception architecture from raw sensor data to actionable inputs for planning and control;
• Define technical direction, architecture trade-offs, and long-term perception roadmap;
• Lead perception-related design reviews, root-cause analysis, and performance optimization.

Sensors & Sensor Fusion

• Lead integration, calibration, and validation of LiDAR, cameras (stereo/depth), IMU, wheel encoders, GPS, force/torque, and proximity sensors;
• Design and implement robust sensor fusion pipelines using filters, factor graphs, or optimization-based methods;
• Ensure proper time synchronization, frame alignment (TF), and data integrity across sensors;
• Select sensors based on environmental constraints (dust, vibration, lighting, outdoor/industrial conditions).

Perception Algorithms & Computer Vision

• Develop and optimize object detection, semantic segmentation, and 3D perception algorithms;
• Implement obstacle detection, terrain analysis, and scene understanding for construction environments;
• Work with both classical computer vision techniques and modern deep learning approaches;
• Optimize perception pipelines for real-time performance on embedded compute platforms.

Localization & Mapping

• Design and implement localization systems for long-duration, real-world operation;
• Work with LiDAR-based SLAM, visual-inertial SLAM, and hybrid approaches;
• Integrate with frameworks such as Cartographer, LIO-SAM, Isaac ROS SLAM, or custom pipelines;
• Establish quantitative metrics for accuracy, robustness, drift, and recovery behavior.

ROS & System Integration

• Architect and maintain perception components within a ROS2-based autonomy stack;
• Design node architectures, lifecycle management, diagnostics, and logging for perception systems;
• Optimize ROS2 performance for real-time constraints on embedded platforms;
• Manage TF trees, message interfaces, QoS policies, and system observability.

Compute & Deployment

• Select and justify appropriate compute platforms (embedded CPUs, GPUs, accelerators) for perception workloads;
• Balance performance, power, thermal, cost, and reliability constraints;
• Optimize pipelines for CPU/GPU usage, memory, and real-time performance;
• Work with hardware teams on bring-up, drivers, and system-level optimization.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $140,000 - $230,000 annually. The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Competitive equity, depending on experience and role level. As one of our early engineering hires, your equity stake will be meaningful and reflect the impact you'll have on building our technology from the ground up. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended. Apply tot his job Apply To this Job