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Principal Software Engineer, Perception Architect

Zoox
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Hybrid (Foster City, CA)$410k - $492kFull-timePosted 6mo ago

About the role

Be the visionary Perception Architect designing the sensory "nervous system" for Zoox's next generation of autonomous products, leading end-to-end perception architecture, hardware-software co-design, and AI-driven perception pipelines for edge deployment.

Responsibilities

  • Define the end-to-end perception architecture—assess new sensing (LiDAR, Radar, Camera) to the final fused world model.
  • Partner with Compute and Sensing teams to influence hardware-software co-design ensuring algorithms have sufficient computational resources.
  • Lead the transition from current pipelines to AI innovation pipelines while maintaining safety and interpretability for edge deployment.
  • Evaluate emerging technologies for viability on a 3-5 year roadmap.
  • Collaborate on metrics for latency and accuracy across diverse edge-computing environments.
  • Lead cross-functional teams to plan migration to new platforms and unlock additional capabilities for Perception systems; coordinate projects across partner teams to align with organizational direction.

Qualifications

  • Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on Computer Vision.
  • 8+ years in autonomous systems with at least 2 years in an architectural role, shipping and evolving perception systems
  • Mastery of Computer Vision, Deep learning, Foundational models, Sensor Fusion, and State Estimation (SLAM, EKF/UKF); deep understanding of camera, LiDAR, radar modalities.
  • Deep understanding of hardware acceleration, component budgeting and transition to new platforms.
  • Strong foundation in 3D geometry, linear algebra, and probabilistic robotics.
  • Proficiency in C++ (production-grade) and Python (rapid prototyping); ability to run experiments across system components and metrics platforms.
  • Curious, data-driven, with ability to translate technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders and executive leadership.

Skills

Required:End-to-end perception architecture designHardware-Software Co-DesignAI innovation pipelinesSensor modalitiesC++Python3D geometryLinear algebra

Benefits

  • paid time off (sick leave, vacation, bereavement)
  • unpaid time off
  • Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights
  • Amazon RSUs
  • health insurance
  • long-term care insurance
  • long-term and short-term disability insurance
  • life insurance
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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About Zoox

It's Not a Car | Zoox

Zoox is a purpose-built autonomous vehicle designed for riders, not drivers. Learn more about the Zoox robotaxi and the future of ride-hailing.

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