Manager, Perception Semantics

The Perception team at Zoox is responsible for creating the "eyes and ears" of our self-driving robots. Navigating safely and efficiently in complex environments requires detecting, classifying, tracking, and understanding a variety of attributes for all surrounding objects—all in real-time and with exceptional accuracy.
As a leader on the Perception team, you will drive the development of the semantic understanding of agents and objects that our robotaxis encounter in dynamic urban environments. This involves working with state-of-the-art machine learning models, which must operate in real-time on our robotaxi platform with minimal latency. You will collaborate closely with a highly skilled group of engineers and researchers, as well as teams across sensors, prediction, planning, and other areas. You’ll also have access to world-class sensor data and cutting-edge infrastructure to test and validate your algorithms in real-world conditions.

In this role, you will:

• Lead a team of software engineers within Perception, applying both technical and managerial expertise to achieve high-impact results.
• Define and drive the short-term and long-term technical roadmap for the team, aligning with broader company-wide objectives.
• Recruit, grow, and mentor the team, fostering professional development and ensuring strategic hiring.
• Collaborate with other Perception subteams, including those focused on detection, tracking, verification and validation, and labeling tools, as well as the Prediction and Planning teams to address complex urban driving challenges.
• Drive cross-functional initiatives with teams in Simulation, ML Infrastructure, Data Science, Systems Design, Mission Assurance, QA, and others.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD degree in computer science or related field
• Proven experience training and deploying state-of-the-art deep learning models
• Hands-on experience with production-level Machine Learning pipelines, including dataset creation, training frameworks, and metrics pipelines
• Extensive experience with programming and algorithm design
• Strong mathematics skills
• Proficiency with Python libraries like PyTorch, NumPy, Pandas, etc.

Bonus Qualifications

• Fluency in C++
• Publications in your field (CVPR, ICCV, RSS, ICRA preferred)
• Experience working with autonomous robots
• Familiarity with multimodal large language models (MLLMs)
• Experience with probabilistic representations of neural network outputs
• Expertise in out-of-distribution detection techniques
• Experience designing novel pipelines and architectures for neural networks 

Compensation and BenefitsThere are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. The salary range for this position is $250,000 to $317,000. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position. 
Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (e.g. 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, and life insurance.
About ZooxZoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.
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AccommodationsIf you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or your assigned recruiter.
A Final Note:You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.