Staff Machine Learning Software Engineer, Perception

We're Cruise, a self-driving service designed for the cities we love.

We’re building the world’s most advanced self-driving vehicles to safely connect people to the places, things, and experiences they care about. We believe self-driving vehicles will help save lives, reshape cities, give back time in transit, and restore freedom of movement for many.

In our cars, you’re free to be yourself. It’s the same here at Cruise. We’re creating a culture that values the experiences and contributions of all of the unique individuals who collectively make up Cruise, so that every employee can do their best work. 

Cruise is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, both in our workplace and in our products. If you are looking to play a part in making a positive impact in the world by advancing the revolutionary work of self-driving cars, come join us. Even if you might not meet every requirement, we strongly encourage you to apply. You might just be the right candidate for us.

We're seeking an experienced Tech Lead / Staff ML Software Engineer to drive our Perception Evaluation team's technical direction and architecture, focusing on designing and implementing next-generation autonomous vehicle perception solutions while working closely with ML researchers and engineers.

What You'll Be Doing

• Drive technical roadmap and architect perception evaluation systems that shape multi-year product strategy.
• Design and implement scalable ML evaluation frameworks, pipelines, and infrastructure to enable rapid iteration and validation of perception models.
• Create and maintain technical standards, best practices, and design patterns across perception evaluation systems.
• Develop innovative technical solutions for complex ML evaluation challenges in autonomous vehicle perception.
• Partner with ML Research, Data, and Infrastructure teams to drive technical alignment and implementation
• Establish metrics, processes, and frameworks for systematic evaluation of ML models
• Lead technical deep dives, root cause analysis, and architecture discussions
• Champion code quality, testing standards, and technical documentation practices

What You Must Have

• BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 5+ years of software engineering experience with focus on large-scale systems.
• 2+ years of technical leadership experience driving complex projects and architectural decisions
• Track record of successful cross-functional technical collaboration.
• Expert-level programming skills in Python and C++
• Deep understanding of ML model lifecycle, MLOps, and evaluation metrics
• Extensive experience with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) and ML infrastructure
• Strong expertise in distributed systems design and architecture
• Proven track record of leading complex technical projects and making architectural decisions at scale
• Expertise in designing and implementing large-scale data processing pipelines
• Excellence in technical communication and documentation

Nice to Have

• Experience with autonomous systems or robotics
• Familiarity with SQL and data engineering
• Publications in ML/CV conferences
• Contributions to open-source ML/robotics projects

The salary range for this position is $175,100 - $257,500. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. You may also be offered a bonus, long-term incentives, and benefits. These ranges are subject to change.

Our benefits are here to support the whole you:

• Competitive salary and benefits 
• Medical / dental / vision, Life and AD&D
• Subsidized mental health benefits
• Paid time off and holidays
• Paid parental, medical, family care, and military leave of absence
• 401(k) Cruise matching program 
• Fertility benefits
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Flexible Spending Account & Health Saving Account
• Perks Wallet program for benefits/perks
• Pre-tax Commuter benefit plan for local employees
• CruiseFlex, our location-flexible work policy. (Learn more about CruiseFlex).

• Through our partnerships with General Motors and Honda, we are the only self-driving company with fully integrated manufacturing at scale.

• GM, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart have invested billions in Cruise. Their backing for our technology demonstrates their confidence in our progress, team, and vision and makes us one of the leading autonomous vehicle organizations in the industry. Our deep resources greatly accelerate our operating speed.

Cruise LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a supportive and inclusive workplace where contributions are valued and celebrated, and our employees thrive by being themselves and are inspired to do the best work of their lives. We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, color, caste, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, or disability. Applicants will not be discriminated against based on these or other protected categories or social identities. Cruise will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, in accordance with applicable laws.

Cruise is committed to the full inclusion of all applicants. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please let our recruiting team know or email HR@getcruise.com.

We proactively work to design hiring processes that promote equity and inclusion while mitigating bias. To help us track the effectiveness and inclusivity of our recruiting efforts, please consider answering the following demographic questions. Answering these questions is entirely voluntary. Your answers to these questions will not be shared with the hiring decision makers and will not impact the hiring decision in any way. Instead, Cruise will use this information not only to comply with any government reporting obligations but also to track our progress toward meeting our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging objectives. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Candidates applying for roles that operate and remotely operate the AV: Licensed to drive a motor vehicle in the U.S. for the three years immediately preceding your application, currently holding an active in-state regular driver’s license or equivalent, and no more than one point on driving record. A successful completion of a background check, drug screen and DMV Motor Vehicle Record check is also required.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Cruise does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Furthermore, Cruise does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by any agency other than its approved partners. 

No Application Deadline