Senior Staff Engineer, Computer Vision (C++) (R5197)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

This role is for a Computer Vision C++ Engineer to support the development of real-time perception capabilities for Shield AI's autonomous systems.

The Computer Vision Engineer will be responsible for designing, developing, and integrating advanced computer vision algorithms into high-performance C++ software pipelines. The role will focus on building custom perception capabilities from the ground up, with an emphasis on real-time performance, reliability, and deployment in edge compute environments. This position is required to increase the team's capacity and technical depth in real-time computer vision, image processing, and applied machine learning.

The successful candidate will bring strong C++ software engineering skills, experience developing high-performance or real-time systems, and a deep understanding of computer vision fundamentals. They should be capable of translating research concepts into deployable software and comfortable working on bespoke algorithms rather than relying only on existing libraries. Experience with areas such as visual SLAM, visual odometry, target tracking, feature detection and matching, 3D reconstruction, state estimation, sensor fusion, or real-time mapping would be highly valuable.

The role will also support the development of tracking and spatial perception pipelines for autonomous systems, including applications such as visual localization, motion estimation, scene reconstruction, landmark tracking, map building, and perception-assisted navigation. Familiarity with SLAM frameworks, probabilistic estimation, optimization, bundle adjustment, feature-based and direct methods, and deployment of real-time perception algorithms into C++ edge environments would be beneficial. Candidates with a Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Robotics, Computer Vision, Autonomous Systems, or a related field would be well aligned with the technical needs of the team, though strong applied industry experience is also highly relevant.

Required qualifications:

• Degree in Computer Vision, Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field.
• Deep proficiency in C++, with proven experience developing software in high-performance, real-time environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing custom computer vision algorithms from scratch, rather than exclusively applying existing libraries.
• Solid foundational understanding of computer vision, image processing, and machine learning principles.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, performance optimization, and version control.
• Proven ability to own technical work from ambiguous requirements through algorithm design, implementation, integration, and delivery.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary cross-functional teams, including AI experts, robotics engineers, and optical engineers, to deliver reliable edge solutions.

Preferred qualifications:

We do not expect candidates to have all of the following. Experience in any of these areas will help you stand out.

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with object detection, target tracking, 3D reconstruction, SLAM, camera calibration, or behaviour analysis.
• Background in automated video surveillance or other related real-time vision systems.
• Familiarity with industry-standard vision toolkits, such as OpenCV.
• Exposure to deep learning methodologies for image classification, recognition, or sequence modelling.
• Practical experience integrating deep learning models into broader computer vision systems for real-time deployment scenarios.
• Previous experience in the Defence sector, autonomous unmanned systems, or similar mission-critical domains.

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Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.