Staff Software Engineer

The role

You will define and drive the long-term vision and architecture for perception systems. You will architect complex, scalable, and robust end-to-end perception and robotics systems for deployment on real-world hardware.

What you will do

• Spearhead the architectural design, implementation, and long-term ownership of next-generation perception systems.
• Champion best practices in software development and deliver high-performance C++ code.
• Architect and optimize high-throughput, real-time perception pipelines.
• Drive the strategic selection, adaptation, and integration of ML and CV models.
• Provide technical leadership in ambiguous and complex problem domains.
• Act as a key technical liaison collaborating with Product leadership.
• Define and contribute to foundational shared infrastructure, tooling, and architectural patterns.

Required qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in building and deploying perception systems.
• Deep expertise in one or more of: robotics, state estimation, computer vision, or applied machine learning.
• Extensive experience leading large, complex, production-grade systems end-to-end.
• Expert-level proficiency in modern C++, including experience with real-time and/or embedded systems.
• Proven track record of technical leadership and architectural ownership across multiple projects or teams.
• Experience scaling systems from prototype to production in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Strong ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across teams.
• Demonstrated mentorship and ability to raise the bar for engineering quality across an organization.

Nice to have

• experience in automotive or robotics domains

About the company

Hayden AI uses computer vision to transform how transit systems and government agencies address real-world challenges. Their mobile perception system empowers clients to accelerate transit, enhance street safety, and drive toward a sustainable future.