Platform Systems Engineer; Sensing and Perception, Maps and Localization

The role

You will lead the systems engineering for sensing, perception, maps and localization on autonomous vehicles. You will write requirements, connect AI, software, hardware and safety teams, and mentor engineers on the Platform team.

What you will do

• Lead the end-to-end systems engineering lifecycle for sensing, perception, maps and localization.
• Create and refine Autonomous Vehicle requirements for sensing, perception, sensor fusion, mapping and pose estimation.
• Own the Sensing, Perception and Localization contracts, including sensor performance, calibration, data quality and degradation strategies.
• Act as the technical liaison between AI and software engineers, hardware engineers and safety teams.
• Use physical and simulated data to verify requirements for the sensor suite and localization pipeline.
• Improve simulation and synthetic data generation of AV sensor models.
• Contribute to the system safety case and trace requirements through verification and validation.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers on systems engineering and risk management.

Required qualifications

• 3+ years of industry experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics or aerospace, taking complex systems from R&D to deployment.
• Strong foundation in AV systems: Lidar, Radar, Camera, perception, sensor fusion, mapping and localization (GNSS/INS, SLAM, odometry).
• Deep knowledge of sensor physics, signal processing, data management and correlated system errors.
• Expert knowledge of Systems Engineering and V&V, including decomposing safety goals into verifiable specs for Level 4 AV systems.
• Working knowledge of ISO 26262 and translating probabilistic safety goals into quantifiable metrics.
• Coding skills in Python, C++ or other languages used for data analysis and systems modeling.
• Extensive experience in sensor simulation, error modeling and perception/localization requirements development.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with generative AI architectures or ML-based perception in deterministic, verifiable safety cases.
• Familiarity with SOTIF (ISO 21448) and unknown-unsafe scenarios.
• Experience building end-to-end perception or localization systems, including HD map integration.
• Experience with sensor calibration and synchronization for commercial trucking or heavy machinery.
• Experience defining and executing perception/localization test cases, including edge cases, weather and GPS-denied environments.
• Passion for robotics and understanding of electro-mechanical problems in self-driving or robotics.
• Coding in Rust and using build and test automation tools.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and equity awards.
• Medical, Dental and Vision coverage (full-time employees only).
• Unlimited vacation.
• Flexible hours and work-from-home support.
• Daily drinks, snacks and catered meals when in office.
• Regular team building activities and social events on-site, off-site and virtual.

Before you apply

• Visa sponsorship is not stated.
• The company is an equal opportunity employer and will make accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities on request.

About the company

Waabi is a technology start-up led by Raquel Urtasun that builds autonomous transportation technology, including commercial autonomous trucks and robotaxis. The company has offices in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas and Pittsburgh.