Description :

- 12-18+ years in computer vision, SLAM, or autonomous systems engineering, with at least 3 years in a technical lead or architect capacity

- Proven track record delivering perception systems in an ADAS, robotics, or UAV product context

- Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and driving algorithm development from research to production

Core Technical Skills :

- Visual / Visual-Inertial SLAM : Deep knowledge of feature-based (ORB, AKAZE), direct, and learning-based SLAM methods; loop closure, map management, drift correction

- C/C++ (C++14/17) : Expert-level; ability to write and review performance-critical, real-time code on embedded Linux platforms

- Computer Vision : Optical flow, stereo vision, depth estimation, camera models and calibration (monocular, stereo, fisheye)

- Deep Learning for Perception : Object detection, segmentation, tracking; experience with PyTorch/TensorFlow and edge inference frameworks

- ROS / ROS2 : Proficiency with perception node development, tf2, sensor drivers, and inter-process communication

- Sensor Fusion : IMU pre-integration, barometer/GPS fusion, multi-camera rigs; EKF/UKF/graph optimisation (g2o, GTSAM, Ceres)

- Embedded Deployment : Performance profiling, optimisation for ARM/Qualcomm DSP/NPU, GStreamer pipelines for video

Desirable / Good to Have :

- Familiarity with thermal imaging systems and thermal-specific perception challenges

- Experience with flight stack integration

- Knowledge of NeRF, 3D Gaussian Splatting, or neural implicit representations for mapping

- Publications or patents in SLAM, autonomous systems, or computer vision

Education :

- B.Tech / M.Tech / M.S. / Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field

Key Responsibilities :

Technical Leadership & Architecture :

- Define and enforce software architecture standards for real-time C/C++ perception pipelines running on embedded SoCs (Qualcomm RB5, Jetson Nano, RPi CM5 and equivalent)

- Lead technical design reviews, code reviews, and algorithm trade-off analyses across the Perception team

- Collaborate with avionics, flight control, and GCS teams to ensure seamless system integration

Visual SLAM & State Estimation :

- Drive development and optimisation of Visual/Visual-Inertial SLAM systems (ORB-SLAM3, VINS-Mono, OpenVINS or equivalent) for GPS-denied navigation

- Guide research into thermal SLAM, night-time visual positioning, and multi-spectral sensor fusion

- Define validation methodology and performance benchmarks for localisation accuracy, map consistency, and drift bounds across terrain types

AI / ML & Deep Learning Initiatives :

- Oversee UAV-specific object detection and multi-target tracking pipelines (YOLO, Siamese trackers and next-generation models)

- Lead development of vision-based obstacle detection and avoidance systems for autonomous flight safety

- Define roadmap for vision-based seeker technology for precision engagement and delivery applications

- Drive image/video enhancement initiatives super-resolution (ESRGAN/HAT), dehazing, denoising optimised for edge inference

- Evaluate and integrate model compression techniques (quantisation, pruning, TensorRT / ONNX Runtime) for on-device deployment

People & Programme Management :

- Build, mentor, and grow a high-performance team of perception and computer vision engineers

- Translate product strategy into engineering milestones with clear ownership and timelines

- Interface with programme managers, system architects, and customers on capability requirements and delivery schedules

- Champion engineering excellence through documentation, testing rigour, and CI/CD practices