Perception Engineer - Military veterans preferred

About Forterra

Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous systems for ground-based movement in the working world. Amongst some of the earliest innovators in the field of driverless technology, Forterra is focused on building systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable civilian workers in our industrial base. Forterra is the go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, which harnesses the technology for asymmetric warfare in critical conditions.

About the role

Forterra is seeking an experienced Perception Engineer to join our team in developing innovative perception solutions for autonomous systems. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in designing and developing core perception algorithms in multiple sensor domains: object detection, and tracking algorithms running on hardware operating in varied environments under real-time constraints.

What you'll do

• Designing and developing objection detection, tracking, in multiple sensor domains (primarily radar and LiDAR).
• Collect, pre-process, and manage training and validation datasets to ensure data quality and reliability.
• Analyze logged data and troubleshoot on-site issues to identify and resolve potential problems.
• Review requirements, test specifications, and code from team members to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and compliance with standards.
• Collaborate with systems, software, and controls engineers to develop and integrate a robust autonomous driving stack.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with LiDAR and perception algorithms.
• Experience with point cloud/object detection/tracking (using classical techniques) or comparable experience with models for other sensor modalities.
• Experience with Bayesian state estimation (Kalman filtering, particle filtering) and sensor fusion.
• Analyze sensor data to optimize algorithm performance and refine system capabilities.
• Excellent programming skills in modern C++ and/or Python.
• Maintain thorough documentation of algorithm development, testing procedures, and results for team accessibility.
• Strong ability to problem-solve, acts as a self-starter, doesn’t shy away from technical challenges.
• Strong attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to plan architecture to anticipate future technical expansion.
• Relentless in your pursuit of solving the problem or challenge.

Preferred Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or related field, or with equivalent industrial experience.
• 2+ years of similar academic and/or professional working experience.

Education & Experience

• Experience with any open-source deep learning framework (PyTorch preferred).
• Experience with delivering production-quality software in a continuously-integrated environment using test-drive development patterns.
• Conduct rigorous testing to validate algorithm accuracy, robustness, and efficiency.
• Experience or significant interest in autonomous mobility and robotic locomotion, including both perception and behavior generation.

US Annual Salary Range:
 $140,000 — $185,000

Location:

Hybrid - 3 days/week on-site in Clarksburg, MD

The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.  
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption. 
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires. 
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.  

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain. All qualified applications will receive equal consideration for employment.

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