Founding Perception Engineer ($250k-380k + Equity) at Crewline AI
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Founding Perception Engineer
Salary: $250-380k + 1-3% Equity
Company Description: Crewline AI - Seed-stage robotics startup backed by Initialized Capital and Nebular VC
Job Description:
As the Founding Perception Engineer, you will architect the 3D perception stack for autonomous heavy machinery. Fusing LiDAR, cameras, and GNSS/IMU data, you will enable 50,000-pound vehicles to navigate unstructured, high-dust construction environments. This is a rare 0-to-1 opportunity to deploy real-world robotics that solve the global housing affordability crisis through infrastructure automation.
Location: San Francisco, USA
Why this role is remarkable:
Ship to real-world construction sites within months, working with industry giants like Mortenson and Watts on live jobsites rather than running endless simulations.
Join a high-caliber founding team led by an Oxford CS PhD and ex-Amazon ML engineer, backed by $5.5M from Initialized Capital and unicorn founders.
Tackle "perception hell"—solving unique challenges like deformable terrain, heavy dust, and GNSS dropouts that on-road autonomous vehicle companies never encounter.
What you will do:
Architect and build robust 3D perception pipelines for object detection, tracking, and scene understanding on NVIDIA Jetson Orin platforms.
Design multi-sensor fusion algorithms integrating LiDAR, radar, cameras, and RTK GNSS to maintain spatial awareness in harsh, dynamic environments.
Lead field validation efforts, deploying and iterating on algorithms directly on-site (often from the company’s mobile HQ, "The Endurance" RV).
The ideal candidate:
Proven experience building production-grade perception systems at top-tier AV companies (e.g., Waymo, Cruise, Zoox) or harsh-environment robotics firms.
Strong founding DNA with a history of owning 0-to-1 initiatives and a pragmatic "hacker" mindset that prioritizes reliable, working code over academic demos.
Exceptional technical depth in sensor fusion, SLAM, or deep learning, ideally supported by elite academic credentials or experience in mission-critical systems.
Who are Jack & Jill?
Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.
And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.
Next steps
Step 1. Visit our website.
Step 2. Click 'Talk to Jack'.
Step 3. Talk to Jack so he can understand your experience and ambitions.
Step 4. Jack will make sure Jill (the AI agent working for the company) considers you for this role.
Step 5. If Jill thinks you're a great fit and her client wants to meet you, they will make the introduction.
Step 6. If not, Jack will find you excellent alternatives. All for free.
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This isn't a trick. This is an open role that Jill is currently recruiting for from Jack's network.
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