Staff Systems Engineer - Perception

The Role

Apptronik is seeking a Staff Systems Engineer to own the system-level architecture, requirements, and performance of Apollo’s perception suite. In this role, you are the technical connective tissue between the Autonomy software team and the Hardware engineering teams. You will translate high-level autonomy capabilities (e.g., "the robot must safely grasp a moving object" or "navigate a cluttered warehouse") into rigorous, verifiable system requirements (latency budgets, field-of-view mapping, resolution, and compute allocation). As a Staff-level leader, you will drive complex trade studies, define Interface Control Documents (ICDs), establish the Verification and Validation (V&V) strategy, and ensure the perception system meets the stringent functional safety standards required for a humanoid robot operating alongside humans.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Trade Studies

• System Architecture: Define the top-level architecture for the robot's perception system, balancing the needs of Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO), manipulation, obstacle avoidance, and remote teleoperation.
• Trade Studies: Lead data-driven trade studies to adjudicate complex architectural decisions (e.g., Stereo Vision vs. LiDAR for close-range manipulation, edge-compute vs. centralized processing, global vs. rolling shutter).
• Budget Ownership: Own and manage critical system budgets, including photon-to-action latency, compute utilization (TOPS), memory bandwidth, and spatial Field of View (FOV) coverage.

Requirements & Interfaces

• Requirements Flow-Down: Elicit, define, and manage perception system requirements using enterprise tools (e.g., Jama, Polarion, or DOORS). Decompose product-level goals into strict hardware and software specifications.
• Interface Management: Author and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) that define the boundaries between perception sensors, the compute cluster, and the autonomy software stack. Ensure complete alignment across multi-disciplinary teams.

Verification, Validation & Safety

• V&V Strategy: Architect the master Verification and Validation plan for the perception stack. Define the KPIs and test methodologies required to prove that the system meets its requirements in real-world, dynamic environments.
• Functional Safety (ISO 13849 / IEC 61508): Partner with the Safety team to perform Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessments (HARA) related to perception. Define the safety-critical detection zones, fail-safe degradation states, and hardware redundancy requirements.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Technical Adjudication: Act as the ultimate technical adjudicator when conflicts arise between the Autonomy team's desires and the Hardware team's constraints (e.g., thermal limits, mechanical packaging, payload capacity).
• Mentorship: Elevate the systems engineering rigor across the company, mentoring engineers in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies and rigorous requirement writing.

Qualifications

• Perception Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of modern perception modalities (Cameras, LiDAR, Radar, ToF, IMU) and the fundamental physics, error models, and integration challenges of each.
• Autonomy Familiarity: Strong working knowledge of how perception data is consumed by downstream algorithms (SLAM, object detection, kinematic planning, sensor fusion).
• Systems Rigor: Proven track record of managing complex requirements traceability and V&V matrices for shipped products.
• Analytical Skills: Ability to build mathematical models in Python or MATLAB to simulate system-level latency, FOV coverage, or optical performance to inform early-stage architecture.

Education and Experience

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in Systems Engineering for complex
• Education: BS, MS, or PhD in Systems Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.electromechanical systems, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or advanced robotics.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate