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Perception Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Mytra

Senior ML Perception Engineer

Brisbane, CA · On-site

$125K - $172K/yr

About the role As a Senior ML Perception Engineer at Mytra, you'll be a key member of our Computer Vision team, building the perception stack that gives our distributed robot fleet its situational ...

Mytra Robotics

Senior ML Perception Engineer

Brisbane, CA · On-site

$125K - $172K/yr

About the role As a Senior ML Perception Engineer at Mytra, you'll be a key member of our Computer Vision team, building the perception stack that gives our distributed robot fleet its situational ...

Waabi

Senior / Staff Perception Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$158K - $269K/yr

To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai As a Senior Perception Engineer, you will be at the forefront of advancing and deploying perception algorithms for our self-driving vehicles. You will work closely ...

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How much do perception engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average hourly pay for perception engineer in California is $55.26, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $39.62 and $73.56 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a perception engineer?

A Perception Engineer develops and optimizes computer vision and sensor-based systems to help machines interpret and understand their surroundings. This role involves working with data from cameras, LiDAR, radar, and other sensors to create models for object detection, tracking, and scene understanding. Perception Engineers commonly work in fields like robotics, autonomous vehicles, and augmented reality, utilizing machine learning and signal processing techniques. Their goal is to enhance a system’s ability to perceive and react to its environment accurately and efficiently.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a perception engineer?

As a Perception Engineer, your typical day involves designing, developing, and testing algorithms that help automated systems interpret sensor data from sources such as cameras, lidar, and radar. You’ll spend time collaborating with cross-functional teams, including hardware engineers and software developers, to integrate perception solutions into larger systems like autonomous vehicles or robotics platforms. Regular tasks include data collection and annotation, debugging, performance optimization, and participating in code reviews. This role often requires a balance of independent problem-solving and teamwork to ensure reliable and accurate perception capabilities in ever-changing environments.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the perception engineer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Perception Engineer, you need a strong background in computer vision, sensor fusion, machine learning, and robotics, usually supported by a degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field. Experience with programming languages like Python or C++, deep learning frameworks (such as TensorFlow or PyTorch), and familiarity with tools like ROS and OpenCV are commonly required. Analytical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication are valuable soft skills that set top candidates apart. These skills are crucial for developing and optimizing perception systems that enable machines to understand and interact with complex real-world environments.

How do you become a perception engineer?

To become a perception engineer, typically a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field is required. Relevant skills include experience with computer vision, machine learning, and programming languages like Python or C++, along with knowledge of sensor data processing and AI frameworks. Gaining hands-on experience through internships or projects is also beneficial.

What does a perception engineer do?

A perception engineer develops algorithms and systems that enable machines to interpret sensory data such as images, audio, and lidar. They work on tasks like object detection, scene understanding, and sensor fusion, often using machine learning and computer vision tools. Their work is essential in fields like autonomous vehicles, robotics, and advanced driver-assistance systems.

What are popular job titles related to Perception Engineer jobs in California?

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The top searched job categories for Perception Engineer jobs in California are:

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Perception Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Perception Engineer job openings in California as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 84% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,938 per year, or $55.3 per hour.

Staff Perception Engineer - Robotics

Sunnyvale, CA • On-site

Knightscope, Inc.
Public Safety Statistics Centers and Offices • 51 - 200 employees
Learn more about Knightscope, Inc.external

$240K - $275K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

AboutKnightscope
Knightscope (NASDAQ: KSCP) is a security technology company building the nation's first Autonomous Security Force - autonomous machines, AI-driven software, and elite security professionals operating as one integrated managed service. The Company is on a mission to make the United States of America the safest country in the world. One Team. One Force.
About the Role
In this role, you will own the full perception stack for our autonomous security robot platform, from raw LiDAR, camera, and thermal sensor data through 3D object detection, scene understanding, and persistent entity tracking. You will be a technical lead working across robotics, ML, and systems engineering to ship production-grade perception capabilities that power real-time threat detection, incident correlation, and evidence capture in the field.
Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ (No relocation provided)
Key Responsibilities
  • Design, train, and deploy 3D perception models, object detection, segmentation, and multi-object tracking, from multi-modal sensor data (LiDAR, camera, thermal, radar) using state-of-the-art BEV and transformer-based architectures.
  • Own the end-to-end ML pipeline from large-scale data curation and annotation strategy through model training, optimization (TensorRT/CUDA), and real-time onboard deployment on edge compute.
  • Build persistent cross-sensor identity: the same person, vehicle, or license plate maintains a stable track across camera handoffs, patrol legs, and time, feeding entity correlation and incident generation downstream.
  • Design and implement evidence-first capture: pre/post-event clips, full-frame and crop media, and structured detection output that is replay-safe and analyst-ready.
  • Explore and integrate Vision-Language Models (VLMs) to enrich detection outputs with scene narration, anomaly reasoning, and long-tail incident understanding, moving K7 beyond bounding boxes toward analyst-ready scene descriptions.
  • Drive technical decisions on architecture, data strategy, and roadmap; mentor engineers across the team.
  • Design and run rigorous offline and closed-loop evaluations; define metrics for safety-critical perception performance across diverse real-world deployment environments.

Required Qualifications
  • 7+ years of hands-on experience at an OEM, AV company, physical security platform, or robotics tech company shipping perception software to production.
  • Deep expertise in 3D computer vision: LiDAR/camera 3D object detection, point cloud processing, multi-view geometry, and sensor fusion.
  • Strong ML fundamentals, CNNs, Transformers, multi-task architectures, with production deployment experience (TensorRT, ONNX, CUDA optimization).
  • Fluency in C++ (real-time systems) and Python; experience with ROS2 and simulation environments (CARLA, Isaac).
  • Production-first mindset demonstrated ability to take models from research to deployed, real-world systems operating under real operational constraints.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Exposure to vision-language models (VLMs): fine-tuning, prompting, or integrating VLM outputs into a perception pipeline for scene understanding or anomaly narration.
  • Familiarity with Vision-Language-Action (VLA) or end-to-end policy models that map sensor observations directly to robot actions, and interest in applying these to active confirmation and repositioning behaviors.
  • Experience with ALPR, face recognition, or ReID systems in deployed security or automotive contexts.
  • Familiarity with evidence integrity, chain-of-custody media, or tamper-evident capture pipelines.
  • Publications or open-source contributions in 3D CV, embodied AI, or autonomous systems.
  • MS or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.

Compensation & Benefits
  • Base Salary: $240,000 to $275,000 (DOE)
  • Equity: Stock options
  • Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off
  • Location Requirement: Full-time, on-site at Sunnyvale HQ

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