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Perception Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

Lead Perception Engineer

Ann Arbor, MI ยท On-site

$100K - $132K/yr

TEAM At Woven by Toyota, we work on some of the most challenging problems in autonomy from 3D geometric computer vision and perception to prediction, motion planning, and safe deployment of ML ...

Lead Perception Engineer

Ann Arbor, MI ยท On-site

$100K - $132K/yr

TEAM At Woven by Toyota, we work on some of the most challenging problems in autonomy from 3D geometric computer vision and perception to prediction, motion planning, and safe deployment of ML ...

Lead Perception Engineer

Ann Arbor, MI ยท On-site

$100K - $132K/yr

TEAM At Woven by Toyota, we work on some of the most challenging problems in autonomy from 3D geometric computer vision and perception to prediction, motion planning, and safe deployment of ML ...

Lead Perception Engineer

Ann Arbor, MI ยท On-site

$100K - $132K/yr

You'll collaborate daily with ML researchers, software engineers, robotics engineers, and hardware teams to design, build, and deploy perception and worldunderstanding systems that directly influence ...

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Perception information

What is a perception job?

A Perception job typically involves developing and improving a system's ability to interpret and understand sensory data, often in fields like robotics, autonomous vehicles, and computer vision. Professionals in this role work with sensor fusion, machine learning, and computer vision algorithms to detect, track, and classify objects in an environment. Their goal is to enable machines to perceive and react to their surroundings accurately, enhancing safety and efficiency.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working in perception roles within autonomous vehicle development teams?

Professionals in perception roles often encounter challenges related to processing large volumes of sensor data, such as lidar, radar, and cameras, in real time to ensure accurate object detection and scene understanding. Balancing the need for high accuracy with the computational limitations of embedded systems can be demanding. Additionally, perception engineers frequently collaborate with teams in sensor fusion, mapping, and planning, requiring strong communication and interdisciplinary problem-solving skills. Adapting to rapidly evolving technologies and continuously improving algorithms to handle edge cases in complex environments are also key aspects of the role.

What is the difference between Perception vs Data Analyst?

AspectPerceptionData Analyst
Required CredentialsVaries; often no formal certification requiredBachelor's degree in statistics, data science, or related field; certifications like CAP or Microsoft Data Analyst
Work EnvironmentResearch, consulting, or strategic planning settingsBusiness, finance, healthcare, and tech industries
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in marketing, psychology, and strategic rolesCommon in corporate, finance, and tech sectors
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding how perceptions influence decisionsAnalyzing data to inform business strategies

Perception focuses on how individuals interpret and understand information, often in psychological or strategic contexts. Data Analysts interpret and analyze data sets to support business decisions. While perception is more subjective and qualitative, Data Analysts rely on quantitative data analysis. Both roles are essential in decision-making processes but serve different functions within organizations.

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

To thrive as a Perception Engineer, you need strong foundations in computer vision, robotics, and sensor fusion, typically supported by a degree in computer science, robotics, or a related field. Familiarity with tools like ROS, OpenCV, TensorFlow, and experience working with LiDAR, radar, or camera systems are highly valuable. Excellent problem-solving skills, adaptability, and effective communication help you collaborate within multidisciplinary teams and tackle complex technical challenges. These skills are crucial for developing reliable perception systems that enable autonomous machines to interpret and interact safely with real-world environments.
What are popular job titles related to Perception jobs in Michigan? For Perception jobs in Michigan, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Perception jobs in Michigan look for? The top searched job categories for Perception jobs in Michigan are:
Infographic showing various Perception job openings in Michigan as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 79% Full Time, 20% Part Time, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution.

Lead Perception Engineer

Woven by Toyota

Ann Arbor, MI โ€ข On-site

$100K - $132K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 17 days ago


Job description

Woven by Toyota is enabling Toyota's once-in-a-century transformation into a mobility company. Inspired by a legacy of innovating for the benefit of others, our mission is to challenge the current state of mobility through human-centric innovation - expanding what "mobility" means and how it serves society.
Our work centers on four pillars: AD/ADAS, our autonomous driving and advanced driver assist technologies; Arene, our software development platform for software-defined vehicles; Woven City, a test course for mobility; and Cloud & AI, the digital infrastructure powering our collaborative foundation. Business-critical functions empower these teams to execute, and together, we're working toward one bold goal: a world with zero accidents and enhanced well-being for all.
TEAM
At Woven by Toyota, we work on some of the most challenging problems in autonomy from 3D geometric computer vision and perception to prediction, motion planning, and safe deployment of ML systems in real vehicles. Our AD/ADAS organization develops production-grade autonomy and active safety technologies that operate in complex, uncertain real-world environments and ship at global scale.
You'll collaborate daily with ML researchers, software engineers, robotics engineers, and hardware teams to design, build, and deploy perception and world-understanding systems that directly influence how vehicles see, reason about, and interact with the world.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
We are seeking a Lead Engineer to report to the Global Head of World Understanding to drive the multi-year roadmap, architecture, metrics, and technical strategy for software components contributing to understanding around the vehicle. A system thinker with technical depth in machine learning approaches to complex systems. This engineer will accelerate the adoption of data-driven and deep learning methodologies, focusing on ML system design and verification, supervised/unsupervised learning, multi-modality, multi-tasks training, and temporal/sequential modeling. This role emphasizes faster and more cost-efficient model iteration, data-driven validation strategies, and unlocking new safety/performance capabilities through advanced ML.
The role also requires strong communication skills, an aptitude for mentoring tech leads, influencing and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including TMC, in identifying deep technical challenges, developing solutions, and executing on the delivery of our autonomy mission.
RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Driving the technical vision and multi-year strategy for World Understanding (including perception, mapping, fusion, on-board/off-board) software.
  • Leading project execution, defining efficient engineering processes, and mitigating risks.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as Data, Behavior (Planner/Controller/HMI), Developer Ecosystem, and Product Delivery while influencing technical decisions across the organization to drive innovation, ensure seamless system integration, and improve overall engineering efficiency.
  • Develop state-of-the-art models to deliver desired driving environments in various sensor configurations.
  • Increase speed of the component- and system-level model iteration while maintaining cost efficiency
  • Incorporate data-driven approaches to improve system performance and unlock new capabilities for safety.
  • Maintain the functional architecture design and lead review of technical designs
  • Drive organizational metrics towards performance, safety, and quality
  • Maintain external presence of the department through papers, patents, and presentations
  • Assess and mitigate risk to the technical program
  • Act in partnership with other Lead Engineers in AD/ADAS to solve high impact cross-functional issues
  • Mentor and support engineers, fostering growth through code reviews, knowledge sharing, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to align technical solutions with business goals.
  • Design reusable software components as part of an integrated system.
  • Understand and fulfill the software practices that produce maintainable code, including simulation, continuous integration, code review, HIL testing, and in-vehicle testing.
  • Build component and system level validation strategies that are leveraged to resolve complex interactions between components, increase performance, and evaluate design tradeoffs related to data-driven practices

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
  • 10+ years of professional experience with machine learning applications or applied science
  • MS or PHD in Machine Learning, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Aerospace Engineering, or similar
  • Deep expertise in ML algorithms, frameworks, data-driven methods, supervised/unsupervised learning, multi-modality, multi-tasks training, and temporal/sequential modeling, and deployment of ML models at scale.
  • Strong R&D potential in algorithm design, data-driven approaches to safety, and large-scale, complex systems architecture, and requirements-driven development
  • Experience with utilizing deep learning frameworks to increase speed and ease of development
  • Experience with temporal data and/or sequential modeling
  • Experience with code quality and systems safety processes for production code delivery, with respect to data-driven methodologies and model validation
  • Strong, practical understanding of real-time system development, performance issues, testing modalities, and tradeoffs
  • Ability to write code in C++ and python
  • Ability to lead in globally distributed team
  • You are an excellent communicator, skilled collaborator, and principled colleague

NICE TO HAVES
  • Published research at top-tier conferences (NeurIPs, CVPR and similar)
  • Proven track record of deploying ML models at scale in self-driving or related fields.
  • Experience with computer vision (e.g.multi-view geometry, camera calibration, depth estimation, neural radiance fields, gaussian splatting, simultaneous localization and mapping)
  • Experience with Planner ML system design (e.g. including supervised/unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, diffusion policy)
  • Experience with robot motion planning (e.g., trajectory optimization, sampling-based planning, model predictive control)
  • Japanese language skills

For positions based in Palo Alto, CA, the base pay ranges from $189,000-$310,500 a year.
Your base salary is one part of your total compensation. We offer a base salary, short-term and long-term incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package. The total compensation offered to an employee will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience, qualifications, location, and level.
WHAT WE OFFER
We are committed to creating a modern work environment that supports our employees and their loved ones. We offer many options of the best programs to allow you to do your most meaningful work and to help you shape the future of mobility.
โ€ข Excellent health, wellness, dental, and vision coverage
โ€ข A rewarding 401k program
โ€ข Flexible vacation policy
โ€ข Family planning and care benefits
Our Commitment
โ€ข We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity.
โ€ข Any information we receive from you will be used only in the hiring and onboarding process. Please see our privacy notice for more details.