Senior Camera Engineer

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

We are looking for a Senior Camera Engineer to lead the design and development of Kodiak’s camera sensing pipeline. This is a hands-on role for someone who deeply understands camera hardware, ISP tuning, compression, drivers, and how sensor data is used in modern computer vision and ML techniques. In this role you will be tasked with optimizing a camera pipeline for ML consumption - you will own the camera pipeline from pixel to compute - including camera selection and configuration, testing, IQ tuning, and working closely with perception, ML, and software teams to build a robust, scalable Kodiak driver.

In this role, you will:

Own camera-based perception pipelines from sensor selection to production deployment

Evaluate and select camera sensors, modules, and optics based on system and application requirements

Tune and optimize ISP pipelines (image quality, color, HDR, noise, latency, synchronization) for machine and human consumption

Work with perception and software teams to deploy next-generation camera system

Run hands on testing in the field to troubleshoot camera system issues and test next-gen hardware

Debug camera issues across the from sensor to ISP

Drive design decisions around compression and sensor synchronization

Manage relationships with suppliers and external partners

Research and evaluate emerging imaging technologies

What You’ll Bring:

Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field

7+ years of experience in camera, computer vision, or perception engineering

Strong experience with testing and selecting camera sensors and complete camera modules

Understanding of image signal processing (ISP) pipelines — familiarity with auto white balance, auto exposure, tone mapping, and how ISP tuning affects downstream perception

Basic understanding of computer vision and ML fundamentals

Hands-on experience developing and deploying camera pipelines for robotics

Basic software engineering skills in C++ and/or Python

Ability to collaborate effectively with hardware, systems, and software teams

Nice to haves:

Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, AR/VR, or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)

Experience with challenging imaging conditions and understanding of how image quality maps to perception performance

Experience with camera system integration — understanding data interfaces, bandwidth constraints, latency requirements, and how imaging subsystems integrate into larger robotic platforms.

What we offer:

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses

Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)

MetLife Legal Services, Identity Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance

Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies

Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA

Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging

Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance

Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)

Fidelity 401(k)

Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA

Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package

California Pay Range

$160,000 $195,000 USD

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operat…