Title: Camera Engineering Technical Lead 

Location: Sunnyvale, CA

Type: Full Time 

Job Summary

Apollo Autonomous Driving USA (a subsidiary of Baidu) is looking for an autonomous driving system architect. The team's charter is to design state-of-the-art heterogeneous computing systems & various sensors (LiDAR, Radar, Camera, Navigation system, etc.) to meet the stringent targets of cost, performance, & functional safety. The person will be involved in all design phases of autonomous driving systems, from concept, architecture, design, simulations, validation, product development & deployment, & customer support. The camera engineering technical lead is fully responsible for the design & specification of cameras in autonomous driving platforms. Candidates must have a very strong background & track record in camera system architecture & design, sensor systems development, validation, calibration, & working in a dynamic environment.

What Youll Do:

• Work with a world-class talented group of hardware engineers & scientists to design & implement cutting-edge autonomous driving technologies platform.
• Lead the architecture & development of advanced camera modules & imaging systems.
• Select & evaluate CMOS image sensors, lenses, & optical components.
• Define electrical & mechanical interfaces for camera integration.
• Oversee hardware prototyping, bring-up, & validation. Work with the team to bring up the system & troubleshoot/diagnose issues.
• Drive the development of custom camera boards or systems-on-module as needed.
• Collaborate with vendors & partners to source & evaluate new technologies.
• Image Processing, ISP Tuning, etc.
• Design & implement image processing pipelines including noise reduction, HDR, de-mosaicking, tone mapping, white balance, auto-exposure, & auto-focus.
• Optimize ISP parameters for various lighting conditions, use cases, & product requirements.
• Develop & integrate custom algorithms for image quality enhancement, color calibration, & distortion correction.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Serve as the imaging technical lead in cross-functional meetings & product development cycles. Interface with product managers, software engineers, mechanical engineers, & industrial designers to ensure camera system meets product goals. Contribute to roadmap planning & imaging strategy for future products.
• Work with automotive industry solution & component providers to deliver a commercial product for autonomous driving market. Have the passion to dive deep into the state-of-the-art autonomous driving system technologies.
• Oversee the resolution of highly complex autonomous driving HW system development to meet perception, localization, prediction, PnC, simulation, etc. requirements, & ensure resolutions fit within Plan of Record & roadmap.

What We Look For:

• MS/Ph.D. in EE or related field.
• 10+ years of work experience with camera system development.
• Deep knowledge of imaging system components: sensors, lenses, IR filters, VCSELs, etc.
• Strong experience with image signal processors (ISPs) & tuning tools (e.g., Qualcomm, Sony, OmniVision, Intel, ARM-based ISPs, etc.).
• Proficient in programming languages such as C/C++, Python, & MATLAB.
• Familiarity with embedded system development & real-time constraints.
• Proven track record in delivering production-quality camera systems in consumer electronics, automotive, or similar fields.
• Knowledge of camera system interface: MIPI, USB, parallel, I2C, SERDES.
• Strong knowledge of imaging devices, optics.
• Experience with automotive camera system is a big plus.
• Experience with computational photography & computer vision.
• Familiarity with machine learning techniques for image enhancement.
• Knowledge of camera calibration, stereo vision, or depth sensing (ToF, structured light, etc.).
• Experience with lab equipment such as light boxes, integrating spheres, & optical benches.
• Strong publication record or patents in imaging or optics.
• Experience working with automotive platform architecture or similar field architecture.
• Proven experience developing strategic system architecture plans & conducting technology, trends, standards, & products research.
• Solid track record in prioritizing & executing tasks when under extreme pressure.
• Strong analytical skills & ability to collect information & identify fundamental patterns/trends in data. This includes the ability to gather, integrate, & interpret information from several sources.
• Good communication to convey information clearly & accurately, as well as choosing the most effective method of delivery (e.g., email, phone, face-to-face).
• Great project management skills for purposes of planning & decision-making. This includes developing & communicating objectives, timelines, assignments, & goals.
• Attention to detail & engineering excellence in previous work, passion for autonomous driving technology development, & ability to work in a rapidly changing environment & to learn new technologies.
• Experience & ability to provide guidance & leadership to junior team members is a plus. This includes the ability to provide development experiences, advice, & teaching to prepare team members for effective job performance.
• Excellent teamwork & communication skills.

Culture fit:

• Mission Alignment: If you want to be part of Apollo Autonomous Driving USA to accomplish our audacious mission, we will provide you with the best possible platform to do that.
• Self-directed: We work best with people that are driven, motivated, & aspire to greatness.
• Innovation & Creativity: The ability to produce breakthrough ideas, be a visionary, manage innovation, see multiple futures, have broad interests & knowledge, & gain support to translate new ideas into solutions.
• Hungry to Learn: We are eager to see you lead the team in learning new skills & growing.
• Team Orientation: We work in small, fast-moving teams. We don't believe in lone wolves. We watch out for each other & go after big goals together as a team.