Pivotal Systems
Computer Vision Engineer – Autonomy & Perception
Palo Alto, CA · Mid
Stay score
odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~45% per draw at Level III). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
The bottom of this range ($140,000) is below the Level I prevailing wage of $152,797. An H-1B cannot be filed below the prevailing wage, so an offer at the floor of this band could not be sponsored as posted.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Software Developers (15-1252) · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
Employer immigration record
from this employer's Department of Labor filings
Files H-1B transfers
Sourced from Department of Labor LCA, PERM and prevailing-wage disclosure data. Employer matching is by name, so figures may be split across an employer's legal entities. Absence of a filing means none appears in our copy of the data, not that none exists.
Community outcomes
No reports yet — be the first to help the next applicant.
About the role
- Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
- Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in 2026.
- Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments.
Responsibilities
- implement object detection, classification, segmentation, and tracking algorithms using RGB, thermal, and multimodal sensor data
- develop visual perception pipelines for obstacle detection, collision avoidance, and situational awareness
- build scene understanding capabilities to support autonomous navigation and mission execution
- Visual Navigation & Localization: Develop visual-inertial odometry, localization, and mapping algorithms
- support SLAM and feature-based localization systems
- design robust estimation methods that fuse camera, IMU, GPS, lidar, and radar data
- create data processing, labeling, augmentation, and evaluation pipelines
- optimize neural networks for real-time inference on embedded computing platforms
- Testing & Validation: Develop simulation and testing frameworks for perception algorithms; support software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight testing activities; analyze flight data to identify performance gaps and improve perception robustness; establish metrics and validation procedures for autonomous perception systems; document system performance and support field deployments.
- We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market.
Requirements
- Strong proficiency in C++, Python, or Rust.
- Familiarity with sensor fusion and state estimation techniques.
- Experience with ROS/ROS2 or similar robotics middleware.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
- If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Experience with OpenCV and modern computer vision frameworks.
- Experience developing perception systems using PyTorch, TensorFlow, or similar machine learning frameworks.
- Strong understanding of image processing, geometric vision, and camera systems.
- Experience with object detection, tracking, segmentation, and machine learning-based perception algorithms.
- Experience developing software in Linux environments.
Nice to have
- Experience with autonomous aircraft, UAVs, robotics, or aerospace systems
- Experience with visual SLAM, visual-inertial odometry, or localization systems.
- Experience integrating lidar, radar, thermal cameras, and inertial sensors into perception systems.
- Experience deploying AI models on embedded platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson or similar edge computing hardware.
- Familiarity with simulation environments such as Gazebo, Isaac Sim, AirSim, or equivalent.
- Experience optimizing perception systems for real-time performance and resource-constrained platforms.
- Familiarity with defense industry standards and security clearance processes.
- Attributes aligned with Core Values
Compensation
- $140k-$175k
Benefits
- Perception & Computer Vision: Design and develop perception systems for autonomous aerial platforms operating in GPS-denied and contested environments
- evaluate and integrate state-of-the-art computer vision and AI techniques into operational systems.
- implement vision-based navigation solutions for degraded and GPS-denied environments
- Machine Learning & AI: Develop, train, and deploy deep learning models for onboard perception
- We are seeking a Computer Vision Engineer to support the development of next-generation perception systems for our autonomous aerial platforms, including the Helix family of systems.
Company info
- Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years.
Visa & Work Authorization
- Familiarity with defense industry standards and security clearance processes
This listing is sourced directly from Pivotal Systems's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.