Senior AI Engineer

Senior AI Engineer

Forterra is a leading provider of autonomous systems for ground-based movement in the working world. Amongst some of the earliest innovators in the field of driverless technology, Forterra is focused on building systems that protect front-line soldiers and enable civilian workers in our industrial base. Forterra is the go-to provider of ground autonomy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, which harnesses the technology for asymmetric warfare in critical conditions.

The Forterra AI team seeks a Senior AI Engineer with expertise in computer vision and machine learning, particularly in multi-view understanding and spatial reasoning. You will be responsible for designing and deploying advanced AI systems that integrate information from multiple viewpoints to build unified scene representations. This is a highly collaborative role, working with research and product teams to bring cutting-edge ideas into scalable, real-world solutions.

What You'll Do

1. Research, design, and implement algorithms for multi-view scene understanding and 3D spatial perception.
2. Build scalable pipelines for training and deploying large-scale vision models.
3. Optimize vision systems for robustness, efficiency, and accuracy.
4. Collaborate across teams to translate research into production-ready solutions.
5. Stay at the forefront of advancements in visual grounding, representation learning, and geometric reasoning.

What We're Looking For:

1. Passion for solving complex problems in computer vision and machine learning.
2. Strong technical foundation in multi-view vision, scene alignment, and 3D reasoning.
3. Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and communicate complex concepts clearly.
4. Curiosity to explore emerging methods in AI and apply them to practical challenges.

What We Need:

Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or related field, or equivalent experience.

1. Proficiency with modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
2. Strong programming skills in Python and or C++.
3. Experience with large-scale training, distributed systems, and high-performance computing.
4. Proven track record of publishing, deploying, or delivering advanced AI systems.
5. Experience with vision transformers, cross-modal alignment, and real-time perception systems.

What We Love to See:

1. Experience with large-scale vision transformers and representation learning frameworks.
2. Familiarity with high-dimensional visual representations and cross-modal alignment.
3. Exposure to real-time perception systems, robotics, or simulation environments.
4. Contributions to open-source projects or published research in top-tier venues.
5. A mindset that blends research creativity with engineering pragmatism.
6. Experience working with Vision-Language Models (VLMs) and Vision-Language-Action (VLAs), particularly in applying them to real-world perception, reasoning, or decision-making tasks.

US Salary Range $160,000—$210,000

The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra's overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption.
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process. Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain. All qualified applications will receive equal consideration for employment.