Head of Autonomy and Nav

At Aigen, our mission is to accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture—with a pesticide-free, solar powered robotics platform.
Do you have a track record of hiring an incredible team and launching innovative technology? Join us to make a real world impact at the confluence of cutting edge robotic technology, agriculture, AI, and climate. 52% of agricultural land is degraded by current management practices, and 60-75% of original soil carbon has been lost in lands used for agriculture (according to the IPCC).
With $19M raised to date, we are backed by a suite of investors including NEA, GFC, AgFunder, Regen.vc, and Bessemer Ventures.
The Role: As Head of Autonomy and Nav, you will lead the design, development and test/integration of a cutting-edge robotics autonomy stack focusing on reliability and efficiency. You will collaborate with the other engineering teams to build a scalable robotics platform, owning the autonomous navigation algorithms and systems. The ideal candidate will be a quick learner with the ability to self prioritize, manage testing, and work with minimal supervision.
Aigen celebrates diversity in all its forms, and is an equal opportunity employer
Coverage: King5 | GeekWire| FastCompany | NEA  | AgFunder
Tools / Languages: C/C++, Python, OpenCV, JIRA, Confluence

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical expertise and guidance in the design and integration of AI and autonomy for robot navigation
• Lead and provide mentorship to a high-performing team of engineers specialized in AI and robotics
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align robot development and company goals
• Guide autonomous platform verification and validation strategies to ensure system reliability, efficiency, and scalability
• Advocate for best coding practices, and build tools helping engineers to write efficient and scalable code
• Use existing hardware to innovate and develop platform applications

Requirements:

• BS/MS or PhD degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or related fields
• 8+ years experience developing software for autonomous robotics systems
• Deep expertise in the following fields: Perception, SLAM, motion planning, computer vision, machine learning, AI, sensor fusion
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Ability to anticipate industry trends, assess business opportunities, and make data-driven decisions
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment 
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to navigate through complex and evolving requirements and challenges
• Ability to balance between ambitious innovation and practicality without losing focus and over engineering

Indicators of good fit:

• Prior startup experience
• Experience with edge / IoT devices
• Experience developing compute-constrained applications
• Track record of innovative thinking and a willingness to explore unconventional approaches to problem-solving
• Experience developing mobile autonomous robotics systems
• Experience launching hardware products

Benefits:

• Stock options
• Flexible (WFH) Mondays
• Unlimited paid time off (15 days minimum)
• Healthcare - 100% coverage for employee
• Vision
• Dental
• 401(k)
• Work on a team in which the qualities that diverse team members bring to the table are appreciated