We're Cruise, a self-driving service designed for the cities we love.

We’re building the world’s most advanced self-driving vehicles to safely connect people to the places, things, and experiences they care about. We believe self-driving vehicles will help save lives, reshape cities, give back time in transit, and restore freedom of movement for many.

In our cars, you’re free to be yourself. It’s the same here at Cruise. We’re creating a culture that values the experiences and contributions of all of the unique individuals who collectively make up Cruise, so that every employee can do their best work. 

Cruise is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, both in our workplace and in our products. If you are looking to play a part in making a positive impact in the world by advancing the revolutionary work of self-driving cars, come join us. Even if you might not meet every requirement, we strongly encourage you to apply. You might just be the right candidate for us.

We're seeking an experienced Tech Lead / Staff ML Software Engineer to drive our Perception Evaluation team's technical direction and architecture, focusing on designing and implementing next-generation autonomous vehicle perception solutions while working closely with ML researchers and engineers.

What You'll Be Doing

• Drive technical roadmap and architect perception evaluation systems that shape multi-year product strategy.
• Design and implement scalable ML evaluation frameworks, pipelines, and infrastructure to enable rapid iteration and validation of perception models.
• Create and maintain technical standards, best practices, and design patterns across perception evaluation systems.
• Develop innovative technical solutions for complex ML evaluation challenges in autonomous vehicle perception.
• Partner with ML Research, Data, and Infrastructure teams to drive technical alignment and implementation
• Establish metrics, processes, and frameworks for systematic evaluation of ML models
• Lead technical deep dives, root cause analysis, and architecture discussions
• Champion code quality, testing standards, and technical documentation practices

What You Must Have

• BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 5+ years of software engineering experience with focus on large-scale systems.
• 2+ years of technical leadership experience driving complex projects and architectural decisions
• Track record of successful cross-functional technical collaboration.
• Expert-level programming skills in Python and C++
• Deep understanding of ML model lifecycle, MLOps, and evaluation metrics
• Extensive experience with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) and ML infrastructure
• Strong expertise in distributed systems design and architecture
• Proven track record of leading complex technical projects and making architectural decisions at scale
• Expertise in designing and implementing large-scale data processing pipelines
• Excellence in technical communication and documentation

Nice to Have

• Experience with autonomous systems or robotics
• Familiarity with SQL and data engineering
• Publications in ML/CV conferences
• Contributions to open-source ML/robotics projects

The salary range for this position is $175,100 - $257,500. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. You may also be offered a bonus, long-term incentives, and benefits. These ranges are subject to change.

Why Cruise?

Our benefits are here to support the whole you:

• Competitive salary and benefits 
• Medical / dental / vision, Life and AD&D
• Subsidized mental health benefits
• Paid time off and holidays
• Paid parental, medical, family care, and military leave of absence
• 401(k) Cruise matching program 
• Fertility benefits
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Flexible Spending Account & Health Saving Account
• Perks Wallet program for benefits/perks
• Pre-tax Commuter benefit plan for local employees
• CruiseFlex, our location-flexible work policy. (Learn more about CruiseFlex).

We’re Integrated

• Through our partnerships with General Motors and Honda, we are the only self-driving company with fully integrated manufacturing at scale.

We’re Funded

• GM, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and W