
Remote opportunity at
MotionalPrincipal Software Engineer, Team Lead - Perception Platforms
Motional is seeking a Principal Software Engineer and Team Lead for Perception Platforms to help build safe, reliable, and accessible driverless technology. Formed as a joint…
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About This Role
Motional is seeking a Principal Software Engineer and Team Lead for Perception Platforms to help build safe, reliable, and accessible driverless technology. Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, the company focuses on creating autonomous vehicles and transforming public transportation through innovative robo-taxi operations. In this remote-based role, the incoming professional will operate at the intersection of machine learning infrastructure and perception. The position involves building,…
Job Description
Motional is seeking a Principal Software Engineer and Team Lead for Perception Platforms to help build safe, reliable, and accessible driverless technology. Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, the company focuses on creating autonomous vehicles and transforming public transportation through innovative robo-taxi operations.
In this remote-based role, the incoming professional will operate at the intersection of machine learning infrastructure and perception. The position involves building, leading, and managing a high-performing engineering group responsible for internal data, training, and evaluation pipelines tailored for perception modeling. This professional will combine technical guidance and team mentorship with hands-on coding, architecting complex backend systems, and optimizing machine learning workflows.
Ideal candidates possess extensive software engineering expertise, a strong background in distributed machine learning training across GPU nodes, and proven experience guiding technical teams. This opportunity suits collaborative engineers who want to remain hands-on while shaping the strategic roadmap for autonomous vehicle perception tooling.
Responsibilities
- Build, lead, and manage a team focused on creating, maintaining, and optimizing internal data, training, and evaluation pipelines
- Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and career development support to team members
- Define team goals, priorities, and roadmap in alignment with broader company objectives
- Partner with machine learning engineers to identify and resolve technical challenges while contributing directly to implementation
- Troubleshoot and optimize machine learning workflows for maximum efficiency and performance
- Architect and execute cutting-edge technologies and methodologies to accelerate end-to-end machine learning development
- Lead design and code reviews to set high quality standards and promote best practices
- Foster cross-functional collaboration to ensure alignment with organizational goals
Requirements
- 7+ years of professional software engineering experience
- 3+ years in a formal or informal leadership or mentorship role
- 2+ years of experience developing, operating, or supporting distributed machine learning training across clusters of GPU nodes
- Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Computer Science or a related technical field
- Proven ability to contribute high-quality, production-level code to a shared codebase
- Fluency in Python with familiarity in data processing libraries such as NumPy and Pandas
- Proven experience in backend development and leading complex system architecture
- Demonstrated experience designing and delivering data visualization tools or internal engineering dashboards
Qualifications
- Expertise in concurrency, parallel processing, and database systems
- Experience with distributed computing frameworks like Kubernetes and Ray
- Proven track record of developing and deploying perception systems for autonomous vehicles or robotics
- Ph.D. in a relevant field or equivalent industry experience demonstrating continuous learning
- Proficiency in modern C++ including C++14, C++17, or later
- Experience building products with current large language models and Model Context Protocols
- Experience with GPU-accelerated data processing
- Familiarity with PyTorch, TensorFlow, or other modern machine learning development platforms
- Experience in project management and delivering complex technical projects
Core Skills
Benefits
- Medical coverage
- Dental coverage
- Vision coverage
- 401(k) with a company match
- Health saving accounts
- Life insurance
- Pet insurance
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Is this position remote?
Yes, the posting specifies that this is a remote role.
What is the salary range for this position?
The estimated base salary ranges from USD 240,000 to 330,000 per year, and the role may also include additional compensation such as a bonus or company equity.
What experience is required to apply?
Candidates must have at least 7 years of professional software engineering experience, including 3 or more years in a leadership or mentorship capacity, and 2 or more years working with distributed machine learning training across GPU clusters.
What company offers this role?
This role is offered by Motional, a driverless technology company formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv.
Sample Interview Questions
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