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San Francisco, California, United States
Hybrid
AI has learned from almost everything online, but it still struggles with the physical world, where 99.5% of economic activity happens. It doesn’t know where things are, how spaces fit together, or what changes over time.
That’s one of the biggest unsolved problems in AI, and it’s the one we’re solving at Niantic Spatial. We build spatial AI models and services so people and machines can reason, learn and act safely in the physical world. We turn camera imagery, video, sensor data and archives into accurate, AI-readable representations of real places that robots can train in and machines can use to know exactly where they are.
In physical AI, mistakes have real consequences. That’s why we build AI grounded in measured reality, not guesswork, so the people and machines relying on it can trust it to get things right.
Our team built some of the world’s most widely used maps. Now we’re building something bigger: a living, measured record of the real world that machines can query, learn from and use to understand how places change over time. If you want to help AI understand the world we actually live in, come build with us.
As a staff member of the Map Team, you’ll own and drive significant parts of our Reconstruction and/or Localization technologies. You will be responsible for building the Map representing a living geospatial world model that can be simultaneously used to generate a high-fidelity 3D representations via Gaussian Splatting and Meshing, as well as the centimeter-level accuracy Visual Positioning System (VPS) that allows people and robots to explore the real world.
This is an individual contributor role with a strong component of technical leadership where you will mentor other engineers and influence the technical roadmap.
Technical Leadership: Lead the design and implementation of some of our core technologies, namely, Structure from Motion (SfM), Feed Forward and Foundational models, and high-fidelity 3D Reconstruction (e.g. meshing, gaussian splats).
Applied Research: Up to speed state-of-the-art in relevant areas to be able to invent novel solutions in VPS and/or 3D Reconstruction alongside the team.
System Architecture: Design, develop, and maintain scalable production-grade Computer Vision systems that power Niantic Spatial’s VPS, 3D Reconstruction and 3D Mapping pipelines.
Algorithm optimization and production implementation: develop and optimize algorithms, train models, for high-accuracy and high-performance execution on CPU/GPU on the cloud or device as part of a reliable production system.
Quality & Benchmarking: Drive decision-making creating high quality data that allows the accurate spatial grounding of AI queries with structural, semantic and location specific knowledge.
Technical Strategy & Mentorship: Work with engineering leadership to define the technical roadmap and quarterly objectives for the Applied CV Team; provide high-level mentorship and code governance to elevate the team’s technical bar.
Cross-Functional Delivery: Collaborate with Product, Research, and Operations teams to ensure that state-of-the-art Computer Vision solutions translate into delightful user experiences.
Years of Experience: 7+ years of professional experience in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, or a related field (or 4+ years with a PhD in a relevant domain).
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field; Master's or PhD preferred.
Core Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in Python and/or C/C++.
Specialized Expertise: Proven experience in both classical and learned-based 3D Computer Vision and ML.
Full SW lifecycle experience: Demonstrated experience in taking research into production at scale.
Technical Leadership Experience: Previous experience tech leading computer vision projects.
The expected salary range for this role is $256,500 – $315,000 per year. Compensation also includes an annual bonus, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k), and more.
This role is based in our San Francisco or Sunnyvale office, with three days per week in office.
We know the strongest candidates don't always tick every box. If you're excited about this role and believe you could do it well, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't match every qualification listed — you may be exactly who we're looking for.
Niantic Spatial is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment at Niantic Spatial are considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under applicable laws. Niantic Spatial will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable laws. Please contact your recruiter if you want to request an accommodation for the job application or interview process.
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