# Perception Engineer at 9 Mothers

Perception Engineer at 9 Mothers in Austin. On-site, full-time, paying $110k–$300k. Posted April 23, 2026.

- Company: 9 Mothers
- Location: Austin
- Workplace: On-site
- Job type: Full-time
- Pay: $110k–$300k
- Experience: 6+ years
- Posted: 2026-04-23
- Apply: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/9-mothers/fd8c2655-efe2-490e-bff8-e8fed5dbf9aa/application
- Source: https://jobmagic.ai/jobs/perception-engineer-9-mothers-rqyj0j

## Requirements

- 6+ years of professional experience in computer vision or machine learning, including production deployment on edge hardware.
- Demonstrated experience shipping a detection or tracking system under real-world latency, small-object, or adversarial constraints.
- Strong engineering skills beyond modeling, including experience with PyTorch or JAX through to deployed, optimized inference.
- Proficiency in Python for model development and C++ or Rust for deployed inference.
- U.S. citizenship and ability to pass a background check.

## Description

**Location: **Onsite — Austin, TX
**Employment Type: **Direct Hire, Full‑Time
**Job Title: **Perception Engineer

**About 9 Mothers**
The modern battlefield has changed. Cheap, autonomous suicide drones have turned the tactical advantage upside down, and the world is looking for a solution. At 9 Mothers, we aren’t just "innovating"—we are building the shield.
Backed by top-tier investors, we develop AI powered machines designed to intercept and neutralize Group 1/sUAS threats in real-time. Our flagship product is a low-power, counter-drone system built for the edge—on vehicles, at bases, or in a soldier's pack.

**Why 9 Mothers?**
While others build for "awareness" or "long-term research," we build for the immediate survival of those in harm’s way. We are a team of hackers, engineers, and mission-driven builders who value field-ready capability over polished slide decks. If you want to see your code or hardware in the field next month—not next year—this is your playground.

**Position Summary**
9 Mothers is seeking a Perception Engineer to own the computer vision and machine learning stack that powers target detection, classification, and tracking in our counter-sUAS systems. The Perception Lead is responsible for the research, development, and deployment of the perception pipeline that enables EDDA to engage aerial threats in real time. This is a senior individual contributor position.

**Essential Duties**

- Own the visual perception pipeline end-to-end, including detection, classification, and tracking of sUAS targets in real time.

- Design and train machine learning models that meet latency and accuracy requirements for edge deployment on Jetson-class hardware.

- Architect and maintain the dataset and simulation pipeline, including data collection, labeling, curation, augmentation, synthetic data generation, and closed-loop retraining based on field performance.

- Optimize inference performance on Jetson platforms, including model pruning, quantization, TensorRT integration, and custom kernel development as required.

- Establish the model evaluation framework and metrics used to assess perception performance under operational conditions.

- Deliver target state information (position, velocity, identity, uncertainty) to the controls subsystem.

- Collaborate with the hardware team on camera, optics, and sensor selection.

**Requirements**

- 6+ years of professional experience in computer vision or machine learning, including production deployment on edge hardware.

- Demonstrated experience shipping a detection or tracking system under real-world latency, small-object, or adversarial constraints.

- Strong engineering skills beyond modeling, including experience with PyTorch or JAX through to deployed, optimized inference.

- Proficiency in Python for model development and C++ or Rust for deployed inference.

- U.S. citizenship and ability to pass a background check.

**Nice-to-Have**

- Experience working with infrared (IR), thermal, or multi-spectrum camera systems.

- TensorRT and NVIDIA Jetson deployment experience at production scale.

- Multi-object tracking under challenging conditions.

- Multi-modal sensor fusion experience (EO/IR, radar, acoustic).

- Synthetic data generation and sim-to-real methodologies.

- Prior experience in defense or other safety-critical computer vision applications.

- Active security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one.

- A passion for building robots or engineering projects as a hobby.

**Benefits**

- **Meaningful Early Equity**: You aren't just an employee; you are a foundational owner. Your contributions directly drive the value of your stake in the company.

- **Direct Roadmap Influence**: Forget the bureaucracy of big defense. You will have a seat at the table, directly shaping our product and technology trajectory from day one.

- **Mission-Critical Work**: We don't build for "what if." We build systems the Department of War actively needs to counter immediate, real-world threats.

- **The Builder's Playground**: Work in a brand-new lab fully optimized for rapid prototyping, equipped with NVIDIA Jetsons, high-end scopes, and 3-D printers.

- **100% Employer-Paid Premiums**: We cover 100% of your medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums and cover 50% of healthcare premiums for your dependents.

- **Unlimited PTO**: We value results, not clock-watching. Take the time you need to stay sharp and recharge.

- **Zero Red Tape**: You have the autonomy to make technical decisions that would take months of committee approval at a larger firm.

- **Austin-Based Culture**: Join an onsite team in Austin, TX, where we prioritize high-bandwidth collaboration and rapid field-testing.

- **Relocation Assistance**: We want the best talent in the room. If you aren't in Austin yet, we’ll help you get here, to make your transition to the Silicon Hills seamless.

**About the Interview**

- Initial Screening with recruiter - 30 min phone call

- 1st Round Virtual Interview - peer engineer + SWE Director (45 min via MS Teams)

- 2nd Round Onsite Interview - CTO + Director + VP + peer(s) (~ 6 hours in-person) **will fly out candidates that are not local

- Reference checks & offer

***9 Mothers Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) During the Interview Process***
*The interviewing process is a mutual opportunity for us to get to know each other better. Our goal is to understand your unique background, evaluate your problem-solving abilities, and ensure a strong mutual fit.*
*AI is a core part of how we work at 9 Mothers—we actively encourage and frequently leverage AI tools in our day-to-day operations. However, during the hiring process, we need to evaluate **your** fundamental skills and expertise, not the outputs of an AI model.*
*To ensure a fair and transparent process, we ask that you adhere to the following interview guidelines:*

- ***1st-Round Interviews (No AI Allowed):** The use of AI tools, assistants, code generation tools, or real-time copilots is strictly prohibited during all first-round interviews and assessments. The use of AI during this stage will result in immediate disqualification from the hiring process.*

- ***2nd-Round Interviews (Guided AI Usage):** The second-round process includes opportunities to utilize AI. Your interview team will provide explicit guidance on how, when, and which AI tools to leverage during this stage.*

*We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain an authentic and fair interview experience for everyone.*