Computer Vision Engineer

Location: Hilliard, OH (on-site with some flexibility for right candidate)

Compensation: $120,000 – $180,000 + equity opportunities

About Us

Lighthouse Avionics is a fast-growing startup building the next generation of airspace awareness systems for defense, public safety, and commercial aviation. Our flagship VICTOR platform combines advanced computer vision, embedded AI, and multi-sensor fusion to detect, track, and classify aircraft and drones at unprecedented range and accuracy. We are a lean, hungry, and ambitious team that thrives on solving hard problems and executing quickly.

The Role

We are seeking a Computer Vision Engineer (or Director of AI) who can lead the development and deployment of advanced object detection and tracking systems for real-world airspace applications. This role is both strategic and hands-on: you will be responsible for defining multi-frame detection architectures, guiding research direction, and also rolling up your sleeves to optimize models, tune pipelines, and integrate into deployed systems. You will lead and mentor a team of engineers, serve as the technical expert for AI/ML projects, and contribute directly to systems already being deployed in fielded hardware. Candidates should have a balance of theoretical research background and practical experience shipping products.

Responsibilities

Lead research and development of object detection methods tailored for small, fast-moving airspace objects.
Design and implement pipelines using YOLO/Deepstream/GStreamer/NVIDIA Jetson platforms.
Translate theoretical approaches into deployable, real-time systems running on embedded systems.
Manage and mentor a small team of software engineers, ensuring high execution velocity.
Serve as PI-level technical lead for SBIR/STTR or equivalent research programs.
Collaborate with cross-disciplinary hardware and software teams to integrate AI capabilities into our deployed VICTOR systems.
Contribute to broader software ecosystem development.

Required Qualifications

PhD in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Electrical Engineering, or related field (Master’s with significant equivalent experience considered).
At least 2+ years of post-academic industry experience deploying AI/ML systems into real-world products.
Prior experience as a PI or co-PI on SBIR/STTR or equivalent funded research projects.
Strong publication record in relevant areas (please provide representative papers).
Demonstrated ability through provided sample code or past projects during the interview process.
Deep knowledge of neural networks, multi-frame object detection methods, and real-time detection/tracking.
Proficiency in Python, C++, Linux, CUDA, and modern ML frameworks.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident eligible to work on military projects.

Preferred Experience

NVIDIA Deepstream, GStreamer, TensorRT, and Jetson hardware.
Embedded Linux and Linux driver development.
Low-level embedded programming (STM32, RTOS).
Web stack exposure (Django, Vue) for integrated system tools.
CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices.
Experience with NVIDIA GPUs and high-throughput inference optimization.

Compensation & Growth

Salary: $120,000 – $180,000, based on experience.
Equity: Meaningful stock options for long-term contributors.
Bonuses: Performance-based incentives at individual and team levels.
Benefits: 1.5% 401(k) match and comprehensive health insurance.
Opportunity to play a defining role in the growth of a startup positioned to reshape airspace security.

What We’re Looking For

We want someone who thrives in a startup, underdog, high-energy environment. If you’re motivated by building breakthrough technologies with a team that moves fast and is willing to put in the hours to make it happen, this is the place for you. If you’re looking for a standard 9-to-5, this may not be the right fit.

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