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.
