Lead Software Engineer, 3D Computer Vision (USA)

About the role

We're hiring a player-coach to lead execution on our core photogrammetry pipeline - the 3D reconstruction stack at the heart of our platform. You'll partner with CV leadership on technical direction, then make it happen - driving execution, setting the technical bar, growing a team, and shipping the work that moves the product. You'll spend most of your time hands-on - building, training, and shipping 3D systems - while also growing into a leadership role. You'll start with 1-2 direct reports in your first year and grow your scope over time. This is not a pure IC role: candidates who are not interested in growing into people leadership won't be a fit. We're a small, high-leverage team behind an industry-leading photogrammetry platform. Our customers have mapped over 150M acres across more than 180 countries, relying on us for speed, quality, and accuracy in industries as diverse as construction, agriculture, mining, conservation, forestry, and infrastructure inspection. What matters most is experience with production photogrammetry at scale - you've shipped and operated 3D reconstruction systems, you know what breaks under load, and you understand the gap between a research result and something that holds up across thousands of maps. You'll also help reshape how our team builds. We've been investing heavily in agentic development - codifying expertise into reusable skills, pushing AI-first workflows, evaluating new tools as they ship. We want someone who's been doing the same thing on their current team and is ready to do more of it here. #LI-Remote Employee Offerings & Benefits (Benefits may vary by location and role) These are just some of the perks you'll enjoy-there's more to discover once you join us! Culture of Innovation & Collaboration - Thrive in an environment that values creativity and teamwork. Drone Certification - Get certified and gain unique, hands-on skills with our full backing. Flexible Work Arrangements - Enjoy autonomy with remote-first options and schedule flexibility. Paid Family Leave - Take the time you need to support your family during life's most important moments. Comprehensive Healthcare Coverage - Plans designed to support your well-being. Career & Growth Development - Build new skills and unlock opportunities through continuous learning. Flexible PTO - Take time off when you need it to recharge-we trust you to manage your time well. Employee Referral Bonus - Know someone great? Refer them and earn a bonus when they join our team. ---- DroneDeploy is an equal opportunity employer. All DroneDeploy employees are responsible for protecting the company and customer data by following information security policies and procedures. Please refer to our Recruitment Privacy Notice for information about privacy during the recruiting process.

Requirements

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, with 7+ years of professional experience in 3D Computer Vision or 3D Machine Learning.
• Deep experience with production photogrammetry or 3D reconstruction systems at scale - you've built, shipped, and operated pipelines under customer load, not just research or prototype work.
• Deep experience across the broader 3D perception toolkit - at least three of: feature detection and matching, SfM, MVS, monocular depth estimation, mesh reconstruction, mesh texturing, SLAM.
• Comfort across the classical-vs-learned spectrum - you reach for the right tool, not the trendiest one.
• A track record with agentic development (see the section above). This is a filter, not a nice-to-have.
• Experience setting technical direction for a team and growing the engineers on it - formally or informally - and a clear interest in moving further into people leadership over time.
• Strong ability to timebox experiments, iterate effectively, and triage routes to success when the path isn't obvious.
• Experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions).
• Ability to work as an effective remote engineer with AM standup overlap with PST.
• Strong written and verbal communication; you can take a technically dense investigation and make it land with PMs, leadership, and other engineers.
• Experience with gaussian splatting and/or foundation 3D reconstruction (MASt3R, DUSt3R, or comparable).
• Proficiency in C++ for performance-critical paths.
• Fluency in modern ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, or equivalent) and modern training stacks.
• Experience running and monitoring many concurrent ML experiments in cloud environments.
• Comfort with cloud processing (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).

Additional Information

About DroneDeploy DroneDeploy powers field teams with robotics and AI. As the only reality capture platform that combines robotic automation, AI agents, and a truly unified system, DroneDeploy allows critical industries to operate with speed and confidence. From construction and energy to agriculture, the world's largest companies use DroneDeploy to simplify field operations, improve safety, and make smarter decisions, faster. By combining aerial drones, 360 and fixed cameras, ground robots and proprietary AI, we're bringing the power of automation and visual intelligence to all stakeholders, from the field to the boardroom. At DroneDeploy, we thrive in a mostly remote-first culture rooted in innovation and impact. We've been recognized as a Best Place to Work in the SF Bay Area and named one of America's Great Places to Work-but what truly sets us apart is the experience you gain: solving real-world challenges with cutting-edge technology, surrounded by teammates who are as passionate as they are supportive. Our team is bold, mission-driven, and building something that matters. We foster a culture where a variety of perspectives drive smart decisions, and where growth-both personal and professional-is part of the journey. Whether it's flexible schedules, family-friendly benefits, or our strong track record of internal promotions, we invest in people as much as we do in product. If you're looking to be part of something ambitious, authentic, and transformative, you'll find your place at DroneDeploy.

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