Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Job Description

Transform Maritime Intelligence with Cutting-Edge AI/ML

Are you an experienced machine learning researcher ready to push the limits of AI in one of the toughest domainsmaritime autonomy At Tocaro Blue your expertise in designing training and deploying custom ML models will directly advance our foundational perception stack ProteusCore.

As a Principal ML Engineer you will be the lead architect of Radar (and secondary EO/IR) models for object detection semantic segmentation and tracking. Youll design algorithms capable of distinguishing vessels land shoreline constructions wakes and markers in dynamic maritime environments where off-the-shelf models fall short.

Your work will fuel products used by:

Defense customers developing USVs/ASVs for the U.S. Navy.

Commercial OEMs bringing advanced marine ADAS and autopilot features to market.

This role is an opportunity to define the ML foundations of maritime autonomywhere perception evolves from situational awareness to navigation assistance to full autonomy.

Core ML and Autonomy Innovation

Invent and refine custom deep learning architectures for Radar and EO/IR imagery with an emphasis on semantic segmentation and temporal tracking

Develop multi-stage ML pipelines (context characteristic models segmentation classification) tailored to low-SNR Radar returns

Train models on proprietary large-scale datasets (millions of Radar samples and camera sequences) with design-of-experiment methods for data collection and annotation

Optimize and deploy models to resource-constrained edge hardware (CPU-only and ARM64 platforms) including C inference layers

Advance fusion-aware ML models that integrate Radar with EO/IR AIS and cartography for robust classification in GPS-denied or cluttered environments

Collaborate with fusion and autonomy engineers to ensure ML outputs integrate seamlessly into multi-target tracking and SLAM pipelines

Contribute to ML-Ops workflows: data management large-scale training continuous integration of new field data and automated evaluation pipelines

What Sets You Apart

Essential Qualifications

Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering Computer Science Robotics or related field

7 years applying machine learning and signal processing to real-world dynamic systems (graduate research counts if directly applicable)

Demonstrated mastery of semantic segmentation and object classification models ideally applied to non-vision sensor modalities

Expert-level Python skills with ML frameworks (TensorFlow/Keras PyTorch or equivalent)

Preferred Expertise

Track record of developing ML models beyond standard YOLO-style detectors particularly for segmentation of noisy or sparse data (Radar sonar or medical imaging)

Strong background in computer vision and temporal modeling (CNNs transformers RNNs for sequential sensor data)

Experience deploying ML to embedded/edge platforms with optimized C inference

Knowledge of marine automotive or aerial robotics systems

Contributions to large-scale ML data pipelines: annotation strategies dataset balancing simulation-to-real transfer

Passion for pushing the boundaries of AI in GPS-denied cluttered and low-visibility environments

Why Tocaro Blue

Competitive Compensation & Growth

$140000 - $200000 base salary with potential equity in a rapidly growing company

Comprehensive benefits: 401(k) with 4% company matching full health/dental/vision life & disability insurance generous PTO

Continuous learning via conferences training and professional growth

Innovation-First Culture

Direct impact on defining the AI backbone of maritime autonomy

Work on problems unsolved in automotive AI: Radar segmentation maritime multi-object tracking sensor fusion in GPS-denied waters

Collaborative environment with elite engineers and researchers

Flexible Work Environment

Hybrid and remote options for Southeastern US-based candidates. Offices in Pensacola (FL) Birmingham (AL) and Atlanta (GA)

Hands-on field validation through semi-monthly data collection trips at our Pensacola test facility

A culture that balances innovation with personal growth

Equal Opportunity & Eligibility

Tocaro Blue LLC is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin gender sexual orientation age marital status veteran status or disability status.

Individual offers are based are made based on skill and experience geographic location as well as role responsibility and leadership within the company and other due diligence. Our hiring team will try to determine whether each candidate fits the job description and may choose at their discretion to redirect a candidate to another job offering that is more appropriate.

All employees must be eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance. With few exceptions this is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (a.k.a. current Green Card Holders). Tocaro Blue LLC is not able to sponsor work visas nor permanent resident cards (green cards) for this role.

Required Experience:

Staff IC

Employment Type : Full-Time
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1
Yearly Salary Salary: 140000 - 200000