Software Engineer I, Perception (New Grad)

Back to jobs Software Engineer I, Perception (New Grad) Denver, CO; Long Beach, CA Apply Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it. OUR MISSION True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground. OUR VALUES

Be the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity. What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results. It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

BENEFITS & PERKS *

Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with HSA/HRA options Generous time off: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for exempt employees, accrued PTO of up to 25 days for non-exempt employees, plus 12 paid holidays; Parental Leave; Sick Leave Fuel for your day: Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees And more: 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays Equity participation: Equity is included as part of our total compensation package, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s success.

*Do not apply to fixed term and temporary roles YOUR MISSION You'll work on hybrid perception systems combining classical computer vision with modern deep learning for autonomous spacecraft: building multi-object tracking pipelines that fuse neural network detections with Kalman filtering, developing coordinate transformation chains from pixels to orbital frames, training models on synthetic space imagery, and deploying algorithms onboard under strict compute/power constraints. Your work enables spacecraft to detect objects against star fields, track multiple targets through occlusions, discriminate threats from decoys, and generate angle measurements for navigation — using both classical geometric methods and learned representations where each approach excels. This is entry-level work blending traditional robotics perception with modern ML. You'll implement Extended Kalman Filters, train neural networks in PyTorch, write C++ flight code, and see your algorithms operate in orbit. This is a 3 month temporary employment engagement. There is potential to convert to regular employment based on performance and business need. RESPONSIBILITIES

Implement classical tracking algorithms: Extended Kalman Filters for state estimation, Hungarian algorithm for data association, track management logic (tentative/confirmed/coasted tracks) Train neural networks for detection and classification: YOLO for object detection, ResNet-based classifiers for threat discrimination, learned appearance features for re-identification Build hybrid perception pipelines: neural network detections → classical tracking → coordinate transformations → angle-only measurements for navigation Develop image processing chains: hot pixel filtering, adaptive thresholding, centroiding, connected component analysis, star catalog matching Deploy models to edge hardware: quantize neural networks (INT8), integrate with C++ inference engines (ONNX Runtime, TensorRT), optimize for space-qualified processors Implement coordinate transformations: pixel → camera frame → body frame → Earth-Centered Inertial (ECI), accounting for lens distortion and attitude uncertainty Generate synthetic training data: render spacecraft in Blender with domain randomization (lighting, attitudes, backgrounds), create labeled datasets for rare scenarios Validate end-to-end performance: software-in-the-loop simulation, processor-in-the-loop testing, hardware-in-the-loop with real camera feeds

Currently pursuing or recently completed Bachelor's or Master's degree in