---
title: 'Director of Computer Vision and Machine Learning at Allen Control Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-computer-vision-and-machine-learning-allen-control-systems-austin-e1xqnjy348rp'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-28'
---

# Director of Computer Vision and Machine Learning at Allen Control Systems

- **Company:** [Allen Control Systems](https://feeny.ai/companies/allen-control-systems)
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-28
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/allen-control-systems/13bb4469-2b7f-4a8e-a452-d7192fd7ac90

## Job description

Company Overview ACS (Allen Control Systems) is a defense technology company building precision robotic systems for the United States and its allies. Founded by two former U.S. Navy electrical engineers with deep experience in robotics and software, ACS brings together AI, computer vision, precision motion, and advanced hardware to solve complex defense challenges across land, air, and maritime environments. Our flagship product, Bullfrog, is an autonomous precision weapon system that transforms existing weapons into highly accurate counter-drone systems — giving warfighters a scalable, cost-effective response to one of the fastest-growing threats on the modern battlefield. Bullfrog is deployed with U.S. forces, and ACS works with organizations throughout the U.S. military and national security community. Following a $200 million Series B at a $2.2 billion valuation, ACS is rapidly expanding manufacturing, accelerating Bullfrog deployments, and developing the next generation of autonomous battlefield systems. This is an opportunity to join a proven, fast-moving team and help scale technology with direct, real-world impact on national security. ACS is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional operations in Alexandria, Virginia; Mountain View, California; and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, visit [allencontrolsystems.com](http://allencontrolsystems.com).

## About The Role

We are looking for a Director of Computer Vision/Machine Learning to bridge executive AI strategy and day-to-day technical execution for Bullfrog™'s perception and tracking systems. You will translate the VP / Chief Engineer of AI's vision into clear priorities, roadmaps, and standards for the Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Tracking teams, while staying hands-on: reviewing code, digging into data, and helping solve the hardest problems alongside staff engineers and leads across software, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering. You will also build direct working relationships with other VPs, Chief Engineers, and executive leadership, representing CV/ML/Tracking in technical and schedule discussions across the company.

## What You'll Do

- Translate the VP / Chief Engineer of AI's vision and technical strategy into actionable plans, milestones, and priorities for the CV, ML, and Tracking teams; serve as the primary communication channel carrying direction down and status, risk, and insights up.
- Manage, coach, and develop the managers of the CV/ML and Tracking teams, holding them accountable for delivery, performance, and team health; mentor engineers and technical leads and help identify and grow future leaders.
- Partner with software, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering to solve problems no single discipline can solve alone, including sensor selection and placement, optics, compute and power constraints, and thermal limits.
- Own on-time delivery of CV/ML and Tracking contributions to program schedules; anticipate integration risks early and drive resolution before they threaten milestones, escalating when schedule risk cannot be resolved at the working level.
- Establish and enforce standards for model development, evaluation, experiment tracking, reproducibility, and documentation; define metrics and benchmarks such as detection accuracy, tracking performance, latency, and robustness so success is measurable.
- Review code and pull requests, and write code, prototypes, or analysis scripts to unblock the team or validate an approach; participate in architecture and design reviews, challenging assumptions and guiding teams toward robust, scalable solutions.

## What You'll Need

- 10-15 years of experience in computer vision and/or machine learning, with 3+ years leading managers or multiple teams.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
- Deep expertise in at least one of the following: object detection, multi-object tracking, sensor fusion, or deep learning for perception.
- Strong programming skills in Python, with familiarity in C++ and common frameworks including PyTorch, TensorRT, and OpenCV; proven track record taking CV/ML systems from research through production deployment.
- Demonstrated success collaborating across software, mechanical, electrical, and systems disciplines to deliver complex products on schedule; excellent communication skills engaging with staff engineers, peers, and C-level executives; comfort operating in a flat, collaborative, low-ego, high-ownership organization.

You'll Stand Out

- Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
- 15-20 years of experience leading managers across multiple teams, with experience scaling computer vision/ML organizations beyond a single team.
- Experience with real-time or embedded perception systems, including model optimization and edge deployment; familiarity with tracking algorithms such as Kalman filters and data association methods.
- Familiarity with MLOps practices, large-scale training pipelines, and data engineering; systems engineering experience including requirements decomposition, interface definition, and verification.
- Experience in a domain such as autonomous systems, robotics, defense, surveillance, or sports analytics; publications, patents, or open-source contributions in the field.

## What We Offer

- Competitive salary
- ACS Equity Package
- Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
- Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

## About Allen Control Systems

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a defense technology company building autonomous robotic weapon stations to counter drone swarms with cost-effective, AI-driven precision.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; recent $200M round at $2.2B valuation)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, USA (also office in Alexandria, Virginia)
- **Founded**: 2023 (seed round closed April 2024)
- **Founders**: Luke Allen (CTO), Mike Wior (CEO), and Steve Simoni (President) – all U.S. Navy veterans and nuclear engineers

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Defense and space manufacturing, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), robotics, AI/computer vision
- **Target customers**: U.S. Department of Defense, allied militaries, national security agencies (B2G)
- **Mission/purpose**: To completely change battlefield economics by lowering the cost per kill of a drone to a few dollars, using existing weapon systems enhanced by proprietary hardware and software.

## Products & Services
- **Bullfrog™ Weapon Stations**: A family of autonomous, remotely operated weapon mounts (variants: M240C, M230, M2, M134, M240) that can be integrated with existing military platforms. Key features:
  - Passive sensing (no radar required) for stealth operations
  - Open architecture for integration with any C2 system
  - AI/ML-based fire control for precise targeting of Group 1–3+ UAS, including swarms and non-jammable drones
  - Effective range up to 1,500m depending on variant
- **Autonomous Fire Control Software**: Machine vision and synthetic data generation engine that continuously updates threat libraries and enables accurate engagement without human intervention.
- **Synthetic Data Training Pipeline**: Generates simulated threat scenarios to keep the system current with evolving drone threats.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: $2.2 billion (per 2026 $200M funding round; reported by company and media)
- **Total Funding**: ~$242M (Seed $12M led by Craft Ventures in 2024; Series A $30M led by Craft Ventures in 2025; undisclosed $200M round in 2026)
- **Notable Investors**: Craft Ventures (lead in multiple rounds)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 262% year-over-year to 131 employees (LinkedIn, 2026)
  - Active job postings increased 392% year-over-year (64 open roles)
  - Recently won a contract for an "Autonomous Identification and Decision" drone solution (FAF contract)
  - Opened Innovation Lab and expanded to a second office (Alexandria, VA)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Passive sensing**: Operates without emitting radar, preserving battlefield stealth.
- **Cost per kill**: Drives engagement costs down to a few dollars per drone.
- **Open architecture**: Integrates with any existing command-and-control system and legacy weapon platforms.
- **Synthetic data generation**: Continuously trains AI models on emerging threats without needing real-world data.
- **Founders’ deep domain expertise**: Navy nuclear engineers with prior startup experience (Luke Allen co-founded Bbot, acquired by DoorDash).

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling production of Bullfrog systems for land and naval platforms.
- Advancing AI/computer vision to defeat larger (Group 3+) UAS and drone swarms.
- Expanding international customer base and partnering with allied defense forces.
- Building a robust supply chain and manufacturing capability in Austin.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission**: Directly contribute to protecting soldiers and changing the economics of drone warfare.
- **Culture**: Described as a remote-friendly organization with a strong engineering focus; HQ in Austin with a satellite office in Alexandria.
- **Work Model**: Remote core, but many roles require on-site presence in Austin for manufacturing and testing.
- **Growth**: Hyper-growth stage – employees have significant ownership and impact.
- **Tech Stack**: State-of-the-art tools: PyTorch, CUDA, Unreal Engine, ROS, Linux, Docker, Git, MLflow, and more.
- **Team**: High density of talent from SpaceX, Firefly, DoorDash, Lockheed Martin, and Carnegie Mellon.
- **Perks**: Not publicly detailed; typical for defense startups include competitive compensation, equity, and a chance to work on cutting-edge hardware-software integration.

## Sources
1. [Allen Control Systems – Company Page](https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/)
2. [Allen Control Systems – About/Team](https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/company)
3. [Allen Control Systems – Careers Page (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/allencontrolsystems)
4. [Allen Control Systems – LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/allen-control-systems)
5. [Allen Control Systems – Built In](https://builtin.com/company/allen-control-systems)

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