---
title: 'Lead Machine Learning Engineer - Localization at May Mobility'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-machine-learning-engineer-localization-may-mobility-united-states-ch55dytt1xm6'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Lead Machine Learning Engineer - Localization at May Mobility

- **Company:** May Mobility
- **Location:** United States
- **Compensation:** $235k–$285k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-08-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/maymobility/jobs/8502300002

## Job description

May Mobility is transforming cities through autonomous technology to create a safer, greener, more accessible world. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, May develops and deploys autonomous vehicles (AVs) powered by our innovative Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology that literally reimagines the way AVs think.

Our vehicles do more than just drive themselves - they provide value to communities, bridge public transit gaps and move people where they need to go safely, easily and with a lot more fun. We’re building the world’s best autonomy system to reimagine transit by minimizing congestion, expanding access and encouraging better land use in order to foster more green, vibrant and livable spaces. Since our founding in 2017, we’ve given more than 500,000 autonomous rides to real people around the globe. And we’re just getting started. We’re hiring people who share our passion for building the future, today, solving real-world problems and seeing the impact of their work. Join us.

Job Summary

The Autonomy Mapping & Localization group builds the spatial intelligence, semantic and topological mapping, and state estimation that let our autonomous vehicles understand where they are and what the world looks like, and we scale that technology safely and reliably to commercial operations serving riders and consumers. We are looking for a Lead ML Engineer to join our team and architect the next generation of our localization stack. As the Lead ML Engineer for Localization, you will build the production-grade feature extraction and state estimation that lets our autonomous vehicles precisely navigate the world's most challenging roads at scale.

Essential Responsibilities

- Architect and drive the technical roadmap for a production-grade localization machine learning stack, spanning map and sparse landmark-based localization (vision/LiDAR/radar), optimized for real-time performance, robustness against sensor degradation, and integration with the broader autonomy system across diverse Operational Design Domains (ODDs).
- Lead the research, design, training, and validation of advanced neural architectures. This includes object detection, classification, segmentation, tracking, depth estimation, and 3D reconstruction to extract and model localization features (e.g., traffic signs, pole-like objects, keypoints, edges, signals, and road markings), for robust localization.
- Drive major feature development from inception to deployment. This includes high-level architecture design, rigorous code reviews, automated testing, mentorship of junior engineers, and technical resolution.
- Own the end-to-end data strategy for the localization feature extraction domain. You will define data curation, auto-labeling, synthetic data, and active learning pipelines to capture and resolve long-tail scenarios.
- Develop robust metrics and evaluation frameworks for localization performance, including feature extraction accuracy, temporal consistency, and system-level reliability across diverse ODDs.
- Define and validate failure mode and degradation criteria for localization features across ODDs, ensuring safety case coverage and graceful fallback behavior under sensor or model failure.
- Evaluate, adapt, and integrate frontier techniques, including multimodal localization and vision/fusion foundation models, translating research advances into production-ready solutions.
- Drive cross-functional alignment, translating complex autonomy goals into clear software and system requirements.

## Qualifications and Experience

Candidates most successful in this role typically hold the following qualifications or comparable knowledge or experience:

Required

- Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field with a strong mathematical and engineering foundation.
- 7+ years of industry experience developing and deploying ML/DL models for computer vision or localization at scale.
- Deep expertise in several of the following areas:
- Computer Vision Foundations: Object detection, classification, segmentation, tracking, depth estimation, 3D reconstruction, and feature detection/description (e.g., SIFT, ORB, SuperPoint).
- Vectorized landmark and feature detection networks, BEV-based scene representation, and temporal modeling.
- Self-supervised/semi-supervised learning, open-vocabulary detection, and vision/fusion Foundation Models.
- Experience with feature extraction and/or fusion from imagery, LiDAR, and/or radar.
- Expertise in ML/DL development using PyTorch or TensorFlow, including experience with synthetic data generation, large-scale dataset handling, data curation, and active learning strategies.
- Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++ with experience in modular software design and Linux-based development.
- Expertise in ML optimization for real-time products with limited compute, such as quantization and pruning of large transformer models.
- Proven leadership in developing technical roadmaps, mentoring engineers, and driving measurable improvements in model performance and system reliability.

Desirable

- 10+ years of experience in ML/DL for autonomous driving or ADAS systems.
- Experience utilizing Vision-Language Models (VLMs) and/or Foundation Models for auto-labeling and long-tail (edge-case) detection.
- Working knowledge of localization and state estimation concepts (e.g., SLAM, sensor fusion).
- A proven record of inventions and/or publication record at top-tier conferences (e.g., CVPR, NeurIPS, ICCV, ECCV, ICLR).

Physical Requirements

- Standard office working conditions which includes but is not limited to:
- Prolonged sitting
- Prolonged standing
- Prolonged computer use
- Travel required? -  Moderate: 11%-25%

## Benefits and Perks

- Comprehensive healthcare suite including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability plans. Domestic partners who have been residing together at least one year are also eligible to participate.
- Health Savings and Flexible Spending Healthcare and Dependent Care Accounts available.
- Rich retirement benefits, including an immediately vested employer safe harbor match.
- Generous paid parental leave as well as a phased return to work.
- Flexible vacation policy in addition to paid company holidays.
- Total Wellness Program providing numerous resources for overall wellbeing

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and/or people of color are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every qualification. At May Mobility, we’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workforce, so if you’re excited about this role but your previous experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway! You may be the perfect candidate for this or another role at May.

Want to learn more about our culture & benefits? Check out our [website](https://maymobility.com/careers/)!

May Mobility is an equal opportunity employer.  All applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetics or any other legally protected basis.   Below, you have the opportunity to share your preferred gender pronouns, gender, ethnicity, and veteran status with May Mobility to help us identify areas of improvement in our hiring and recruitment processes. Completion of these questions is entirely voluntary.  Any information you choose to provide will be kept confidential, and will not impact the hiring decision in any way. If you believe that you will need any type of accommodation, please let us know.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: May Mobility does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Furthermore, May Mobility does not pay placement fees for candidates submitted by any agency other than its approved partners. Salary Range $235,000—$285,000 USD

May Mobility uses automated tools to support — but not replace — human judgment in our recruiting process, to find out more please click [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eGgErDdZ99HVoyxBrVpVUjhdUcmKogki/view?usp=drive_link)

## About May Mobility

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: May Mobility develops and deploys autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle and robotaxi services powered by its proprietary Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) AI system to provide safer, greener, and more accessible transit.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series-stage not confirmed; total funding $392.6M across 12 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: Dr. Edwin Olson, Alisyn Malek, Steve Vozar

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Urban Transit Services / Autonomous Vehicle Technology
- **Target customers**: B2G (municipalities, transit agencies), B2B (ride-hail partners like Uber and Lyft, enterprise fleets), and B2C (direct rider services)
- **Mission**: “To reimagine transportation by developing and deploying autonomous vehicles that get people where they need to go safely, easily and with a lot more fun.”

## Products & Services
- **Autonomous Shuttle Services**: Deployed autonomous shuttles in multiple U.S. cities (e.g., Atlanta, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Arlington) and Tokyo Bay, Japan. These shuttles operate on fixed or dynamic routes and have completed over 500,000 paid rides.
- **Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) System**: A proprietary real-time, reinforcement-learning AI algorithm that learns and reacts to new driving scenarios every 200 milliseconds, enabling safe handling of unpredictable situations without relying on pre-collected training data.
- **Ride-Hail Integration**: Strategic partnerships with Uber and Lyft to deploy autonomous vehicle fleets through their respective platforms, making May Mobility vehicles available to a broader rider base.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric** (Private company): Total funding of $392.6M (12 rounds); estimated annual revenue $59.2M (source: LinkedIn company profile)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Toyota Motor North America (strategic partnership and investment), Y Combinator (backed in early stage), and ride-hail partners Uber and Lyft.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount of 248 employees (+4.7% YoY) with a 38.2% quarterly increase in job postings and an 80.8% yearly increase.
  - Operations expanded to Japan (Tokyo Bay), Canada, India, UAE, and UK.
  - Recognized by Y Combinator as a Top Company (2020–2022), Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers (2023), and Frost & Sullivan 2022 North American Market Leadership Award.

## Competitive Advantages
- **MPDM Technology**: Unlike rule-based or purely trained-data approaches, MPDM runs endless real-time on-board simulations and learns while driving, making it more adaptable to edge cases and reducing deployment cost and time.
- **Safety-First Design**: Combined sensor suite and MPDM platform monitor road and simulate hazards faster and more reliably than competitors, with safety as the top priority.
- **Established Real-World Deployments**: Over 500,000 autonomous rides given; partnerships with major ride-hail players (Uber, Lyft) and Toyota signal strong commercial traction.
- **Cost Efficiency**: The company claims its system enables AV deployment at “a fraction of the cost and time” compared to traditional approaches.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling Deployments**: Expanding from current U.S. and Japanese bases into more international markets through partnerships with transit agencies and ride-hail platforms.
- **Deepening Technology**: Continuing to advance MPDM, machine learning inference optimization, and edge deployment for AVs, as evidenced by active job postings for ML engineers working on GPU acceleration, TensorRT, and NVIDIA DRIVE OS.
- **Partnership Ecosystem**: Leveraging relationships with Toyota, Uber, and Lyft to integrate May Mobility’s AVs into broader mobility networks.
- **Talent Acquisition**: Aggressively hiring across engineering, autonomy, and operations (47 active postings as of mid-2026) to support growth and R&D.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: Emphasis on “Bring your whole self to work,” inclusivity (mayID Inclusion & Diversity group), and four core values: Drive With Purpose, Consider the Bigger Picture, Do What’s Right, Value Personal Relationships.
- **Flexibility**: Remote/hybrid option with core hours 10am–4pm EST; monthly stipend for Wi-Fi and cell; home office setup stipend for new hires.
- **Work-Life Balance**: Flexible unlimited vacation + 15 paid company holidays; generous paid parental leave with phased return-to-work and weekly meal reimbursement.
- **Compensation**: Competitive salaries (e.g., ML Engineer II posted at $180,000–$210,000 USD); equity (stock option program); 401(k) matching up to 4%.
- **Health & Wellness**: Company-paid medical, dental, vision (including HSA/FSA); life and disability plans; Total Wellness Program covering mental, physical, and financial well-being.
- **Community & Events**: Annual in-person gatherings at Ann Arbor HQ; regular virtual and IRL team events; employee resource groups.
- **Impact**: Directly improving community mobility and reducing congestion; work is deployed in real-world environments with measurable outcomes.

## Sources
1. [maymobility.com/about](https://maymobility.com/meet-may/)
2. [maymobility.com/careers](https://maymobility.com/careers/)
3. [linkedin.com/company/maymobility](https://www.linkedin.com/company/maymobility)
4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/maymobility](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/maymobility/jobs/8502419002)

## Other roles at May Mobility

- [Senior Autonomy Technical Project Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-autonomy-technical-project-manager-may-mobility-ann-arbor-ccctewcfc9az) — Ann Arbor, MI
- [Senior Manager, Quality Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-quality-systems-may-mobility-united-states-23m8nnsh5xnp) — United States
- [Senior Autonomy Technical Release Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-autonomy-technical-release-manager-may-mobility-ann-arbor-pzrr29qf1yqp) — Ann Arbor, MI
- [Site Operations Manager II](https://feeny.ai/job/site-operations-manager-ii-may-mobility-arlington-53mjvahs8e8e) — Arlington, VA
- [Autonomous Vehicle Operations Specialist II](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomous-vehicle-operations-specialist-ii-may-mobility-arlington-0raxgp7g1ybc) — Arlington, VA
- [Senior Autonomous Vehicle Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-autonomous-vehicle-operations-specialist-may-mobility-arlington-vazvtyryjn5j) — Arlington, VA
- [Autonomous Vehicle Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomous-vehicle-operations-specialist-may-mobility-atlanta-he5zts2saahj) — Atlanta, GA
- [Senior Accountant](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-accountant-may-mobility-ann-arbor-4p65ybymr8fc) — Ann Arbor, MI
- [Autonomous Vehicle Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomous-vehicle-operations-specialist-may-mobility-grand-rapids-1w8qz149mgxe) — Grand Rapids, MN
- [Robotics Engineer II](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-engineer-ii-may-mobility-ann-arbor-n3j82kvrp1yq) — Ann Arbor, MI