---
title: 'Perception & Tracking Engineer at Allen Control Systems'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/perception-tracking-engineer-allen-control-systems-austin-y8pxmkkye6s1'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-11'
---

# Perception & Tracking Engineer at Allen Control Systems

- **Company:** [Allen Control Systems](https://feeny.ai/companies/allen-control-systems)
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-08-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/allen-control-systems/6eca9cbe-1a43-4082-91a5-84871e056637/application

> Design and implement real-time computer vision algorithms for object detection and tracking in autonomous systems. The role involves developing deep learning-based pipelines, optimizing for low-latency inference, and collaborating with robotics teams to integrate perception systems into autonomous platforms.

## 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).

Position Overview We are seeking a Perception and Tracking Engineer to join our team. This person will specialize in deep algorithmic understanding and production-grade software development for real-time multi-target inertial tracking for robotics and autonomous systems. In this role, you will design and implement both classical and modern deep learning algorithms for real-time perception algorithms that enable robots and autonomous systems to detect, track, and understand objects in dynamic environments. You will work closely with robotics, software, and platform engineers to develop high-performance computer vision and tracking systems that operate reliably in real-world conditions and on resource-constrained hardware. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving challenging perception problems, building real-time systems, and working at the intersection of machine learning, robotics, and computer vision. We’re hiring across multiple experience levels, including:

- Associate Perception & Tracking Engineer
- Perception & Tracking Engineer
- Senior Perception & Tracking Engineer Your title and level will be determined based on your experience, skills, and the scope of responsibility appropriate for the role.

What You'll Do:

- Design, implement, test, debug, and maintain core 3D Computer Vision based multi-object tracking algorithms and infrastructure, including measurement conditioning, data association, track correlation, propagation, track initialization/maintenance/deletion, and handling of track uncertainty.
- Develop and optimize computer vision algorithms for real-time detection and tracking of small objects in robotic and autonomous systems.
- Implement and improve object detection and multi-object tracking pipelines using modern deep learning techniques. Analyze and resolve complex tracking issues such as track fragmentation, ID switches, poor association in clutter, sensitivity to measurement quality/latency, and coordinate system challenges.
- Train, evaluate, and deploy machine learning models for perception tasks in dynamic environments.
- Design image preprocessing and feature extraction pipelines to improve model robustness and performance.
- Optimize tracking pipelines for low-latency, real-time performance on embedded hardware and/or GPUs. Profile bottlenecks and apply algorithmic or implementation improvements.
- Collaborate with robotics and software teams to integrate perception systems into autonomous platforms and real-world deployments.
- Participate in the full software development lifecycle: requirements, design, implementation, unit/integration/system testing, deployment, and maintenance. Follow strong software engineering practices and support automated testing and evaluation frameworks.
- Define tracking-specific metrics, evaluation harnesses, and test scenarios. Quantify and improve accuracy, robustness, stability, and computational efficiency.

Required Technical Skills:

- 2-3 years of experience working with perception algorithms, robotics, or machine learning and comfortable in a role that specializes in 3D Computer Vision based tracking
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Math or related field
- Strong experience developing vision-based tracking algorithms for real-time applications
- Experience implementing object detection (YOLO, SSD, R-CNN, or similar) and classic or deep learning-based tracking algorithms (Kalman and particle filters, ByteTrack, or similar)
- Solid applied math foundation in linear algebra, probability, statistics, and optimal estimation (Kalman filtering and variants)
- Experience with image preprocessing, feature extraction, and other classical computer vision pipelines
- Strong programming skills in Python and C++

Preferred Technical Skills:

- Production experience integrating real-time tracking algorithms into robotic perception systems on edge or embedded hardware.
- Experience with multi-sensor fusion and integrating heterogeneous sensor data (cameras + LiDAR, RADAR, or other modalities) into tracking pipelines.
- Ability to go beyond library usage (e.g., ByteTrack, DeepSORT) and implement or significantly customize core tracking logic.
- Familiarity with practical tracking challenges and mitigations: measurement latency, varying update rates, coordinate transformations/registration, track-to-track fusion concepts, IMM-style maneuver modeling, and handling of redundant or conflicting measurements.
- Experience working on robotics systems or embedded vision platforms
- Experience optimizing vision workloads using CUDA or GPU acceleration

## What We Offer

- Competitive salary
- 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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