Note: At this stage we are keen to connect with interested candidates ahead of Q1 2027.
THE LAST FRONTIER
The Arctic is a place of extremes: unforgiving, untamed, and undergoing rapid change. A literal defrosting reveals a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity spanning energy, defence, logistics, research, and infrastructure.
Arctic Research and Development (ARD) was founded on a paradox. The Arctic is both the next great economic frontier and one of the most hostile environments on Earth. Rich in resources and strategically vital, yet bone-chillingly cold, dark for months, and fundamentally inhospitable to humans. This paradox—an explosion of activity in a place that resists human presence—is why we exist.
Our solution is autonomy.
We build systems that operate reliably and intelligently in the Arctic, so that humans don't always have to.
Founded by record-holding pioneers with decades of polar experience, we take calculated risks on hard problems that matter. If you want to build and deploy ground-up technology with real-world impact, at an inflection point in history that won’t reappear, we’d like to talk.
THE ROLE
We're looking for a Perception Engineer to build the eyes for autonomous systems operating in the world's most sensor-hostile environment. You'll develop computer vision and sensor fusion systems that cut through Arctic whiteout, polar night darkness, and ice fog — where traditional perception stacks fail. This isn't lab work: you'll deploy ML models on edge hardware that operates at -40°C, where every watt counts and failure means mission abort.
* Please note: this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship*
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
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Design and deploy perception pipelines for Arctic autonomous platforms (surface, subsurface, aerial)
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Fuse multi-modal sensor data (vision, LiDAR, radar, IMU, GNSS) for situational awareness and autonomy
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Build ML models for ice classification, terrain mapping, and obstacle detection in low-visibility conditions
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Train, evaluate, and harden ML models against snow cover, ice glare, low sun angles, and polar night conditions
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Create synthetic training data and simulation environments for Arctic-specific scenarios
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Work closely with mechanical, electrical, RF, and autonomy teams to co-design sensor placement, calibration, and integration
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Support field deployments in the Arctic and iterate rapidly based on real-world data
REQUIREMENTS
Essential
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5+ years industry experience in robotics, autonomy, or real-world ML perception systems
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Strong foundation in computer vision, SLAM, and multi-sensor fusion
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Proficiency in Python and C++ with production-grade engineering practices
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Experience with perception frameworks (ROS / ROS2, OpenCV, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.)
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Comfort working with real sensors, calibration workflows, and noisy data
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A track record of shipping perception systems that work outside controlled environments
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Willingness to operate in safe but extreme cold environments during R&D field testing
Future Security Clearance Requirements
As our business scales into the defense and security sectors, the responsibilities of this role are expected to evolve to include projects requiring UK Security Check (SC) clearance.
While an active clearance is not required to apply or start in this role, candidates must be willing and eligible to undergo UK Government security vetting in the future should project requirements dictate it.
To meet the standard eligibility criteria for UK standard SC vetting, you must typically have resided in the UK for the past 5 continuous years, hold a valid passport, and be capable of passing comprehensive background, financial, and criminal record checks.
WHAT WE OFFER
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Competitive compensation
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Private Health Insurance from Day 1
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Dental & Vision
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Equity - meaningful options as an early employee at an early-stage company
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Real field exposure - travel to Arctic sites and Outposts when needed
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Mission-driven culture - focus on impact, not hours logged
ARD is an equal opportunities employer. We hire on merit, based on skills, experience and potential, and welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We know great candidates sometimes hold back unless they tick every box, so if this role excites you but your experience doesn’t match every point, we’d still love to hear from you, especially if you bring a background or perspective that is under-represented in science and engineering.
If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, just let us know at careers@arcticrd.com.
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