Director / VP, Perception & Physical AI Software

About Lyte

Lyte builds perception systems for Physical AI operating in complex environments. The company combines custom silicon, integrated sensors, and software into a unified platform for robotics, mobility, and next-generation automation. Lyte is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with a global presence. For more information, visit www.lyte.ai

If you’re excited about building impactful technology in a dynamic, hands-on environment, we’d love to hear from you!

About the role

• We are seeking a Director / VP of Perception & Physical AI Software to lead the productization, deployment, and scaling of our perception and physical AI technologies. This role is responsible for transforming cutting-edge algorithms into robust, production-grade software platforms that can be deployed, updated, and supported across customer environments at scale.
  This is a highly technical leadership role for someone who has built and shipped complex autonomy or robotics software in the real world—and who can also attract, lead, and scale a world-class software organization. You will partner closely with the Head of Physical AI Algorithms to commercialize perception and AI capabilities as reliable software products, while setting the bar for software quality, velocity, and operational excellence.

What you'll do

• Own the end-to-end software productization strategy for perception and physical AI solutions
• Lead development of production-ready software platforms and SDKs built on top of perception and AI algorithms
• Partner with the Physical AI / Algorithms leadership to transition research and prototypes into scalable, maintainable products
• Define and drive software architecture, modularization, and API design for long-term scalability
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing software engineering organization across perception, autonomy, infrastructure, and platform teams
• Establish and enforce best practices for software development workflows; code quality, testing, and validation; release management and versioning; OTA updates and field deployment
• Ensure software is reliable, observable, and debuggable in real-world deployments
• Work closely with product, systems, hardware, applications, and customer teams to align software capabilities with market needs
• Represent software strategy and execution at the executive and board level

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related technical field
• 12+ years of experience building and shipping large-scale robotics, autonomy, or AI software systems
• Proven track record of shipping complex SW products to customers and supporting it
• Proven track record of leading and scaling software teams that deliver production systems
• Deep technical background in perception, robotics software, or autonomy stacks
• Hands-on experience with software architecture and system design for complex, real-time systems
• Experience deploying software to field robotic systems with OTA update mechanisms
• Strong understanding of software quality, reliability, and operational best practices
• Ability to remain technically engaged while operating at a strategic leadership level

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing and deploying self-driving or humanoid robotics software (e.g., Tesla Autopilot / Optimus, Waymo, Cruise, Zoox, Boston Dynamics, etc.)
• Background in perception, sensor fusion, and physical AI systems
• Experience building commercial software platforms or SDKs for external customers
• Familiarity with cloud-backed robotics infrastructure, telemetry, and fleet management
• Experience scaling software from R&D to production and customer deployment
• Strong intuition for balancing innovation speed with software robustness

Benefits (subject to location and local regulations)

• Competitive salary and equity 
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage 
• 401(k) retirement plan 
• Flexible vacation and time-off policy 
• Collaborative, fast-paced, and inclusive work environment 
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies with a highly cross-functional team