Senior AI/ML Data Engineer – Robotics & Drones (f/m/d)

We are Aptiv - a global technology company with 200,000 specialists in 48 countries. We develop innovative software and build the hardware to bring autonomous driving cars, advanced driver-assistance systems, connected vehicles and smart cities to life in a way that only we can. 

As a Senior AI/ML Data Engineer, you will own the end-to-end data processing and dataset lifecycle required to develop, train, validate, and continuously improve AI/ML systems across our robotics platforms. You will ensure that raw sensor recordings are transformed into reliable, high-quality training and test datasets through robust, scalable, and automated data pipelines. 

You will work closely with AI/ML engineers, perception engineers, validation teams, and platform engineers to ensure that data is available, trustworthy, traceable, and ready for model development and performance evaluation. 

Your role

Data Pipeline Architecture & Automation 

• Design, develop, and maintain automated data processing pipelines that transform raw robotic sensor recordings into ML-ready datasets. 

• Establish scalable and reproducible workflows supporting the complete AI/ML development lifecycle. 

• Drive continuous improvements in pipeline reliability, scalability, maintainability, and performance. 

Dataset Engineering & Lifecycle Management 

• Own the lifecycle management of datasets used for AI/ML model development, validation, and benchmarking. 

• Define and automate dataset creation processes for model training, model validation, model benchmarking, and regression testing. 

• Ensure dataset traceability, reproducibility, and version control. 

Data Quality & Validation 

• Define and implement automated quality checks throughout the data processing chain. 

• Verify data correctness, completeness, consistency, and integrity after every processing step. 

• Identify data quality issues and drive corrective actions with stakeholders. 

Data Distribution & Infrastructure Integration 

• Manage distribution of datasets across file systems, cloud environments, and training infrastructure. 

• Optimize large-scale dataset storage, transfer, and access mechanisms. 

• Support compute platforms used for AI/ML training and evaluation. 

Metrics, Reporting & Visualization 

• Develop dashboards and reporting solutions to monitor: 

• Data KPI including data size, growth, and quality 

• Coverage of operational scenarios 

• Label and ground-truth quality 

• AI/ML readiness KPIs 

Your background

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Robotics, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. 

• 5+ years of experience developing large-scale data processing systems, data pipelines, or ML data infrastructure. 

• Strong proficiency in Python and experience building production-quality software. 

• Experience with data engineering frameworks, ETL workflows, and distributed processing systems. 

• Experience handling large-scale sensor data from cameras, radar, LiDAR, IMU, GNSS, or similar data sources. 

• Strong understanding of data quality management, data validation, and pipeline monitoring. 

• Experience with dataset versioning, reproducibility, and data lineage concepts. 

• Strong knowledge of Linux environments and software development best practices. 

• Experience with cloud (Azure, AWS, or similar) or distributed computing environments. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 

• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, autonomous vehicles, drones, AMRs, or related domains. 

• Experience with AI/ML data preparation, dataset curation, and training data management. 

• Familiarity with annotation workflows, ground-truth generation, and sensor calibration processes. 

• Experience with tools such as DVC, MLflow, Airflow, Spark, Kubernetes, or similar platforms. 

• Experience building data quality dashboards and analytics solutions using tools such as Grafana, Power BI, Tableau, Plotly, or equivalent. 

• Knowledge of data lake architectures and large-scale storage systems. 

• Experience with ROS/ROS2 and robotic data recording formats. 

• Experience supporting ML training workflows and model evaluation infrastructure. 

• Familiarity with MLOps and DataOps practices. 

• Experience working in fast-paced start-up or incubation environments. 

Traits We Seek 

• Systems Thinkers who understand how data flows through complex robotics and AI/ML ecosystems. 

• Ownership Mentality with a strong focus on reliability, quality, and operational excellence. 

• Automation Advocates who eliminate manual processes through scalable engineering solutions. 

• Data-Driven Problem Solvers who use metrics and evidence to drive improvements. 

• Collaborative Influencers who effectively work across software, ML, robotics, and infrastructure teams. 

Why Join Aptiv

• You grow at Aptiv. Aptiv's winning culture is global by design. We bring together diverse perspectives, cultures, and business contexts to solve our customers' toughest challenges. In this environment, every individual can grow, lead, and make an impact, regardless of background, because inclusion fuels how we innovate and win.  

• You make an impact at Aptiv. One of the strengths of humanity is our drive to progress, to improve, to achieve more tomorrow than we did yesterday. People need solutions they can trust when it matters most. At Aptiv, you are building those solutions every day. 

• You have support at Aptiv. We ensure you have the resources and support you need to take care of your family, your physical health, and your mental health with a competitive benefits package 

Benefits:

·       In addition to an attractive compensation package, Aptiv offers 30 days of annual leave and overtime compensation.

·       You can look forward to a secure, permanent employment contract with continuous opportunities for internal career development, including within an international environment.

·       Through access to internal and external training programs, coaching, and certifications, you will have ongoing opportunities to develop your skills and advance your career.

·       We recognize and reward innovation and outstanding performance.

·       You will work in a highly international and collaborative environment, partnering with industry experts on equal footing.

·       You will have the opportunity to get involved in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

·       At Aptiv, you will have the chance to actively shape the future of mobility by working closely with nearly all major global OEMs and leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as e-mobility and autonomous driving.

Meet the Next Generation Aptiv 

At Aptiv, we deliver innovative solutions that people trust when it matters most. 

Progress is never static. It is about reaching further, exploring new possibilities, and enabling mobility. Aptiv empowers customers to create solutions people rely on—advancing safety and autonomy in Automotive and Commercial Vehicles, enabling mission-critical performance in Aerospace & Defense, and powering intelligent systems across Energy, Enterprise, and Telecommunications. We also drive precision and efficiency in Industrials & Robotics and support life-critical innovation in Medical technologies.  

Guided by our winning culture and values to Think & Act Like Owners, as One Team, and Play to Win, we turn commitment into results and achieve more together.  

Join Us to Deliver Innovative Solutions That People Trust! 

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Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.