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A $2.2 billion defense startup building autonomous, AI-driven weapons for counter-drone warfare is standing up a senior function to run computer vision and machine learning at executive level, signaling that the company's core product is shifting from hardware-plus-software toward AI-driven targeting as a central business bet.
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.
About The Role
We are looking for a Director of Computer Vision/Machine Learning to bridge executive AI strategy and day-to-day technical execution for Bullfrog™'s perception and tracking systems. You will translate the VP / Chief Engineer of AI's vision into clear priorities, roadmaps, and standards for the Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Tracking teams, while staying hands-on: reviewing code, digging into data, and helping solve the hardest problems alongside staff engineers and leads across software, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering. You will also build direct working relationships with other VPs, Chief Engineers, and executive leadership, representing CV/ML/Tracking in technical and schedule discussions across the company.
What You'll Do
Translate the VP / Chief Engineer of AI's vision and technical strategy into actionable plans, milestones, and priorities for the CV, ML, and Tracking teams; serve as the primary communication channel carrying direction down and status, risk, and insights up.
Manage, coach, and develop the managers of the CV/ML and Tracking teams, holding them accountable for delivery, performance, and team health; mentor engineers and technical leads and help identify and grow future leaders.
Partner with software, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering to solve problems no single discipline can solve alone, including sensor selection and placement, optics, compute and power constraints, and thermal limits.
Own on-time delivery of CV/ML and Tracking contributions to program schedules; anticipate integration risks early and drive resolution before they threaten milestones, escalating when schedule risk cannot be resolved at the working level.
Establish and enforce standards for model development, evaluation, experiment tracking, reproducibility, and documentation; define metrics and benchmarks such as detection accuracy, tracking performance, latency, and robustness so success is measurable.
Review code and pull requests, and write code, prototypes, or analysis scripts to unblock the team or validate an approach; participate in architecture and design reviews, challenging assumptions and guiding teams toward robust, scalable solutions.
What You'll Need
10-15 years of experience in computer vision and/or machine learning, with 3+ years leading managers or multiple teams.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
Deep expertise in at least one of the following: object detection, multi-object tracking, sensor fusion, or deep learning for perception.
Strong programming skills in Python, with familiarity in C++ and common frameworks including PyTorch, TensorRT, and OpenCV; proven track record taking CV/ML systems from research through production deployment.
Demonstrated success collaborating across software, mechanical, electrical, and systems disciplines to deliver complex products on schedule; excellent communication skills engaging with staff engineers, peers, and C-level executives; comfort operating in a flat, collaborative, low-ego, high-ownership organization.
You'll Stand Out
Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
15-20 years of experience leading managers across multiple teams, with experience scaling computer vision/ML organizations beyond a single team.
Experience with real-time or embedded perception systems, including model optimization and edge deployment; familiarity with tracking algorithms such as Kalman filters and data association methods.
Familiarity with MLOps practices, large-scale training pipelines, and data engineering; systems engineering experience including requirements decomposition, interface definition, and verification.
Experience in a domain such as autonomous systems, robotics, defense, surveillance, or sports analytics; publications, patents, or open-source contributions in the field.
What We Offer
Competitive salary
ACS Equity Package
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.
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