Principal Applied Scientist - Computer Vision

Lime is the largest global shared micromobility business, operating in close to 30 countries across five continents. We’re on a mission to build a future where transportation is shared, affordable and carbon-free. Our electric bikes and scooters have powered more than one billion rides in cities around the world. Named a 2025 Time 100 Most Influential Company, Lime continues to set the pace for shared micromobility globally, spurring a new generation of clean alternatives to car ownership.

We are looking for a Principal Applied Scientist to serve as the technical architect and strategic lead for advanced computer vision and machine learning systems. In this role, you will define how intelligent, real-world systems perceive and interpret their environment, from concept through large-scale production deployment.

You will work on complex applied perception challenges that require a strong blend of computer vision, machine learning, and data expertise, with solutions operating in real time on edge hardware. This role requires a hands-on technical leader who can set long-term technical direction while balancing system performance, reliability, and user experience in dynamic, real-world conditions.

This is a remote position with a requirement for candidates residing in the U.S. to maintain effective collaboration across teams.

What you’ll do:

• Technical Strategy & Roadmap: Define and execute the long-term technical vision for applied computer vision systems, identifying high-impact opportunities and guiding architectural decisions.

• Complex Problem Solving: Architect and own real-time perception and scene-understanding solutions designed to operate reliably in complex, real-world environments.

• Advanced Data Fusion: Lead efforts to combine computer vision with additional sensor inputs to improve robustness, accuracy, and contextual understanding.

• Hardware–Software Co-Design: Collaborate with hardware and firmware teams to optimize vision algorithms for deployment on resource-constrained edge devices, ensuring low latency and high reliability across diverse conditions.

• End-to-End Ownership: Oversee the full lifecycle of machine learning solutions—from data strategy and model development to deployment, monitoring and iterative improvement in production.

• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Act as a senior technical authority for computer vision and applied ML; mentor scientists and engineers and promote a culture of rigorous, production-oriented development.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Partner with Product, Engineering, and other stakeholders to translate high-level requirements into scalable, technically sound solutions.

• Strategic Innovation: Stay current with advances in AI and computer vision research, identifying techniques that can be adapted for practical, real-world applications.

About you:

• 8+ years of industry experience in Computer Vision and Machine Learning, with a strong track record of deploying production-grade systems in real-world environments.

• Edge AI Expertise: Extensive experience optimizing and deploying CV/ML models on embedded or edge hardware platforms where power, performance, and efficiency constraints are critical.

• Sensor Fusion Experience: Deep understanding of integrating with additional sensor modalities to solve complex perception or state-estimation problems.

• Strategic Technical Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading technical strategy and influencing architecture across teams; people management experience is a plus.

• Real-World Problem Solving: Proven ability to build robust systems that perform reliably under noisy, variable, and imperfect real-world conditions.

• Academic Foundation: Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on Computer Vision or Machine Learning.

U.S. Based Candidates - What We Offer:

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: A choice of medical, dental, and vision plans, with Lime covering 100% of the employee-only premium for many plans. We also provide company-paid life and disability insurance and company-funded mental health benefits.

• Financial & Retirement Planning: 401(k) plan with both pre-tax and Roth options, and access to a Health Savings Account (HSA) with a monthly company contribution.

• Family & Fertility Support: Paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents, plus fertility and family-forming benefits.

• Time Off & Flexibility: Flexible vacation policy for exempt employees, paid sick time, and a calendar of paid company holidays.

• Unique Lime Perks: Complimentary use of Lime vehicles in participating cities, a monthly phone allowance, dedicated learning and development days, and access to perks including One Medical, Wellhub, and Headspace.

Note: Benefits and perks vary depending on role, location, and plan eligibility.

The salary range listed reflects what Lime reasonably expects to offer for this role, with the final base salary determined by factors such as the candidate’s location and relevant skills and experience. Depending on the position, the total compensation package may also include discretionary annual performance bonus opportunities and equity, subject to applicable plan terms and eligibility requirements.

Lime considers all qualified applicants for employment, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act, and all other applicable federal, state, and local laws.

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If you want to make an impact, Lime is the place for you. Not sure if you meet all the qualifications? If this role excites you we encourage you to apply. Explore all opportunities on our career page.

Lime is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe different perspectives help us grow and achieve more. That’s why we’re dedicated to building and developing a team that reflects a wider range of backgrounds, abilities, identities, and experiences. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process, please email [email protected] for assistance.