Physical AI & Autonomy

Intelligence in motion.

Autonomy is the point where software stops predicting and starts acting. Perception, planning, and control have to work together, safely, repeatedly, in the physical world. Akkar recruits the engineers who close that gap, across autonomous vehicles, embodied AI, and industrial autonomy.

The hard part was never the demo.

Most autonomy programmes can show something impressive. Far fewer can show something dependable. The engineering that closes that distance is where the talent shortage actually sits.

Deployment exposes what simulation hides

Edge cases, sensor degradation, and real-world unpredictability break systems that performed perfectly in test. Companies need engineers who've shipped autonomy into the field, not just published on it.

The safety case became the bottleneck

Autonomy can't be deployed without an argument for why it's safe. Engineers who can build that case, and defend it to a regulator, are rarer than the people building the stack.

Foundation models changed the skill mix

Learned approaches are displacing hand-engineered pipelines. Teams now need people fluent in both, because most production systems will be hybrids for years to come.

Expertise across the full autonomy stack.

We recruit from perception through to deployment, and across the markets where autonomy is being solved in parallel.

Perception & sensing
Perception
Computer Vision
Sensor Fusion
LiDAR
Radar
Camera Systems
Calibration
Detection & Tracking
Depth Estimation
Localisation, planning & controls
SLAM
Localisation
Mapping
Motion Planning
Path Planning
Behaviour Planning
Prediction
Control Systems
Trajectory Optimisation
AI, learning & simulation
Machine Learning
Deep Learning
Reinforcement Learning
Foundation Models
Embodied AI
Simulation
Synthetic Data
MLOps
Safety, assurance & validation
Functional Safety
SOTIF
Safety Case Development
Verification & Validation
Scenario Testing
Regulatory Engagement
Requirements
Systems & deployment
Systems Engineering
Embedded Systems
Edge Computing
Real-Time Systems
Data Infrastructure
Fleet Operations
Remote Assistance
Roles WE Recruit for

The people who make intelligence act.

From autonomy leadership to the specialists who close the safety case, these are the families we recruit for most.

Executive & technical leadership
VP Autonomy
Head of Perception
Head of Planning
Head of AI
Head of Safety
Director of Engineering
Chief Scientist
Technical Programme Director
Perception & sensing
Perception Engineer
Computer Vision Engineer
Sensor Fusion Engineer
LiDAR Engineer
Radar Engineer
Calibration Engineer
Detection & Tracking Engineer
Planning, controls & localisation
Motion Planning Engineer
Behaviour Planning Engineer
SLAM Engineer
Localisation Engineer
Controls Engineer
Prediction Engineer
Trajectory Optimisation Engineer
AI, learning & simulation
Machine Learning Engineer
Deep Learning Engineer
Research Scientist
Simulation Engineer
Synthetic Data Engineer
MLOps Engineer
Safety & validation
Functional Safety Engineer
SOTIF Engineer
Safety Case Lead
V&V Engineer
Scenario Engineer
Test Engineer
Requirements Engineer
Systems & deployment
Systems Engineer
Embedded Software Engineer
Edge Computing Engineer
Data Infrastructure Engineer
Fleet Operations Lead
Integration Engineer
CAse Study

Problem

Solution
No items found.

Built around how autonomy teams hire.

The engagement models we use most in autonomy. Each links to the full solution page.

Retained Search

An exclusive, committed search for hires that are too important to leave to chance or volume.

Contingent Search

A focused search engagement for defined roles where speed matters, but relevance matters more.

Contract & Interim

A fast, focused route to contractors and interim professionals who can keep technical programmes moving.

Embedded Partnership

A dedicated Akkar recruiter working inside your business, for as long as the hiring need requires.

More on intelligence built for the physical world.

Perception, safety cases, and deployment, explored by the team living in this market daily.

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Building a team that doesn't yet exist?

Tell us what your system has to do in the real world. We'll define the capability required, find where it exists, and build the connection.