Senior Applied Scientist - Graph Optimization & Trace Alignment

Join TomTom as a Senior Applied Scientist - Graph Optimization & Trace Alignment in the Maps ADAS & ADS team.

What You'll Do

• Design and implement scalable algorithms that align, filter, and aggregate large-scale crowd-sourced vehicle traces (GPS, IMU, camera-derived observations) into consistent geometric evidence: map-matching, trace clustering, outlier rejection, and drift correction at fleet scale.
• Build and optimize the lane graph itself: formulate lane-centerline extraction, connectivity, and topology inference as optimization problems (linear and non-linear programming, graph-based optimization, factor graphs / pose-graph techniques from SLAM) and solve them at production scale.
• Combine deterministic and learned methods deliberately: use LP/ILP, dynamic programming, and probabilistic estimation where guarantees and explainability matter, and modern ML (learned detectors, GNNs, transformer-based sequence models over traces) where they demonstrably outperform: own the evaluation that decides which.
• Architect high-performance implementations of these algorithms, making them robust, performant, and scalable for production-ready deployment across continental map scopes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate trace-processing and lane-graph models into the production map-making pipelines, and feed measured failure cases back into algorithm improvement.
• Stay current with the state of the art in trace-based mapping, crowd-sourced map inference, SLAM, and geospatial deep learning.
• Deploy solutions using Docker containers on cloud platforms such as Azure.

What You'll Need

• Master's degree in computer science, robotics, applied mathematics, Engineering, or a related field.
• Software Engineer with at least 3-4 years of professional experience.
• Strong software engineering skills, particularly Python; C++ experience for performance-critical solver and geometry code is a plus.
• 3-4 years of hands-on experience with optimization-based estimation: linear and non-linear programming, graph optimization (factor graphs, pose graphs, ILP on network structures), and probabilistic state estimation (Kalman/particle filters, MAP estimation).
• Demonstrated experience processing large-scale vehicle trace or trajectory data: map-matching, trace alignment and registration, clustering, and sensor fusion from crowd-sourced or fleet sources (e.g., FCD/probe data, dashcam-derived observations).
• SLAM and mapping knowledge: hands-on experience with SLAM or SLAM-adjacent pipelines (visual/lidar odometry, loop closure, bundle adjustment, HD map construction) applied to real sensor data.
• Working knowledge of modern ML applied to geometric or graph problems (graph neural networks, learned lane/topology detection, sequence models over trajectories) and sound judgment about when a learned component belongs in a deterministic pipeline.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms such as Azure and Databricks.
• Proficient in deploying applications using Docker containers.
• Ability to think end-to-end and deliver high-quality solutions.

What we offer

A competitive compensation package, of course.

Time and resources to grow and develop, including a personal development budget and paid leave for learning days, as well as paid access to e-learning resources such as O’Reilly and LinkedIn Learning.

Time to support life outside of work, with enhanced parental leave plus paid leave to care for loved ones and volunteer in local communities.

Work flexibility, where TomTom’ers, in agreement with their manager and team, use both the office and home to focus, collaborate, learn and socialize. It’s all about getting the best out of both worlds – we ask TomTom’ers to come to the office two days a week, and the remaining three are free to be worked in either location.

Improve your home office with a setup budget and get extra support with a monthly allowance.

Enjoy options to work from your home country and abroad for a set number of days each year, to visit family and friends, or to simply explore the world we’re mapping.

Take the holidays you want with a competitive holiday plan, plus an extra day off to celebrate your birthday.

Join annual events like our Hackathon and DevDays to bring your ideas to life with talented teammates from around the world.

Additional local benefits are tailored to your location.

Meet your team

We are the ADAS & ADS Product Unit, leading the production of TomTom’s HD maps and ADAS technology. In a diverse team of applied scientists, engineers, data scientists, and more, equipped with a broad array of expertise, you’ll collaborate on groundbreaking location-based technologies and applications. More specifically, you’ll be at the forefront of the creation of advanced HD maps. You’ll also help update these in real-time, ensuring our maps are pushing the world forward instantly. These maps will then go on to empower the largest car manufacturers, transportation giants, and major tech companies around the world.

At TomTom...

You’ll help people find their way in the world. TomTom is engineering a real-time map designed to be the smartest and most useful map on the planet.

Work with a team of 3,300+ unique, curious and passionate problem-solvers. Together, you’ll open up a world of possibilities for car manufacturers, enterprises and developers to help people understand and get closer to the world around them.