Senior Engineer, Lidar Characterization Engineer
Redmond, Washington
Systems Engineering & Customer Support – Systems Engineering /
Full Time /
On-site
Lumotive’s award-winning optical semiconductor solutions enable advanced sensing and perception capabilities in next-generation consumer, mobility, and industrial automation products such as mobile devices, autonomous vehicles, and robots. The company’s patented Light Control Metasurface (LCM™) beam steering chips deliver an unparalleled combination of high performance, exceptional reliability, and low cost — all in a tiny, easily integrated solution. Lumotive has received measurable industry acclaim including Laser Focus World's 2024 Innovators Award; CES Innovation Awards in 2022, 2024, and 2025; Fast Company’s Next Big Thing in Tech 2023; a 2022 SPIE PRISM Award; and a prestigious Edison Award. Investors include Gates Frontier, MetaVC Partners, Quan Funds, Samsung Ventures, and Uniquest.
Job Description:
We are seeking a detail-oriented and innovative Lidar Characterization Engineer to join our team. You will be responsible for evaluating, characterizing, and optimizing the performance of lidar sensors and sub-assemblies, supporting both product development and system integration efforts. Your work will directly impact the quality and reliability of our 3D sensing systems. The candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively across internal functional units as well as with partners and customers. The ideal candidate has prior experience in lidar, time of flight (ToF), and/or other 2D and 3D imaging systems. This position reports to a Principal Optoelectronic Systems Engineer.
Responsibilities:
- Design and execute experiments to characterize key lidar performance metrics (e.g., range accuracy, precision, reflectivity response, resolution, noise characteristics, calibration stability).
- Develop automated test systems and analysis pipelines for efficient system and component evaluation and calibration.
- Conduct laboratory and field tests to simulate real-world operating conditions.
- Analyze large datasets and extract insights to drive sensor improvements.
- Work closely with cross-functional teams, including hardware, firmware, perception, and manufacturing teams.
- Define test plans and acceptance criteria for new sensor designs and production units.
- Support root cause analysis for sensor anomalies or performance degradation.
- Document methods, results, and best practices for internal and external use.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, Computer Science, or a related field.
- 3+ year of experience with lidar, optical sensors, or similar hardware characterization.
- Strong understanding of 3D sensing principles.
- Proficiency with data analysis tools (Python, MATLAB, or similar).
- Hands-on experience with laboratory instrumentation (oscilloscopes, spectrometers, laser systems).
- Familiarity with signal processing, calibration techniques, and sensor modeling.
- Experience interacting with databases (SQL, Postgres) for managing and analyzing large datasets.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team setting.
- Ability to prepare and deliver reports and presentations.
$100,000 - $115,000 a year
Base pay is scaled depending on experience + Performance based Quarterly Bonus + Equity.
Benefits include but not limited to:
Health, dental and vision
FSA, HSA
PTO plus 14 paid company holidays
401K with 3% contribution
Stock Options
Life insurance and disability
