Senior Optical Sensor Engineer, Sensor Roadmapping/Display Team Liason

Google•Mountain View, CA

2d•$159,000 - $230,000

About The Position

As part of Google’s team developing optical sensing technology for consumer hardware, this engineer designs and integrates ambient-light and color-tone sensors for products including Pixel, Nest, Fitbit, and XR. The role supports display features such as Autobrightness and Adaptive Tone, helping devices adapt to users’ environments. The engineer develops next-generation optical sensing solutions and addresses challenges at the intersection of physics, hardware, and software. The work includes collaborating across teams and with external sensor vendors, assessing emerging display technologies, and ensuring sensors meet product integration, data-quality, performance, and user-experience goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, a specialized field such as Optics, Sensors, or Audio/DSP, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 4 years of experience working with optical sensor technology in the Visible and Near-Infrared (VIS-NIR) spectrum.
At least 2 years of experience with consumer electronics mass production processes, including Final Assembly, Test, Packout, Validation, and program lifecycle.
Experience communicating cross-functionally without authority to influence technical direction, from individual engineers to leadership.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related field such as Optics, Sensors, or Audio/DSP.
Optical sensor system integration experience in consumer electronics systems.
Familiarity with color science, specifically white point adaptation.
Familiarity with display panel architecture and the current state of the art.
Ability to communicate in Chinese and English with stakeholders.
Optical simulation capability using Ansys Zemax OpticStudio or similar.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain strategic relationships with external optical sensor vendors to influence industry roadmaps and co-develop next-generation sensor solutions for Pixel, Nest, Fitbit, and XR hardware programs.
Partner to analyze upcoming display technologies and proactively forecast the technical challenges they present to under-display optical sensing.
Collaborate on the design, prototyping, and testing of next-generation optical sensing solutions.
Align on sensor data quality requirements to ensure displays consistently meet premium user experience and performance standards.
Coordinate on physical and architectural integration to ensure optical sensors are seamlessly incorporated into product designs while meeting performance goals.