Senior Sensor Validation Engineer

General Motors•Washington, DC

1d•$153,200 - $234,100•Hybrid

About The Position

General Motors is developing hands-off and eyes-off autonomous driving systems intended for broad deployment across consumer vehicles. As part of this effort, GM is investing in sensors and architectures that can be integrated, validated, and operated reliably at scale across diverse vehicle programs and operating environments. We are seeking a Senior Sensor Validation Engineer with deep expertise in sensor physics and hands-on validation methodologies. In this role, you will bridge the gap between low-level hardware performance and high-level vehicle integration. You will develop sensor characterization plans to assess detailed characteristics of sensors, evaluate sensor response, and drive on-vehicle validation campaigns to ensure robust perception across all driving modalities. You’ll have the opportunity to work cross-functionally with hardware, vehicle, perception, simulation, and other stakeholders to develop, execute, and analyze validation campaigns. This includes the development of vehicle level campaigns to ensure performance and functionality is meeting stakeholder and product needs. benchtop setups, specialized test labs, and data-collection vehicles at our Detroit and Milford locations, with travel to external testing facilities as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Work equivalent experience
5+ years of dedicated experience in sensor validation, characterization, or test engineering across optical, lidar, or radar systems
Demonstrated ability to design vehicle level validation tests
Experience with L4 (or equivalent) autonomous vehicles and associated behaviors, challenges, and validation needs
Strong domain knowledge of sensor physics principles (e.g., optics, electromagnetics, wave propagation, photonics, and signal processing)
Experience using a component-level test equipment and lab facilities, such as darkrooms, collimators, target boards, anechoic chambers, target generators or other related equipment
Hands-on experience conducting both benchtop characterization and on-vehicle validation, including data collection and physical integration constraints (FOV, KOZ, ISP tuning)
Understanding of sensor calibration, time synchronization (PTP/gPTP), and sensor fusion concepts
Proficiency in data analysis and programming languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB) for processing sensor data and evaluating metrics

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) specializing in Optics, Electromagnetics, Physics, or Sensing Technologies
Experience with automated test bench design, darkroom setup, or customized sensor validation rigs
Knowledge of ISP development pipelines, radar signal processing algorithms, or lidar point cloud generation techniques
Experience supporting L4 autonomous driving sensor suites and perception stack integrations

Responsibilities

Develop comprehensive characterization plans to inform the next generation of sensors, including camera, lidar, and radars with quantitative evaluation
Develop vehicle validation tests to ensure performance and safety across autonomous driving environments and behaviors
Plan and execute on-vehicle data collection campaigns on closed courses and public roads to evaluate sensor integration and performance
Evaluate low-level sensor performance metrics, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), dynamic range, optical distortion, point cloud density, and radar cross-section (RCS) accuracy
Transition validated sensor modules from bench setups to vehicle platforms, analyzing physical placement, field-of-view (FOV) overlap, keep-out zone (KOZ) constraints, and other metrics
Partner cross-functionally with perception, and hardware design teams to root cause system-level anomalies