Senior Staff Lidar Systems Architect

Aurora Innovation•Mountain View, CA

15h•$197,000 - $285,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Aurora is seeking a Senior Staff Lidar Sensor Architect to define the next-generation architecture of their high-performance lidar systems. This role will bridge the gap between high-level lidar performance requirements and practical hardware implementation. The primary focus will be on electrical and firmware partitioning and defining interfaces between the photonic module of the lidar and the electrical and computing systems, optimizing for performance, scalability, and automotive reliability.

Requirements

PhD or MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a BS with 12+ years of experience.
Deep understanding of active sensors including lidar, radar, or spectral imaging systems.
Proven track record of architecting complex sensing systems, specifically defining EE/FW partitions and high-speed data interfaces.
Proficiency in system simulation and modeling and familiarity with high-performance FPGA/SoC architectures.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICS) and the unique challenges of integrating them with standard electronics OR experience with defining system architecture and specifications for sensor ASICs / ROICs and working with vendors on physical implementation.
Experience taking high-performance sensors from initial R&D through mass manufacturing and field validation.
Familiarity with ISO 26262, ASIL requirements, and AEC-Q100/200 component qualification.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the lidar sensor system architecture including functional decomposition, module definition, and electrical to photonic interface definition.
Translate top-level functional requirements into detailed requirements for design teams including EE, ME, and FW.
Partner and collaborate with EE, Embedded FW/SW, integrated photonics, and ME design teams to balance tradeoffs between mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical requirements.
Lead strategy for architectural evolution between lidar generations, particularly in EE and FW domains, to reduce cost, power, and size of sensor.
Drive initial bring-up and debugging for key electrical-to-photonic interfaces and modules.
Author technical documentation including architecture diagrams, theory of operation documents, hardware/software interfaces, DFMEA, etc.