Sensor Verification & Characterization Engineer (LiDAR)

Voyant Photonics•New York, NY

3d•$120,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

Voyant Photonics is seeking a Sensor Verification & Characterization Engineer to join its Systems Team and report to the System Integration Lead. The role spans sensor development, from early derisk experiments that shape specifications and validate models to verification benches for new subsystems and characterization of full systems as they mature toward production. The engineer will contribute across multiple active programs, advancing the platform through the product lifecycle while establishing verification for new subsystems. The position involves close collaboration with hardware, photonics, optics, firmware, and controls engineers throughout the system lifecycle, from bring-up through production support. The work is hands-on and primarily in person at the company’s Midtown Manhattan lab and office. The environment is high-trust and high-accountability, with meaningful ownership, changing priorities, and schedules that may adjust to customer calls across time zones rather than following a rigid 9-to-5 schedule.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
At least 4 years of hands-on experience in system or sensor test, verification, characterization, or early-stage technology derisking; exceptional candidates at other experience levels may also be considered.
Hands-on experience with laboratory equipment such as oscilloscopes, power supplies, function generators, spectrum analyzers, and logic analyzers.
Demonstrated experience automating test equipment.
Proficiency in Python for test automation and data analysis.
Experience designing experiments under uncertainty, including selecting measurements, estimating measurement uncertainty, and drawing defensible conclusions from limited data.
Strong systems-level thinking and ability to apply physics and engineering fundamentals to debug complex, ambiguous problems.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to turn raw data and observations into clear reports and actionable hypotheses.
Ability to work independently with minimal formal process and to define and communicate structure where it does not yet exist.
Comfort moving between quick-turn exploratory experiments and disciplined, repeatable verification.
Enthusiasm for new and unexpected problems and flexibility to pivot as priorities shift.
Ability to work on-site.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or Ph.D. degree.
Experience with FMCW LiDAR, radar, or other optical or photonic sensing systems.
Experience working with modeling or simulation teams to validate and refine physical models.
Experience automating motorized stages, gimbals, or other opto-mechanical test setups.
Familiarity with C/C++ for embedded or test applications.

Responsibilities

Design and execute verification and characterization tests for full sensor systems and subsystems, assessing performance requirements and system behavior across operating conditions.
Plan and run rapid derisk experiments for new technologies and subsystems to inform specifications and architecture decisions, including when formal requirements do not yet exist.
Compare measurements with simulation and analytical models and provide feedback to design and modeling teams to improve predictive accuracy.
Troubleshoot and debug system- and subsystem-level issues, using systems-engineering methods and first-principles physics to isolate root causes.
Prepare clear test reports and hypotheses, share findings with the broader engineering team, and recommend specification limits and design tradeoffs.
Build, maintain, and automate test benches and laboratory equipment for repeatable and efficient verification.
Adapt to changing requirements, shifting priorities, and new problems as programs evolve.
Collaborate with hardware, photonics, optics, firmware, and controls engineers from system bring-up through production support.