Sr. Staff Radar Signal Processing Engineer

Rivian•Palo Alto, CA

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Sr. Staff Radar DSP Engineer to work alongside an experienced, cross-functional team to help define the signal processing architecture for our next-generation, high-performance 4D imaging RADAR. This role requires deep, hands-on expertise in radar signal processing theory and practice, and the ability to help design and deliver the algorithms and DSP pipeline that will drive industry-leading detection, resolution, and perception performance. As a senior technical contributor on radar DSP, you will help shape the algorithmic roadmap, drive performance to state-of-the-art KPIs, and partner closely with hardware, firmware, and perception teams to bring the pipeline into production.

Requirements

Master's or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, with a focus on signal processing or radar systems.
8+ years of experience developing signal processing algorithms and DSP pipelines for RADAR systems, with demonstrated expertise in imaging or high-resolution automotive/robotics RADAR.
Deep expertise in radar signal processing fundamentals: waveform design (FMCW/chirp), range-Doppler processing, MIMO virtual array synthesis, digital beamforming, and angle-of-arrival estimation (e.g., FFT-based, MUSIC, ESPRIT, or compressed sensing approaches).
Strong hands-on experience developing detection and tracking algorithms, including CFAR variants, clutter suppression, and multi-target tracking.
Proven ability to design DSP pipelines that meet real-time, low-latency constraints on embedded and automotive-grade compute platforms.
Strong proficiency in MATLAB, Python, and C/C++ for algorithm modeling, simulation, and production implementation.
Experience with sensor fusion, including fusing RADAR with LiDAR, camera, and IMU data for perception tasks.
Familiarity with RF/antenna system design principles and their interplay with DSP algorithm performance.
Proven track record of technical leadership, including leading algorithm development from concept through production deployment.
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying deep learning to radar data (raw cube, range-Doppler maps, or point clouds) is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Work with an experienced, cross-functional team to design, develop, and optimize the signal processing algorithms and DSP pipeline for a high-performance 4D imaging RADAR, from raw ADC data through detections and point-cloud output.
Help define and drive the radar processing chain architecture, including waveform design, MIMO/virtual array processing, beamforming, range-Doppler-angle estimation, and super-resolution angle estimation techniques.
Contribute to the technical roadmap for achieving industry-leading KPIs in range, velocity, and angular resolution, detection probability, false alarm rate, and dynamic range.
Develop and optimize core algorithms including CFAR detection, clutter and interference mitigation, micro-Doppler processing, tracking, and point-cloud generation for 4D imaging output (range, Doppler, azimuth, elevation).
Design and implement real-time, compute- and memory-efficient DSP pipelines suitable for deployment on embedded/automotive-grade hardware (DSP cores, FPGA, or custom ASIC/SoC).
Build high-fidelity simulation, modeling, and algorithm validation frameworks (MATLAB, Python, C++) to characterize algorithm performance ahead of hardware availability.
Evaluate and integrate state-of-the-art techniques, including MIMO waveform design, digital beamforming, sparse array processing, and interference mitigation for dense multi-radar environments.
Collaborate with AI/ML teams to develop and deploy deep learning-based radar perception models (e.g., detection, segmentation, classification) operating directly on radar cubes or point clouds.
Partner closely with RF/hardware, firmware, and systems engineering teams to ensure the DSP pipeline is co-optimized with antenna design, RF front-end, and compute architecture.
Drive rigorous performance characterization and validation of algorithms against system-level requirements, including field testing and benchmarking against competitive systems.
Mentor and collaborate with DSP/algorithm engineers across the team, helping establish best practices for algorithm development, code quality, and validation.
Stay ahead of industry and academic advancements in radar signal processing, automotive/robotics radar, and imaging radar technology, and translate relevant advances into the product roadmap.
Coordinate with external partners, chipset vendors, and research institutions on next-generation radar processing technologies.