Federal Sensor Systems Engineer - Perception & Autonomy
Listed on 2026-05-28
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Engineering
Systems Engineer, Robotics, Electronics Engineer
About the Job
At Field
AI, we build autonomous robotic systems that operate in demanding, real‑world environments where tight integration between hardware and software is critical. We’re looking for a Sensor Systems Engineer to support system and component level design, integration, and validation for sensing systems on wheeled robotic platforms across both federal and commercial programs.
As a Perception Systems Engineer on the Federal Team, you will contribute to the design, integration, calibration, and validation of the sensing and compute systems that underpin our autonomy stack. You will work with a diverse array of sensors—LiDARs, depth cameras, IMUs, GPS, and more—ensuring each one delivers accurate, time‑synchronized, and spatially consistent data in a range of environments and operating conditions.
You will collaborate closely with the autonomy, compute, electrical, and mechanical teams to build tightly integrated solutions ready for deployment in challenging field environments. Additionally, while your focus will be on sensors you will likely contribute across all hardware domains.
- Sensor Architecture: Work across hardware and software teams to define sensing requirements. Identify, test, and select sensors such as LiDARs, depth cameras, GPS, IMUs, ToF, and other devices.
- Systems Integration: Integrate sensors with electrical (USB, Ethernet, I2C, CAN, GMSL), mechanical (mounts, jigs, isolation), and software (configurations, drivers, ROS nodes) systems. Ensuring power, thermal, and protocol compatibility.
- Spatial Performance: Architect system to meet spatial sampling performance requirements including spatial coverage, range, resolution, and transform accuracy.
- Temporal Performance: Implement and validate synchronization strategies, triggering schemes, timestamp encoding, and end‑to‑end latency minimization.
- Performance Characterization: Evaluate sensor performance (spatial resolution, temporal drift, EMI noise, sync errors, etc.). Test under real‑world environmental conditions (vibration, lighting, moisture, temperature).
- Calibration: Design and execute both intrinsic and extrinsic calibrations. Build alignment rigs and calibration boards as needed.
- Optimization: Tune sensor configurations (exposure, gain, filtering, frame rate, etc.) and processing pipeline (filtering, etc.) for optimal performance.
- Documentation: Create timing diagrams, sensor maps, coordinate transforms, and maintain all configuration files, launch scripts, driver references, and firmware states.
- Build: Work with vendors to procure sensors. Develop QA checks for incoming units. Support payload integration and manufacturing at scale.
- Debug: Conduct root cause analysis of sensor systems including issues across hardware and software boundaries.
- Monitor: Develop protocols for monitoring the sensing system health, data quality, and calibration status during field deployments.
- Education: B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Physics, or a related field.
- Experience Level: We are recruiting across a wide range of experience levels from entry level engineers to senior and staff engineers.
- Hands‑On Sensors
Experience:
Hands‑on work with perception sensors such as LiDAR, depth cameras, IMUs, GPS. - Systems Thinking: Cross‑functional collaboration experience across electrical, mechanical, and software teams.
- Sensor Physics: Strong foundation in optics, signal processing, and electromagnetic wave propagation.
- Lab
Skills:
Hands‑on testing, calibration, and debugging skills (oscilloscopes, logs, vibration/thermal setups). - Communication Protocols: Experience with protocols such as USB, Ethernet, GMSL, CAN, I2C, and CSI.
- Computer & Software: Experience working with ROS/ROS2, sensor drivers, coordinate transforms (TF), and timing protocols (PTP, NTP, etc.).
- Timing & Triggers: Experience with time stamping, synchronization, triggering, and latency constraints.
- Calibration & Characterization: Experience designing and executing intrinsic, extrinsic, and temporal calibrations,…
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