Senior Hardware Engineer, Lidar

Latitude AI; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 191,920 - 287,880; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Employer 401(k) with match

Paid parental leave

Unlimited vacation

Office lunches

Bonus programs

Job summary

Latitude AI is building the next generation of autonomous sensing for Ford, integrating radar and lidar systems across validation phases and supplier collaborations. The team pushes benchmarks, defines performance targets, and ensures robust, manufacturable implementations aligned with Ford’s autonomy roadmap.

Expect to work with hardware, firmware, perception, validation, and manufacturing groups to deliver sensing solutions that meet vehicle program needs and safety requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 7+ years of relevant automotive sensing experience.
• Experience leading sensor development programs for radar or lidar.
• Strong hands-on data analysis and validation across hardware/sensor domains.

Responsibilities

• Lead sensor development from concept to production launch for radar or lidar.
• Define performance targets, requirements, and validation plans based on vehicle needs.
• Drive benchmarking and supplier down-selection across candidate technologies.
• Lead supplier engagement and architecture discussions with cross-functional teams.
• Guide trade-offs on sensing performance, environmental robustness, and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with systems, firmware, validation, vehicle integration, and manufacturing teams.
• Review supplier test data, identify gaps, and drive corrective actions.
• Assess supplier evidence for credibility against sensor physics and system requirements.

Skills

Radar and Lidar sensing

Python (NumPy, pandas, Jupyter)

CAN, CAN FD, automotive Ethernet

ROS/rosbag

Data analysis

Vendor engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or related field

Tools

Wireshark/PCAP

CAN tools

Point-cloud visualization

Radar visualization tools

Vehicle data interfaces

Job description

Latitude AI (lat.ai) is building the future of Ford’s autonomy roadmap to make travel safer, less stressful, and more enjoyable for everyone. Bringing this vision to scale, our fully in‑house developed hands‑free ADAS platform will debut on Ford’s all‑new Universal Electric Vehicle in 2027.

When you join the Latitude team, you’ll work alongside leading experts across machine learning and robotics, cloud platforms, mapping, sensors and compute systems, test operations, systems and safety engineering – all dedicated to redefining the relationship between people and their vehicles for millions of customers.

Meet the Team

The hardware sensing team is responsible for the benchmarking, characterizing, and integration of all sensors. The team works cross‑functionally with systems, perceptions, vehicle integration to ensure the sensors meet Latitude’s ODD requirements and perception requirements, and that they are integrable and reliable in Ford’s series vehicles. Members of the team are expected to understand sensing from a first‑principle approach and ensure those principles are designable and manufacturable. We keep a breadth of all sensing technology, sensing vendors, and integration technologies. Members are expected to be highly multidisciplinary, as successful sensor integration requires expert understanding across many disciplines – from hardware and software.

What You’ll Do

• Lead technical development of radar or lidar sensing systems from early concept, benchmarking, and sourcing through production launch.
• Define sensor performance targets, requirements, evaluation criteria, and validation plans based on vehicle, perception, and ODD needs.
• Drive sensor benchmarking and technical down‑selection across candidate suppliers and technologies.
• Lead supplier technical engagement, including requirements reviews, data reviews, architecture discussions, issue resolution, and design maturity assessments.
• Guide architecture and trade‑off decisions related to sensing performance, environmental robustness, packaging, thermal constraints, power, diagnostics, manufacturability, and cost.
• Work cross‑functionally with systems, perception, firmware, validation, vehicle integration, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure the sensor meets downstream functional and program needs.
• Review test data from supplier, bench, track, and vehicle testing; identify performance gaps; determine root cause; and drive corrective actions.
• Assess whether supplier evidence is technically credible by reviewing test conditions, assumptions, filtering, sample quality, boundary cases, repeatability, and alignment to sensor physics and system requirements.
• Lead technical reviews and challenge unsupported claims, weak correlation, incomplete validation, and conclusions that do not match observed data or first‑principles behavior.
• Establish technical plans, milestones, risks, and mitigation strategies to keep sensor programs on track toward nomination and launch.
• Communicate technical status, open issues, and trade‑offs clearly to engineering leadership and cross‑functional partners.

What You'll Need To Succeed

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or a related field and 7+ years of relevant experience (or Master’s degree and 5+ years, or PhD and 2+ years).
• 8+ years of experience in automotive sensing, with deep hands‑on expertise in either radar or lidar and demonstrated technical leadership on complex hardware programs.
• Strong first‑principles understanding of the relevant sensing modality: Radar: RF fundamentals, range/Doppler/angle estimation, resolution, interference, multipath, ghosting, calibration, synchronization, and environmental effects; Lidar: time‑of‑flight or FMCW fundamentals, ranging accuracy, reflectivity effects, point cloud quality, contamination, weather impacts, optical alignment, calibration, and environmental robustness.
• Strong scripting and analysis capability in Python, including hands‑on use of NumPy, pandas, Jupyter, and similar tools to parse logs, evaluate sensor performance, trend issues, and build repeatable analysis workflows.
• Ability to work directly with sensor data and debug artifacts, including supplier logs, raw captures, decoded outputs, and vehicle test datasets, to determine whether the data is complete, valid, and physically credible.
• Practical experience with day‑to‑day engineering tools such as Wireshark/PCAP analysis, CAN tools, ROS/rosbag or equivalent logging frameworks, point‑cloud or radar visualization tools, and common automotive data interfaces such as CAN, CAN FD, and automotive Ethernet.
• Ability to independently judge whether supplier test results are correct by evaluating test setup, calibration state, ground‑truth method, statistical significance, repeatability, boundary conditions, applied filters, KPI definitions, and consistency with known sensor behavior.
• Ability to lead and critically assess technical design reviews (TDRs) by identifying weak assumptions, incomplete validation, inconsistent requirements traceability, misleading metrics, and conclusions that are not supported by the underlying data.
• Experience translating system and perception needs into sensor requirements, validation methods, and supplier deliverables.
• Experience working across hardware, firmware, systems, perception, validation, manufacturing, and supplier teams to drive root cause and resolution.
• Strong technical judgment and communication skills, with the ability to make and defend trade‑offs across performance, cost, timing, integration, and reliability.

Nice To Have

• Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience leading supplier nomination, sourcing, or technical selection for radar or lidar hardware.
• Experience bringing radar or lidar systems into automotive production.
• Familiarity with DV/PV, DFMEA, APQP, PPAP, functional safety, automotive quality processes, and production release expectations.
• Working knowledge of perception, tracking, calibration, and downstream use of radar or lidar data in automated driving systems.
• Experience supporting multiple vehicle platforms or series‑production programs.

What We Offer You

• Competitive compensation packages.
• High‑quality individual and family medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Health savings account with available employer match.
• Employer‑matched 401(k) retirement plan with immediate vesting.
• Employer‑paid group term life insurance and the option to elect voluntary life insurance.
• Paid parental leave.
• Paid medical leave.
• Unlimited vacation.
• 15 paid holidays.
• Daily lunches, snacks, and beverages available in all office locations.
• Pre‑tax spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses.
• Pre‑tax commuter benefits.
• Monthly wellness stipend.
• Adoption/Surrogacy support program.
• Backup child and elder care program.
• Professional development reimbursement.
• Employee assistance program.
• Discounted programs that include legal services, identity theft protection, pet insurance, and more.
• Company and team bonding outlets: employee resource groups, quarterly team activity stipend, and wellness initiatives.

The expected base salary range for this full‑time position in California is $191,920 – $287,880 USD. Actual starting pay will be based on job‑related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Latitude employees are also eligible to participate in Latitude’s annual bonus programs, equity compensation, and generous company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.

Candidates for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or protected veteran status.