Senior Sensor Validation Engineer

General Motors; United States; Hybrid; USD 153,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Relocation assistance

GM benefits package

Job summary

General Motors is seeking a Senior Sensor Validation Engineer to bridge hardware performance and vehicle integration. You will build characterization plans for cameras, lidar, and radars, and drive on-vehicle validation campaigns to ensure robust perception across driving modes.

You will collaborate with hardware, perception, and software teams, executing data collection on bench and real roads, and translating results to sensor integration improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline or work-equivalent experience.
• 5+ years in sensor validation, characterization, or test engineering across optical, lidar, or radar systems.
• Design expertise for vehicle-level validation tests.
• Experience with L4 autonomous vehicles and related behaviors and validation needs.
• Strong knowledge of sensor physics, optics, electromagnetics, and signal processing.
• Hands-on bench and on-vehicle validation with data collection and integration constraints.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive characterization plans for camera, lidar, and radar sensors with quantitative evaluation.
• Develop vehicle validation tests to ensure performance and safety across autonomous driving environments.
• Plan and execute on-vehicle data collection campaigns on closed courses and public roads.
• Evaluate low-level sensor performance metrics such as SNR, dynamic range, distortion, and RCS accuracy.
• Transition validated sensor modules from bench setups to vehicle platforms, analyzing placement, FOV overlap, KOZ constraints.
• Partner with perception and hardware design teams to root cause system-level anomalies.

Skills

Sensor validation

Sensor physics

On-vehicle validation

Data analysis

Python

MATLAB

Time synchronization

Sensor calibration

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related

Tools

Darkrooms

Collimators

Anechoic chambers

Target boards

Test benches

Job description

Job Description

General Motors is developing hands-off and eyes-off autonomous driving systems intended for broad deployment across consumer vehicles. As part of this effort, GM is investing in sensors and architectures that can be integrated, validated, and operated reliably at scale across diverse vehicle programs and operating environments.

We are seeking a Senior Sensor Validation Engineer with deep expertise in sensor physics and hands-on validation methodologies. In this role, you will bridge the gap between low-level hardware performance and high-level vehicle integration. You will develop sensor characterization plans to assess detailed characteristics of sensors, evaluate sensor response, and drive on-vehicle validation campaigns to ensure robust perception across all driving modalities.

You’ll have the opportunity to work cross-functionally with hardware, vehicle, perception, simulation, and other stakeholders to develop, execute, and analyze validation campaigns. This includes the development of vehicle-level campaigns to ensure performance and functionality is meeting stakeholder and product needs.

benchtop setups, specialized test labs, and data-collection vehicles at our Detroit and Milford locations, with travel to external testing facilities as needed.

What You'll Do

• Develop comprehensive characterization plans to inform the next generation of sensors, including camera, lidar, and radars with quantitative evaluation
• Develop vehicle validation tests to ensure performance and safety across autonomous driving environments and behaviors
• Plan and execute on-vehicle data collection campaigns on closed courses and public roads to evaluate sensor integration and performance
• Evaluate low-level sensor performance metrics, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), dynamic range, optical distortion, point cloud density, and radar cross-section (RCS) accuracy
• Transition validated sensor modules from bench setups to vehicle platforms, analyzing physical placement, field-of-view (FOV) overlap, keep-out zone (KOZ) constraints, and other metrics
• Partner cross-functionally with perception, and hardware design teams to root cause system-level anomalies

Your Skills & Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Work equivalent experience
• 5+ years of dedicated experience in sensor validation, characterization, or test engineering across optical, lidar, or radar systems
• Demonstrated ability to design vehicle level validation tests
• Experience with L4 (or equivalent) autonomous vehicles and associated behaviors, challenges, and validation needs
• Strong domain knowledge of sensor physics principles (e.g., optics, electromagnetics, wave propagation, photonics, and signal processing)
• Experience using a component-level test equipment and lab facilities, such as darkrooms, collimators, target boards, anechoic chambers, target generators or other related equipment
• Hands-on experience conducting both benchtop characterization and on-vehicle validation, including data collection and physical integration constraints (FOV, KOZ, ISP tuning)
• Understanding of sensor calibration, time synchronization (PTP/gPTP), and sensor fusion concepts
• Proficiency in data analysis and programming languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB) for processing sensor data and evaluating metrics

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) specializing in Optics, Electromagnetics, Physics, or Sensing Technologies
• Experience with automated test bench design, darkroom setup, or customized sensor validation rigs
• Knowledge of ISP development pipelines, radar signal processing algorithms, or lidar point cloud generation techniques
• Experience supporting L4 autonomous driving sensor suites and perception stack integrations

Compensation

Compensation information is a good faith estimate only. It is based on what a successful applicant might be paid in accordance with applicable state laws. The compensation may not be representative for positions located outside of New York, Colorado, California, or Washington.

• The salary range for this role is 153,200 to 234,100. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.

• Bonus Potential: An incentive pay program offers payouts based on company performance, job level, and individual performance.

Benefits

• Benefits: GM offers a variety of health and wellbeing benefit programs. Benefit options include medical, dental, vision, Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan, sickness and accident benefits, life insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, employee assistance program, GM vehicle discounts and more.

This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}. Relocation benefits are available for candidates who qualify under company policy. The position is subject to export control restrictions and requires the successful candidate to be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee).

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

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Accommodations

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