Senior / Staff Lidar Engineer
Foster City, CA, USA
USD 217k-300k / year + Equity
Posted on Aug 5, 2026
Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team
In this role, Zoox is looking for a candidate with a background in lidar to support hardware selection and validation for autonomous vehicles. In this role, candidates are expected to:
in This Role, You Will:
- Evaluate and compare lidar technologies to drive down-selection decisions with customer teams.
- Develop test plans, perform testing, and report results for lidar systems, including procedures that are traceable to corresponding system requirements.
- Generate, analyze, and interpret large LiDAR datasets for KPIs/metrics across a variety of scenarios and conditions.
- Lead root-cause analysis, corrective action, and validation for fleet issues, with internal and external entities.
- Support and maintain lidar at scale in an autonomous vehicle fleet.
- Deliver traceable, testable lidar requirements, enforcing compliance in the design phase with internal and external stakeholders.
Qualifications
- B.S., M.S., PhD in Physics, EE, or Optics
- Minimum 7+ years of experience working with lidar systems
- Strong understanding of lidar physics, as well as experience with common architectures and technologies in automotive lidar
- Demonstrated ability to write high-quality, traceable performance requirements for lidar components
- Experience with functional testing, reliability testing, and qualification of opto-mechanical or opto-electrical systems
- Experience with optical systems, such as laser technology, detector technology, and imaging technology.
- Strong technical documentation and communication skills
- Quantitative, data-driven mindset
Bonus Qualifications
- Integration of sensors with vehicle platforms
- Unix/Linux, C++, Python, Git/GitHub, MATLAB
217000 - 300000 USD a year
Base Salary Range
There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. The listed range applies only to the base salary. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position.
Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.