Senior Sensor Development Engineer - Radar Perception System Architecture

Job Description

<p>The Sensing Hardware Team is seeking a Senior Sensor Development Engineer specializing in radar perception system architecture and design, with 3+ years of industry experience in RF, radar, or wireless systems. The role will primarily focus on developing and integrating radar-based in-cabin sensing technologies for safety and wellness features.&nbsp;</p><p>You will be the technical anchor for the system: defining the radar system architecture, driving cross-functional decisions that bridge hardware, signal processing, and software, and translating complex system interactions into clear, safety-first requirements. You will drive designs from concept through production, defining validation strategies, integrating the sensor into Tesla vehicles, and running system tests to understand how configuration, hardware, and software changes affect overall performance.&nbsp;</p>

Job Responsibilities

• System architecture: define the radar sensing system architecture (RF front end, antenna and radome, processing chain, interfaces, and power) and document it as block diagrams, functional and performance requirements, and hardware/software interface definitions
• Specification: distill sensor product requirements for different platforms into constraints and actionable engineering system specs
• Signal processing: define and evaluate the radar DSP chain (waveform/chirp configuration, range/Doppler/angle processing, detection) with the software and algorithm teams, and trade off performance against compute, power, and cost
• Integration: integrate, test, and validate new sensor hardware and software on vehicles, with a focus on radar and wireless systems
• Debug: triage sensor integration issues found in early vehicle development, identify the root cause, and implement and validate fixes
• Collaboration: lead cross-functional sensor design discussions with electrical, software, antenna, EMC, reliability, thermal, mechanical, supply chain, and manufacturing teams
• Prototyping: support early sensor prototypes to de-risk new technologies and architecture choices
• Validation: drive RF system validation on new platforms, including lab setups for EE and RF metrics and in-vehicle engineering tests; own a test plan whose milestones de-risk product and feature deployment and align with the program timeline 
• Qualification: ensure the hardware meets design criteria across environments and regulations, working with the reliability, test, and homologation teams, and drive suppliers to meet Tesla's performance and timeline targets
• Production: work with manufacturing and test teams and suppliers to reach high-volume production with high yield

Job Requirements

• Hands-on experience with radar or wireless systems, including debugging at the conducted and radiated level; knowledge of multi-radio coexistence and RF desense mitigation is a plus
• Experience in system architecture and design: turning product requirements into block diagrams, requirements, and interface definitions, and making explicit trade-offs across hardware, software, and cost
• Solid radar signal processing (DSP) fundamentals (ideally mmWave FMCW): chirp design, range/Doppler/angle estimation, detection, and the effect of radome and installation on performance
• Strong hardware and software fundamentals: able to read schematics, bridge them to firmware architecture, and bring up and troubleshoot boards with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, power supplies, multimeters, spectrum/network analyzers)
• Strong knowledge of one or more embedded-system topics (microcontroller architecture, SPI/I2C, CAN/Ethernet, power conversion, including DC-DC converters and LDOs) and the ability to quickly pick up the others
• Proficiency in Python and/or MATLAB for test automation, data analysis, and visualization; able to build tools, scripts, or parsers that speed up bring-up and validation
• Knowledge of RF hardware design or antenna characterization
• Experience with safety-critical systems, functional safety concepts, or automotive validation processes, and with high-volume production alongside suppliers and contract manufacturers, is a plus
• Demonstrated use of SI tools for engineering work, such as requirement generation, code assistance, and data synthesis
• Systematic problem-solving and explicit risk-based decision making; proven cross-functional leadership through influence and judgment, with excellent written and verbal communication