Principal Airborne LiDAR Systems Engineer

We seek to move the world forward through innovative thinking.

Woolpert is an award-winning, global leader in architecture, engineering, and geospatial services. We blend design excellence with cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional client value. Our team is passionate about their work and committed to building the next generation of industry leaders, and as a certified Great Place to Work ® , Woolpert embraces progress and innovation to create limitless opportunities for career growth.

Position Overview

Woolpert is seeking a Principal Embedded Systems & Sensor Software Engineer to join our growing Advanced Sensing team to lead the development of software, embedded systems, and operator experiences for next-generation airborne LiDAR and remote sensing platforms.

This role serves as the technical bridge between sensor hardware, avionics, aircraft operations, data acquisition systems, calibration workflows, maintenance processes, and end-user applications. The successful candidate will own the software architecture that enables sensor operation from hardware control through field deployment, diagnostics, and lifecycle support.

This is a highly visible technical leadership role responsible for transforming advanced sensor technology into reliable, scalable, and intuitive operational systems.

We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must already possess work authorization in the country the job is located.

What You Will Do:

Embedded Systems Architecture

- Lead the design and development of embedded software architectures for airborne LiDAR and imaging systems.

- Develop and maintain software supporting:

- Sensor control

- Data acquisition

- Timing and synchronization

- Hardware monitoring

- Communications interfaces

- Health and status reporting

- Define software requirements and system interfaces across hardware, firmware, and application layers.

Sensor Integration

- Integrate software with:

- Laser subsystems

- LIDAR sensor

- Detector electronics

- GNSS/INS systems

- Cameras

- Aircraft interfaces

- Data storage systems

- Support laboratory integration, aircraft integration, and operational deployment activities.

User Experience & Operator Tools

- Lead development of intuitive operator and maintenance interfaces.

- Design software that simplifies:

- Sensor startup

- Mission execution

- Calibration procedures

- Diagnostic workflows

- Maintenance activities

- Partner with flight crews and field engineers to improve operational efficiency and reduce training requirements.

Reliability & Maintainability

- Develop health monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions.

- Create automated diagnostic and fault reporting capabilities.

- Support root-cause investigations for field issues and system failures.

- Drive strategies that improve fleet reliability and reduce downtime.

System Testing & Validation

- Develop software validation and verification methodologies and support.

- Environmental testing

- Hardware-in-loop testing

- Flight testing

- Factory acceptance testing

- Analyze software and sensor performance data to identify improvement opportunities.

Technical Leadership

- Establish software development standards and best practices.

- Mentor software and systems engineers.

- Participate in technology roadmaps and product strategy discussions.

- Support customer demonstrations, technical proposals, and executive briefings.

What You Will Bring:

Education

Bachelor's degree in:

- Computer Engineering

- Electrical Engineering

- Computer Science

- Aerospace Engineering

- Software Engineering

- Related technical discipline

Experience

- Minimum 7 years of professional software engineering experience.

- Minimum 3 years working with embedded systems or hardware-integrated software.

- Demonstrated success leading software development for complex technical systems.

- Experience supporting products from concept through