Forward Deployed Engineer

About Us:Voyant Photonics, based in the heart of New York City, is transforming machine perception with a new class of LiDAR devices that are compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand and powerful enough to measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with unparalleled accuracy. By leveraging cutting-edge silicon photonic chips smaller than your fingertip, we deliver sensors that are not only revolutionary in performance but also affordable enough to integrate into any system.Our technology disrupts the status quo of bulky, expensive, and power-hungry LiDAR systems, making high-precision sensing accessible for widespread adoption in robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and beyond. With Voyant, the next generation of machines can see, understand, and navigate the world like never before.Discover how we’re redefining what’s possible by making real products out of cutting-edge research in silicon photonics. The Opportunity:As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll be the technical expert who helps customers unlock the full potential of our LIDAR technology. You're not just supporting existing implementations, you're designing custom solutions, creating tools and reference designs, and serving as a trusted technical advisor to robotics companies, drone manufacturers, surveying firms, and transportation infrastructure developers.This is an ideal role for someone with a robotics or sensing background who understands what customers need because they've been in their shoes. You'll work closely with our NYC-based engineering team to deeply understand our sensor technology, then translate that expertise into practical solutions that help customers succeed.At Voyant you will work at the forefront of LIDAR technology with a team that's quickly ramping to ship products in volume. You will have a direct impact on how customers deploy cutting-edge sensing solutions across diverse industries and you will collaborate closely with our engineering team in NYC to solve novel technical challenges. This is an incredible opportunity that will give you the career experience to be working with the most innovative hardware companies.Key Responsibilities:Technical Consultation & Solution Design (40%)Conduct in-depth pre-sales technical discussions with prospective customers.Design custom integration solutions tailored to specific applications in industrial robotics, drones, surveying, and intelligent transportation systems, which then become part of our core product offeringHelp customers understand which LIDAR advantages apply to their use case and how to optimize system performanceDocumentation & Tools (40%):Create technical documentation, application notes, and reference designs that accelerate customer adoption.Build models and software tools to help customers evaluate sensor performance, optimize sensor placement, and solve object detection challenges.Develop resources that scale your expertise across our customer base.Customer Enablement (20%):Learn the sensor inside and out from the engineering team, and become the outside-facing expert on how our sensor functions and the tradeoffs available.Provide technical training to customers on LIDAR technology and integration best practices.Gather customer requirements and feedback to inform our product roadmap.Qualifications:BS degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or related technical discipline3-8 years of experience in robotics, autonomous systems, sensor integration, or related fields where you've been a user of perception sensorsStrong physics and geometric intuition, particularly as applied to sensor systemsProficiency in Excel and Python programming with ability to build models ranging from simple spreadsheet calculations to more sophisticated software tools, and integrate sensor APIs into customer applicationsExperience with sensing modalities (cameras, radar, LIDAR, or other sensors) and understanding of their trade-offsExcellent communication skills with ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiencesSystems approach to problem solving, and a desire to dive deep into the guts of the sensor as necessary to solve customer problemsPreferred Qualifications:Hands-on experience with industrial robotics, drones, surveying equipment, or smart city infrastructureKnowledge of perception algorithms or point cloud processingUnderstanding of object detection and tracking in real-world environmentsBackground in technical writing, with the ability to create datasheets, white papers, and other documents to increase your leveragePrior experience in a customer-facing technical role (field applications, solutions engineering, technical sales support)Familiarity with LIDAR technology (we’ll teach you about why we think FMCW LIDAR is the best solution for many applications) Benefits Package:Competitive base salary and meaningful equity package.Comprehensive health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision).Unlimited PTO and paid company