Vice President of Engineering

Job Description

Job Description

About Voyant Photonics

Voyant Photonics is redefining machine perception with compact, high-performance LiDAR devices that fit in the palm of your hand. Leveraging cutting-edge silicon photonic chips, our sensors deliver unparalleled accuracy in range, velocity, and reflectivity, at a fraction of the cost of traditional LiDAR systems. By transforming high-precision sensing into an accessible technology, we are enabling new applications in robotics, autonomous systems, industrial automation, and beyond.

At Voyant, we are not just building products, we are advancing an industry. Our breakthrough technology bridges the gap between research and real-world deployment, making high-performance LiDAR scalable and commercially viable.

The Role

At Voyant Photonics, we are redefining the future of LiDAR, and we’re looking for a visionary Vice President of Engineering to lead that charge. In this role, you’ll guide our world-class engineering and test teams as we scale from breakthrough research into structured, repeatable production, transforming innovation into reliable, customer-ready products. You will be the senior, hands-on technical leader responsible for driving the transition from prototype to mass production, ensuring our products are not only innovative but also manufacturable, reliable, and scalable.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in hardware and systems engineering with a proven record of delivering precision-engineered products at scale. You have led production ramp-ups through contract manufacturing and supply chain partnerships, ideally within complex, high-performance sectors such as automotive, robotics and industrial automation, smart infrastructure, AR / VR, consumer devices, or LiDAR, but we’re open to others, too. You will lead a multidisciplinary team spanning mechanical engineering, electronics, optics, firmware, and software, while working closely with the leadership team to align technology development with business objectives. Beyond the lab, you’ll engage with customers, partners, and investors, serving as a key technical voice in shaping our roadmap and driving adoption. Your role as visionary leader and your knowledge of LiDAR technology will make a difference in the capability to bring cutting-edge innovations to the mass market. You won’t just lead engineering execution, you’ll help set the standard for an entire industry. This is a rare opportunity to build, scale, and innovate at the frontier of photonics and LiDAR technology.

What we’re building has never been done before. The world has been waiting for what we’re creating, a new class of machines that can see and understand the world with unprecedented accuracy and scalability. Through our novel design and system-level innovation, we’re unlocking a future where intelligent perception is no longer a limitation, but a foundation for what comes next.

Location : New York City, NY (on-site). We offer relocation assistance and are flexible in supporting your transition to New York City.

Key Responsibilities

Own and drive hardware engineering across electronics, mechanical assembly, optics, and embedded systems to deliver scalable, high-performance LiDAR solutions.

Lead the transition from R&D and prototyping to full-scale mass production, ensuring reliability, cost-effectiveness, and manufacturability.

Ensure engineering deliverables are aligned with product requirements and customer needs.

Develop and implement best-in-class engineering processes, including requirements management, design validation, and rigorous product lifecycle management.

Drive system-level technical decisions on engineering tradeoffs, balancing performance, manufacturability, cost, and timelines

Build and develop a cross-disciplinary engineering team to bring a first-of-its-kind product to market

Manage production ramp-up, scaling from low-volume sample assembly to 1,000+ units per month through contract manufacturing.

Drive technical alignment with the product roadmap, balancing innovation with execution and delivery timelines.

Collaborate with leadership across product, sales, and operations to ensure alignment between technical and business objectives.

Required Qualifications

10+ years of experience leading engineering teams in hardware and software product development.

Proven track record of shipping complex electronic hardware at scale.

Experience in development, testing and validation of LiDAR sensors.

Experience in high-volume product development at an established company (consumer electronics, automotive, robotics, or similar).

Expertise in contract development and manufacturing, outsourcing and offshore supply chains.

Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, mentor, and grow a world-class engineering team.

Proven track record of large, multidisciplinary teams management delivering technology to mass production.

Deep technical knowledge in system architecture, hardware design, and embedded software.

Experience driving New Product Introduction (NPI) and scaling production lines.

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with high-reliability or extreme-environment design (e.g., automotive, aerospace, defense).

Familiarity with functional safety standards (ISO 26262, IEC 61508, or similar).

Background in photonics, optics, or semiconductor-based sensing technologies.

Prior experience leading engineering at an early-stage startup, scaling from prototype to mass production.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive salary and meaningful equity package

Comprehensive health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)

Unlimited PTO and paid company holidays

Flexible work environment (Hybrid or remote with travel)

Team events and company meetups

Equal Opportunity Employer

Voyant Photonics is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.