Senior Airborne LiDAR Systems Engineer

The role

You will provide technical and project leadership for complex airborne, terrestrial, drone, and bathymetric LiDAR programs. You will set technical direction, lead multidisciplinary teams, mentor engineers, and be accountable for project delivery and client relationships.

What you will do

• Provide technical and project leadership across multiple complex LiDAR programs, including scope, schedules, budgets, risks, quality, and deliverables.
• Set the technical vision and systems-engineering approach for airborne, drone, terrestrial, and bathymetric LiDAR solutions.
• Lead and align multidisciplinary teams of software, mechanical, electrical, optical, and geospatial professionals.
• Mentor engineers and technical staff, and promote collaboration, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a senior technical advisor to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Direct system architecture, design reviews, integration, testing, calibration, and operational readiness.
• Establish and oversee QA/QC standards for LiDAR data acquisition, processing, and system-performance validation.
• Lead technical contributions to proposals, scopes of work, cost estimates, and system specifications.
• Identify emerging technologies and champion innovations that improve system capability and efficiency.
• Support strategic planning, resource allocation, and cross-functional decision-making for the LiDAR practice.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Physics, Geomatics, or a related field.
• Typically 10 or more years of progressive experience in LiDAR system development, LiDAR system components, systems engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• Demonstrated success leading complex technical programs and multidisciplinary engineering teams from concept through deployment and operational support.
• Proven ability to mentor technical professionals, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and drive accountability for results.
• Strong client-facing leadership skills, including communicating technical strategy and building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Advanced experience with system-level architecture and integration, including optics, sensors, embedded systems, software, and platform interfaces.
• Strong command of LiDAR data processing, system calibration, performance validation, and QA/QC standards.
• Excellent executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and decision-making skills.

Nice to have

• PMP certification or equivalent leadership of complex projects and programs.
• Experience with airborne and bathymetric LiDAR systems.
• Familiarity with ASPRS standards and federal geospatial data requirements.
• Proficiency in tools such as Microsoft Project, Python, or C for system control and automation.

Benefits

• Freedom to Work program: set your own schedule and location (as appropriate).
• Principal program: opportunity to become an owner of the firm.
• Flexible paid time off/vacation.
• Career development: learning and growth opportunities within and across industries.
• Health, life, vision, and dental insurance.
• Paid sick time, retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, pet insurance, identity protection, technology stipend, employee assistance program, and more.

Before you apply

• Woolpert is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.
• Applicants must already have work authorization in the country where the job is located.
• Relocation packages are available for preferred candidates.

About the company

Woolpert is a leading global architecture, engineering, and geospatial firm with over 75 offices. It is certified as a Great Place to Work and is described as one of the fastest-growing architecture, engineering, and geospatial companies in the world.