Camera System Engineer
Description
Meta’s Reality Lab designs and manufactures camera, depth sensing, and illuminators for Meta's AR/VR and wearable devices. We own our modules end-to-end, from architecture and requirements through design, qualification, and mass-production ramp by leading cross-functional partners and offshore vendors, defining specifications, and driving failure analysis and quality improvement to deliver high-quality modules. As the technical technical owner for this role, you will own the design and delivery of advanced sensing and illuminator modules for Meta's next-generation products. The role spans multiple sensing and illumination domains, including thermal imaging and sensing. You will explore the solution landscape, determine what best fits our use cases, and define the module requirements, from detector and component selection through system integration. You will take this effort from new-technology initiative (NTI) through to new-product introduction (NPI), working closely with internal cross-functional partners and with offshore vendors and module integrators to manufacture these modules.
Responsibilities
Technical leadership and ownership, serving as the primary point of contact for all technical aspects of the modules Coordinate with cross-functional teams, including architecture, sensor, mechanical, electrical, optical, validation, process, testing, quality, reliability, system hardware and software engineering, etc., to ensure that the modules integrate seamlessly into the overall system, resolve technical challenges, and drive project success Own the imaging/projector module as technical DRI, from solution exploration and vendor/detector evaluation through design, build, qualification, and ramp Translate product features into system, module, and component-level requirements Define detector and module requirements (e.g., frame rate, resolution, size, cost, power) and evolve them as the program matures Support the NTI effort and drive it through the NPI process Lead module packaging and assembly definition for consumer-grade, mass-production manufacturing Work closely with offshore vendors and module integrators to manufacture these modules, supporting bring-up, troubleshooting, and quality at the factory Conduct detailed DFMEA and PFMEA; own failure analysis and optical testing of the module Analyze data from actual builds to validate design and simulation accuracy, lead iterative design cycles based on data analysis to ensure continuous improvement and refinement of the module Maintain detailed documentation of all technical decisions, design iterations, and testing results Regularly report on progress, challenges/escalations, and successes to leadership and other stakeholders Up to 20% of travel, both domestic and international, to vendors and manufacturing sites as needed
Qualifications
Bachelor's or Master's in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field 6+ years of industry experience in optical sensing modules (e.g., camera modules, depth modules, ToF, structured light, stereo, active illumination systems) for consumer electronics or similar high-volume products Experience as a camera-module technical owner, or equivalent end-to-end module ownership Working experience with packaging technology, assembly and test methods at consumer / mass-production scale for camera, illumination and projector modules Experience with CMOS image sensors, thermal sensors, and with illuminators (LED, VCSEL) Experience taking an NTI project into NPI Experience conducting detailed DFMEA and PFMEA, and with optical testing of modules Experience working with offshore vendors and module integrators in a manufacturing environment Demonstrated ability to translate product features into system/module/component requirements Experience handling complex problems and ambiguity while working across large cross-functional teams Experience with high-volume consumer electronics product development cycles Familiarity with reliability testing and common module failure modes across the product lifecycle Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews) Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements) Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies Experience integrating optical/sensing modules in consumer applications Familiarity with multi-modal sensing stack (dToF/iToF + RGB + thermal), understanding sensor fusion, alignment, temporal sync, and shared calibration
Compensation: $144,000/year to $204,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits