Ground Robotics Systems Engineer

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY:

Ground Robotics Systems Engineer responsible for taking autonomous ground vehicle control systems, including remote operation and platooning, from working prototype to a product that can be built repeatably and trusted in the field. This position sits at the point where speed and safety meet: our mission is to deliver the value of self-driving vehicle technology quickly and safely, and this role determines whether a promising prototype becomes something we can put in a customer's hands. The work spans electrical, embedded, software, communications and mechanical subsystems, and carries designs through verification, validation and production release.

The central requirement of this position is problem solving, beginning with what the customer needs and extending through architecture, design and the resolution of complex system failures. Programs in this group do not arrive as a finished requirements document. Customers present an operational problem, a rough concept, or a capability gap, and the engineer is responsible for defining what the system should be. Unlike environments where requirements are specified and traced from the outset, this position requires the ability to make decisions on incomplete information and take the lead in technical direction while applying production discipline to a design that is still in motion.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Own the system architecture from concept forward, including subsystem decomposition, functional allocation and interface definition
• Turn an unstructured customer problem into defined requirements, interfaces and acceptance criteria the team can build against
• Isolate and resolve faults that cross electrical, firmware, software, networking, mechanical and manufacturing boundaries, and drive them to root cause
• Mature prototype designs into production-ready systems, closing open design risk, reducing variation and designing for cost and build
• Design, build and test working prototypes across circuit design, embedded firmware, vehicle software and mechanical integration
• Plan and execute verification and validation, including requirements traceability, design verification testing, environmental and durability testing, and EMC/EMI
• Develop and tune control and estimation approaches, including feedback control, state estimation and sensor fusion
• Own configuration control and the engineering release package, including schematics, interface control documents, drawings, bills of material and engineering change orders
• Partner with production and manufacturing engineering on design for manufacturability and assembly, process capability, first article inspection, tooling and production test
• Guide supplier and component selection, including qualification, second sourcing and obsolescence management
• Put current AI and modern engineering tools to work, including simulation, model-based design and data analysis, to compress development cycle time and strengthen verification
• Seek out and adopt new tools, methods and technologies on an ongoing basis
• Work directly with customers and end users on technical matters
• Travel to support testing, demonstrations, qualification, customers and fielded systems
• Must be at assigned worksite during assigned hours 100% of time; less PTO, FML/STD/LTD

OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Mentor new engineers, Co-op and Interns
• Contribute to the technical bid and proposal process
• Other duties may be assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

• Provide technical direction to project engineering team and support staff

Keyword: ground robotics, autonomous vehicles, system architecture, embedded systems, control systems, sensor fusion, state estimation, EMC/EMI, verification, validation, circuit design, firmware, AI tools
Required Experience:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Problem solving that goes past the symptom to the underlying cause, and the persistence to see a fix through to proof
• Creative approaches when systematic methods stall, and the judgment to recognize when to change direction
• Skill in translating an unstructured customer concept into defined requirements, interfaces and acceptance criteria
• Command of the complete system, including how electronics, firmware, software, networking, sensing, actuation and mechanics affect one another
• Proficient in applying current AI models as a productivity multiplier, including the judgment to review, verify and critique output rather than delegating complex technical work without oversight
• Comfort applying production discipline to designs that are not yet fully defined
• Proficient in verification and validation methods, including requirements definition and traceability, design verification testing and qualification
• Familiar with design for manufacturability and assembly, cost drivers and the requirements of volume production
• Proficient in configuration control and engineering release, including drawings, interface control documents, bills of material and revision integrity
• Proficient in circuit design, including schematic capture, circuit analysis and design review
• Proficient in the use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, meters and bench supplies
• Familiar with analog and power fundamentals, including signal conditioning, filtering, grounding, noise, power distribution and EMC-aware design
• Familiar with embedded firmware, vehicle buses and networking sufficient to design across, integrate and debug them
• Familiar with feedback control and state estimation as applied to ground vehicles
• Familiar with Linux environments, including shell, networking, services, device interfaces and log-based debugging
• Effective collaboration within a multi-functional team in a fast-paced environment
• Clear technical communication in writing, including drawings, instructions and procedures
• Ability to maintain sensitive and confidential information as required by government standards
• Must have highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to present and interact with customers and senior management
• Must be a U.S. person with the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Background in automotive, heavy equipment or industrial machinery development, including OEM, Tier 1 or off-highway and agricultural equipment experience
• Demonstrated depth in one or more of the following: Kalman filtering and GNSS/INS, model predictive or other advanced control, motor drives and inverters, CAN network and ECU firmware design, or radio mesh networking and RF fundamentals
• Familiar with ground vehicle dynamics and drive-by-wire systems
• Familiar with perception sensors and their failure modes, including LiDAR, radar, cameras and IMUs
• Familiar with machine learning applied to perception or control
• Familiar with PCB layout and design review, and CAD for enclosures, mounts and vehicle integration
• Effective working relationships with production engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain and test organizations
• Proficient in automotive or industrial design and quality practice, including DFMEA, PFMEA, design reviews, tolerance analysis, reliability and corrective action
• Familiar with Robot Operating System (ROS/ROS 2) and version control
• Familiar with applicable compliance standards for vehicle or industrial equipment, such as ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 26262 functional safety, EMC/EMI and environmental and ingress requirements
• Proficient in Python and C/C++

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• BS in technical field (i.e., Engineering, Math, Physics or Computer Science) or equivalent experience
• A minimum of 5 years' experience developing hardware and software systems, with substantial time spent building rather than specifying. This minimum reflects the judgment required to deliver against schedule, cost and customer commitments
• Breadth of experience across electronics, firmware, software and integration rather than depth in a single specialty
• Experience in development/test of microprocessor/computer-based control systems and related software
• Experience owning the architecture of a system rather than a single component within one
• Experience taking at least one design from prototype through to a released, manufacturable product, including the verification and quality work required for that transition
• Automotive, heavy equipment, industrial machinery or defense ground vehicle development background
• MS Office experience

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• On-site position requiring access to hardware, laboratory space, production areas and vehicles
• Travel required to support testing, qualification, customers and fielded systems
• Work performed in laboratory and outdoor test environments around vehicles and powered equipment

THE ABOVE STATEMENTS ARE INTENDED TO DESCRIBE THE GENERAL NATURE AND LEVEL OF WORK BEING PERFORMED BY INDIVIDUALSASSIGNED TO THIS CLASSIFICATION. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE CONSTRUED AS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL RESPONSIBILITIES, DUTIES AND SKILLS REQUIRED OF PERSONNEL SO CLASSIFIED.

A REVIEW OF THIS CLASSIFICATION HAS EXCLUDED THE MARGINAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CLASSIFICATION THAT AREINCIDENTAL TO THE PERFORMANCE OF FUNDAMENTAL JOB JUTIES. ALL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE MODIFICATION TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO PERFORM THIS JOB PROFICIENTLY. THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE THE MINIMUM LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR ABILITIES.

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From: Kratos Defense