Systems Engineer, Autonomous Systems

Construction is facing a structural labor shortage that isn’t going away. An aging workforce, declining trade enrollment, and growing infrastructure demand mean the industry needs autonomy, not as a novelty, but as a necessity. The market opportunity is massive, and the technology gap is real.

We’re building machines that navigate, perceive, and operate in unstructured heavy-construction environments - dirt, dust, steep grades, and dynamic site conditions that challenge the assumptions baked into most autonomy stacks. The technical problems are real and unsolved: robust perception across sensor modalities in environments that degrade each one, planning and controls for heavy equipment with dynamics unlike those of a passenger car, and safeguarding systems where the consequences of getting it wrong are severe. Construction autonomy also has structural advantages over public-road self-driving. Sites are partially or fully closed, the set of actors is known and constrained, and there is real opportunity to define and enforce operational design domain restrictions. This means a shorter path from a capable prototype to a deployed product – the kind of environment where strong engineering decisions translate into shipped systems, not endless corner-case tails., We are seeking a motivated Senior Systems Engineer for Blue River Technology’s autonomous construction initiative. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining our requirements framework, driving robust verification and validation (V&V) processes, and building simulation tools that ensure our machinery operates safely and reliably in complex environments. This highly cross-functional role spans hardware, software, machine learning, and functional safety, covering the entire development lifecycle from early development and testing to field deployment. We are looking for an experienced, collaborative systems thinker eager to bridge engineering disciplines and shape the future of construction autonomy., A combination, not necessarily all-inclusive, of the following:

• Own the requirements lifecycle. You will elicit, define, and maintain system and subsystem-level requirements across hardware, software, and machine learning components.
• Maintain traceability. You will establish and manage rigorous requirements traceability matrices to seamlessly connect high-level operational concepts down to component specifications and test cases.
• Drive V&V strategy. You will design, document, and execute comprehensive verification and validation plans, defining test procedures for both simulated and physical field-testing environments.
• Build validation tooling. You will develop, script, and maintain custom simulation tools and validation frameworks to analyze vehicle performance, edge-case behaviors, and safety boundaries.
• Execute risk mitigation. You will actively contribute to and facilitate FMEAs (Failure Mode and Effects Analyses), FTAs, and Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessments (HARA) to ensure robust system safety.
• Collaborate cross-functionally. You will serve as a critical technical bridge, translating complex concepts between machine learning researchers, embedded software engineers, hardware designers, and safety managers.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace, Computer Science, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of post-academic experience in systems engineering for sophisticated, safety-critical cyber-physical systems (autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace).
• Proven track record of designing, documenting, and executing robust V&V programs for complex systems.
• Strong scripting or programming skills (Python, C++, MATLAB/Simulink) used to build, customize, and maintain simulation and validation tools.
• Experience with structured systems engineering methodologies and requirements management tools (Jama, DOORS, Jira).

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Direct experience working with heavy machinery, agricultural equipment, or off-highway autonomous vehicles.
• Familiarity with functional safety frameworks and standards relevant to autonomy (ISO 26262, ISO 19014, ISO 21448/SOTIF, IEC 61508).
• Experience validating machine learning models, perception stacks, or autonomy behavior logic in safety-critical applications.
• Hands-on experience working cross-functionally to gather and maintain requirements spanning software, hardware, vehicle systems, and Operational Design Domain (ODD).
• Familiarity with robotics middleware and frameworks like ROS/ROS2.

Only individual applicants will be considered. We do not work with unsolicited third-party agencies or proxy interview services.

At Blue River, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $131,000 - $228,000/year for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus and a competitive benefit package. During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.

Lead systems engineering for autonomous construction vehicles: define and maintain requirements and traceability, design and execute V&V plans, build simulation and validation tooling, perform FMEAs/FTAs/HARAs, validate perception and safety-related components, and collaborate across ML, software, hardware, and safety teams to enable safe field deployment. The summary above was generated by AI

We’re Blue River, a team of innovators driven to create intelligent machinery that solves monumental problems for our customers. We empower our customers - farmers, construction crews, and foresters to implement safer and more sustainable solutions, driving increased profitability with less reliance on scarce labor. We believe that focusing on the small stuff, pixel-by-pixel and task-by-task, leads to big gains.

Blue River Technology aligns with John Deere’s vision to “innovate on behalf of humanity” by quickly identifying and solving high-value, high-uncertainty challenges in AI, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics. BRT acts as a research and development flywheel, building not only new products but also new platforms that reliably create value for both Deere and its customers. From fully autonomous machines to highly precise farming equipment, BRT and Deere are partnering to deliver technical breakthroughs across industries such as agriculture and construction.

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, this mission-driven team is eager to define the new frontier of robotics. We are always asking hard questions, rapidly iterating, and getting our boots in the field to figure it out. We won’t give up until we’ve made a tangible and positive impact on the planet!

Blue River Technology is based in Santa Clara, CA.