Field Application Engineer- Agriculture

Blue River Technology

8h•Onsite

About The Position

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, 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 create technical breakthroughs in industries like 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. Field Application Engineers (FAEs) help develop our next generation “smart” farm and construction machines by planning and executing field testing and machine learning (ML) data collection activities for Automation & Autonomy (A&A) product development programs. The primary role of this position is to carry out in-field product feature testing and machine learning (ML) data collection, troubleshoot problems in the field and provide support and communication that leads to short-term and long-term improvements to the equipment. Tasks include coordinating logistics of test equipment, conducting test plans and/or ML data collection plans, performing root cause analysis and repairs, tracking issues and progress in overcoming them, and communicating with customers, product managers, agronomists, and engineers on a regular basis. Other responsibilities could include assisting the Field Operations Managers in areas such as identifying customer collaborators for testing and ML data collection, product demonstration customer feedback documentation, providing agronomic/customer insights, safety and/or operations training of new employees, and supervising seasonal field staff.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or relevant work experience in Engineering, Computer Science, Agriculture or related technical area
2+ years in supporting / maintaining agricultural electro-mechanical systems
Experience troubleshooting and working with complex systems involving software, electronics and mechanical systems
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Proficient with basic software tools including G-Suite, Jira, Confluence, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
Ability to set targets, create and execute plans, and deliver results
Ability to communicate with colleagues that have limited understanding of agricultural and construction industry settings and realities
Capacity to positively interact with varied personality-types, creating trusted professional relationships inside and outside the BRT and Deere organizations
Strong customer-facing skills & team-oriented mindset
Willingness to travel extensively, ranging from 30-90%, depending on project demands and time of year. Most of this travel will be to the field, providing hands-on support. There may be occasional opportunities for international travel.
Experience working with large, agricultural equipment and machinery in the field
Exhibit a high level of personal and professional integrity

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Linux, simple script programming
Experience in designing and executing design verification testing (DVT)
Skills in programming and scripting languages such as Python
CAD experience (e.g., SolidWorks)
Safety training and certifications

Responsibilities

Carry out system- and feature-related hardware, software, and machine vision field tests of mechatronic farm machinery. Provide detailed documentation of testing execution and results
Provide in-field engineering support of ML data collection and field tests, including troubleshooting, diagnosing, resolving and documenting all relevant aspects
Document customers’ observations, comments, and concerns regarding John Deere and Blue River Technology products and equipment and share with Product Management, Agronomy and Engineering partners
Perform hands-on set-up, maintenance, testing and customization in the field per engineering test requirements
Suggest design alternatives and support development of new features and tools based on early product testing experiences and observations
Support Product and Engineering in creating product documentation, instructions and guides
Collaborate with host cooperators to integrate test and ML data collection machines into productive work, and manage appropriate contracts and agreements as required
Support Field management with training, supervision and quality control of seasonal field personnel, testing and data collection activities
Transport and operate equipment for field test and ML data collection-related equipment as needed