Lead Systems Engineer - Tolling Delivery

Kapsch•Austin, TX

About The Position

The Lead Systems Engineer holds the highest level of technical ownership on the Systems Engineering track and leads delivery of complex, integrated tolling systems. The role brings together roadside hardware, embedded devices, applications, and back-office software into operational solutions, with accountability for meeting customer requirements, contractual commitments, quality expectations, and operational objectives. The position owns technical delivery from bid support and solution development through engineering, installation, integration, testing, commissioning, and operational handoff. It serves as the primary technical point of contact for customer stakeholders, leads cross-disciplinary engineering teams, maintains the requirements baseline and technical scope, and coordinates hardware and software dependencies. This role requires substantial experience delivering tolling systems and field-deployed infrastructure. It provides technical direction throughout implementation, manages system architecture and interfaces, and ensures that integrated systems satisfy customer and operational needs.

Requirements

At least 3 years of direct experience delivering tolling systems, including implementation, integration, commissioning, or operational deployment of tolling technology.
10 or more years of professional experience delivering complex, integrated systems that combine hardware, software, and field-deployed infrastructure.
At least 4 years of experience and expertise across two or more of the following areas: electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, software, embedded/firmware, database, or systems integration engineering.
Demonstrated experience leading system delivery on complex, multi-year programs, with technical accountability from requirements and solution design through installation, integration, testing, commissioning, and handoff.
Experience coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams, including hardware, software, electrical, embedded/firmware, and systems integration resources.
Ability to own client relationships from a technical perspective, build trust, understand customer needs, manage expectations, communicate technical tradeoffs, and handle challenging scope or technical discussions.
Strong requirements engineering experience, including eliciting and decomposing requirements, identifying gaps and ambiguities, establishing traceability from customer specifications through verification, and managing requirements and change control on live programs.
Excellent communication and relationship-management skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Working knowledge of IP networking sufficient to integrate, configure, and troubleshoot networked devices; the environment uses Cisco. Certification is not required.
Ability to lead technical customer conversations, make sound technical decisions, and guide cross-functional collaboration.
Ability to develop and deliver technical presentations while engaging with and managing client relationships.
Strong written communication skills, including producing requirements, specifications, interface definitions, technical documentation, and customer-facing communications.
Ability to distinguish requirement clarifications from scope changes and technical risks and manage them appropriately.
Curiosity, ownership, a hands-on mindset, and strong collaboration skills.
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
Applicants must have working rights in the United States and pass a background check.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer (PE) license or Engineer in Training (EIT) certification.
Networking certification such as CCNA, CCNP, or equivalent.
Experience with tolling technologies such as All-Electronic Tolling (AET), Open Road Tolling (ORT), Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), roadside systems, and back-office tolling platforms.
Experience delivering tolling projects for state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), government agencies, or other public-sector customers.
Prior technical or people leadership, particularly leading multidisciplinary engineering or system delivery teams.
Project management skills, including knowledge of business economics and commercial project delivery.
Experience estimating time and effort for system functionalities and technical implementations.
Familiarity with relevant international standards.
Located in California.

Responsibilities

Lead technical delivery of tolling systems from bid-phase sales support and solution development through engineering, installation, integration, testing, commissioning, and operational handoff.
Ensure systems meet contractual and technical requirements and achieve intended operational outcomes.
Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers, leading technical discussions, understanding their objectives, communicating tradeoffs, and managing expectations and scope discussions.
Own requirements elicitation, analysis, decomposition, specification, validation, traceability, and change control from initial customer discussions through final acceptance.
Maintain requirements traceability across hardware, software, electrical, integration, installation, and verification activities, and identify gaps, ambiguities, dependencies, and risks.
Maintain technical accountability for the complete system architecture and implementation, integrating roadside hardware, embedded devices, applications, and back-office systems.
Guide engineering and implementation teams through installation, configuration, integration, troubleshooting, and commissioning, resolving technical roadblocks and keeping delivery aligned with approved designs and requirements.
Define and control interfaces between roadside hardware and software, including protocols, data flows, timing, dependencies, and failure behavior.
Partner with validation teams to support integration, verification, and validation, including Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, and Operational Acceptance Testing.
Oversee system interfaces, protocols, databases, and applications while managing technical dependencies, performance constraints, and opportunities for optimization.
Lead and coordinate hardware, software, electrical, and systems engineering resources around a shared technical direction and delivery milestones.
Develop and maintain wiring diagrams, roadway sensor placement designs, hanger and mounting systems, power distribution designs, cabinet layouts, and cable and conduit layouts; interpret civil drawings and coordinate with highway designers and infrastructure teams.
Provide hands-on technical leadership, make sound engineering decisions, challenge assumptions constructively, and unblock technical or delivery challenges.
Connect engineering decisions to customer needs and operational objectives.