Lead Systems Engineer - Tolling Delivery

Kapsch TrafficCo • Austin, TX

1d

About The Position

The Lead Systems Engineer holds the highest level of technical ownership on the Systems Engineering track and leads technical delivery of complex, integrated tolling systems. The role brings together roadside hardware, embedded devices, applications, and back-office software into operational solutions, with ownership spanning bid and solution development through engineering, installation, integration, commissioning, and operational handoff. The engineer is accountable for delivering solutions that meet customer requirements, contractual commitments, quality expectations, and operational objectives.

The role serves as the primary technical contact for customer stakeholders and leads cross-disciplinary hardware, software, electrical, and systems engineering teams. It owns the requirements baseline and technical scope, coordinates system dependencies, defines interfaces, and provides technical direction throughout implementation. The engineer also oversees solution architecture and physical design elements, supports integration and acceptance testing, and guides teams through field troubleshooting and commissioning. Remote or hybrid work options may be available for candidates near a corporate office location; the posting also lists California as a bonus qualification/location preference.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of direct experience delivering tolling systems, including implementation, integration, commissioning, or operational deployment of tolling technology.
• 10+ years of professional experience delivering complex, integrated systems combining hardware, software, and field-deployed infrastructure.
• 4+ years of experience and expertise across two or more of the following: electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, software, embedded/firmware, database, or systems integration engineering.
• Demonstrated experience leading system delivery on complex, multi-year programs, with accountability from requirements and solution design through installation, integration, testing, commissioning, and final handoff.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams, including hardware, software, electrical, embedded/firmware, and systems integration resources.
• Demonstrated ability to own client relationships from a technical perspective, build customer trust, understand needs, manage expectations, communicate tradeoffs, and handle difficult 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 a live program.
• Excellent communication and relationship-management skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of IP networking sufficient to integrate, configure, and troubleshoot devices; the company environment uses Cisco. Certification is not required.
• Proven ability to lead customer-facing technical 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 clear requirements, specifications, interface definitions, technical documentation, and customer-facing communications.
• Ability to recognize whether a customer request is a requirement clarification, a scope change, or a technical risk and manage it appropriately.
• Curiosity, ownership, a hands-on mindset, and strong team collaboration.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Applicants must have working rights in the US 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 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 and 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 tolling system delivery from bid-phase sales support and solution development through engineering, installation, integration, testing, commissioning, and operational handoff.
• Ensure system delivery meets contractual and technical requirements and achieves intended operational outcomes.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers, lead technical discussions, communicate tradeoffs, manage expectations, and handle technical or scope discussions professionally.
• Lead 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; identify gaps, ambiguities, dependencies, and risks.
• Maintain technical accountability for the complete system architecture and implementation, ensuring roadside hardware, embedded devices, applications, and back-office systems work together.
• Guide engineering and implementation teams through installation, configuration, integration, troubleshooting, and commissioning; resolve technical roadblocks.
• Define and manage interfaces between roadside hardware and software, including protocols, data flows, timing, dependencies, and failure behavior.
• Partner with the validation team on integration and testing, including Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT); direct field troubleshooting across hardware, firmware, and software.
• Oversee systems, interfaces, protocols, databases, and applications while tracking technical dependencies and performance constraints and identifying optimization opportunities.
• Align hardware, software, electrical, and systems engineering teams around a common technical direction and requirements baseline; coordinate dependencies, resolve competing priorities, and maintain accountability for delivery milestones.
• Develop and maintain wiring diagrams, roadway sensor placement designs, hanger and mounting systems, power distribution designs, civil drawing interpretations, cabinet layouts, and cable/conduit layouts in partnership with highway designers and infrastructure teams.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership, make sound engineering decisions, challenge assumptions constructively, and unblock teams when technical or delivery challenges arise.
• Connect engineering decisions to customer needs and operational objectives.
• Develop and deliver technical presentations and produce requirements, specifications, interface definitions, technical documentation, and customer-facing communications.

Benefits

• Unlimited paid time off.
• 401(k) program.
• 11 paid holidays.
• HSA and FSA options.
• No-cost medical premium insurance option for employees and eligible dependents.
• Full benefits package.
• Career growth, stability, and ongoing professional education and training opportunities.
• Attractive career opportunities.
• Remote or hybrid work options if near a corporate office location.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior