Senior Systems Engineer

Tennant Company•Minneapolis, MN

24d

About The Position

Tennant Company is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join its Robotics Product Development organization. The role combines hands-on systems engineering with emerging technical leadership, supporting the definition, integration, and delivery of complex electromechanical, electrical, and software-enabled robotic systems. The engineer contributes to system-level design and integration while owning key subsystems or technical areas end-to-end. The position partners with Electrical, Software, Mechanical, Manufacturing, and other teams to translate product and business requirements into well-defined, verifiable system solutions. It contributes to architectural direction, technical decisions, and engineering practices, with success measured by technical quality, reliable execution, effective system integration, risk reduction, and contribution to team performance.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field.
At least 5 years of experience in systems engineering, electrical engineering, or controls-focused roles.
Strong hands-on experience in electrical system integration and testing for complex products.
Experience owning subsystems or significant technical workstreams.
Experience with requirements development, decomposition, verification, and technical documentation.
Proven experience working on cross-functional engineering teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with robotics, autonomous systems, or complex electromechanical products.
Experience with batteries, chargers, power electronics, or control systems.
Familiarity with model-based design and simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, PSpice, or MathCad.
Experience with an object-oriented programming language such as C#, Python, or C++.
Exposure to production support, manufacturing ramp-up, or end-of-line testing.
Experience leveraging AI-assisted engineering tools for code generation, test automation, requirements management, or data analytics.
Experience with motion control systems, including specification, integration, tuning, and troubleshooting of electric motors, motor drives, actuators, encoders, and closed-loop control systems.
Experience managing and analyzing data from connected robotic fleets, including machine health monitoring, event logging, software deployment metrics, and operational performance reporting.
Strong systems thinking with a growing architectural perspective.
Hands-on, execution-oriented approach and ability to own and deliver complex technical work.
Ability to balance detailed engineering work with emerging technical leadership responsibilities.
Ability to collaborate effectively and influence without direct authority.
Comfort operating in ambiguity and driving progress in complex systems.
Proactive problem-solving, ownership, and follow-through.

Responsibilities

Own development and delivery of subsystem architectures and system features, ensuring alignment with the overall system design.
Lead requirements decomposition, allocation, and verification for assigned systems and subsystems.
Establish functional requirements and performance targets for electrical and control subsystems, including power, communications, and safety.
Create and maintain system documentation, including requirements, interface definitions, and verification artifacts.
Contribute technical input to system-level architecture discussions on tradeoffs, scalability, and maintainability.
Lead integration of electrical subsystems, including wiring harnesses, connectors, cable routing, PCBAs, controllers, embedded software interfaces, and power distribution and protection.
Contribute to the definition and implementation of machine control systems, including closed-loop control strategies.
Support and guide integration of CAN, RS-232, Ethernet, and USB communication interfaces.
Troubleshoot complex electrical and controls issues across development, validation, and production environments.
Define and execute verification strategies for assigned systems to ensure requirements traceability and performance.
Apply DFMEA and HARA to identify and mitigate system-level risks.
Support and influence compliance activities involving UL, IEC, EMC, and related standards.
Use modeling or analysis tools as appropriate to validate system behavior.
Drive structured root cause analysis and resolution of integration issues.
Own delivery of complex subsystems or integration workstreams within New Product Development.
Lead and execute Proofs of Concept and prototype builds to validate design assumptions and reduce development risk.
Break down technical challenges into structured tasks and milestones with clear outcomes.
Lead or contribute to design reviews from a system-level perspective.
Support product launches by ensuring designs are robust, manufacturable, and serviceable.
Provide technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior engineers.
Drive alignment across teams on system interfaces, integration strategies, and technical decisions.
Collaborate with Systems, Electrical, Software, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and external partners.
Communicate technical concepts, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to stakeholders at multiple levels.
Influence best practices in requirements management, integration, and system validation.