Systems Engineer, Autonomous Systems

Blue River Technology

4h•$131,000 - $228,000•Remote

About The Position

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. Core computer vision models to enhance system safety and performance in challenging production 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.

Requirements

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).

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

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.