Systems Engineer

We are looking for a passionate, enthusiastic Systems Engineer who enjoys being part of a tight-knit multidisciplinary team. Motivo is a project-based product development company focused on designing systems containing mechanical, electrical and software components. Our programs typically span from clean-sheet design through prototype validation, though we occasionally shepherd our clients through to the start of production as well. Most of the products we design emphasize integrated electro-mechanical assemblies with embedded electronics running custom firmware and software. We develop products for diverse market segments including mobility/automotive, medical/health/fitness, industrial automation, energy storage and conversion, aerospace, consumer devices, and more. We are the secret weapon behind many early-stage startups seeking to develop their first product, as well as Fortune 500 R&D groups looking to innovate on their next flagship product.

What is a Systems Engineer? At Motivo, these are some of our most highly valued and versatile team members. The ideal Systems Engineer is someone who could complete an entire electromechanical project themselves from concept to fabrication. We don’t actually expect you to do this, but having those skills is an indication that this person can be creative, balance competing priorities, and have a high degree of attention to detail. A Systems Engineer typically works with a Project Manager and Technical Lead to guide a focused team of engineers into the beginning phases of a product development program. Together, this group is responsible for planning the technical and programmatic aspects of the development, defining or reviewing the complete system architecture, identifying key components and technologies, and leading the technical team to successful project completion. Often, in later phases of the program, the Systems Engineer will lead brainstorms, review the work of other engineers, provide guidance along specific technical paths, and help debug and troubleshoot during integration.

A strong Systems Engineer candidate will know enough about mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, as well as physics in general, to speak intelligently about all of them and understand their interaction. This candidate can often do the actual work as an individual contributor in two or more of those engineering disciplines. 

Requirements

The Motivo Systems Engineer position is the ideal role for an exceedingly sharp engineer who is insatiably curious about all aspects of engineering!

The ideal candidate will have or exhibit many of the following:

• Hard skills, experiences and responsibilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline (Master’s preferred)
• Three or more years of professional engineering experience (7+ years for senior role consideration)
• Direct technical experience on multiple electro-mechanical projects
• Deep understanding of physics and electromechanical control systems
• Extensive detailed design experience in either mechanical, electrical, or software systems
• Experience working with design tools and environments similar to ours:
• MATLAB/Simulink for simulation and controls development
• SPICE platforms for electronics simulation
• SolidWorks for 3D CAD
• Altium for PCB design
• C/C++ for firmware development (typically STM32 for custom embedded hardware)
• Python and C/C++ for software development
• Strong ability to take a client’s desires/requirements and develop a system architecture and technical roadmap
• Strong ability to lead and support a team of engineers through technical challenges
• Ability to produce feature definitions, requirements derivations, and system architecture diagrams that communicate approach and goals to a multidisciplinary engineering team
• Experience with troubleshooting, debugging, and root cause analysis of issues in electromechanical systems
• Soft skills, experiences and responsibilities:
• Exceptional communication skills; able to present results and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to assist the Business Development team with developing and presenting proposals (including technical approach, cost and schedule) to prospective clients
• Ability to support the Industrial Design team with brainstorming and navigating the space of technical possibility
• Identify and manage cross-disciplinary technical ambiguity and risk items during project execution
• Assisting team with test definition, execution and debugging; mapping results back to program requirements
• Solutions and execution focused; ability to make trades against competing priorities
• Open to new ideas and challenges from the team
• Reacts well to changing client needs
• Ability to handle concurrent fast-paced projects with minimal direction
• Exceptional English speaking ability and good-for-an-engineer writing skills
• Future-positive, solutions-oriented attitude

Benefits

We’re convinced that the team and projects are hands down the best part of working at Motivo, but we also have some pretty sweet benefits including company-wide profit sharing, high-quality insurance plans, 401k match, generous paid vacation time, an onsite massage therapist, a Monday-Thursday 4/10 work week and more!

Base Salary Range: $95,000 - $130,000

Annual Profit Sharing estimate: $14,000 - $27,000

Salary is dependent on experience, knowledge and interview performance.

Senior roles also available for exceptional candidates.