Build the first system
Robotics Systems Lead
Own the architecture, integration, safety envelope, and field-readiness bar for the entire robotic platform.
Apply nowThe mandate
Own the technical architecture and field-readiness standard for the first robotic platform. Convert harvest operations into system requirements, keep subsystem interfaces coherent, and make the final call on whether the machine is safe, recoverable, and useful enough to enter a working field.
First-year outcomes
Evidence the role is working.
- 01
A documented v1 system architecture with owned interfaces and measurable requirements.
- 02
A field acceptance test that covers safety, navigation, payload, runtime, recovery, and operator workflow.
- 03
A failure-review cadence that turns field incidents into prioritized engineering work.
- 04
A platform roadmap tied to productive hours and cost per harvested unit—not demo milestones.
What you will own
- Define system requirements, operating envelopes, interface contracts, and verification plans.
- Lead design reviews and resolve cross-functional technical tradeoffs.
- Own machinery risk assessment, safety architecture, degraded modes, and recovery behavior.
- Integrate autonomy, controls, embedded systems, mechanical hardware, and field software.
- Plan field tests with explicit pass criteria and instrument the machine to explain failures.
- Build the engineering cadence, documentation, and hiring plan for the technical team.
What we are looking for
- Shipped a multidisciplinary robotic or electromechanical product outside a controlled lab.
- Can turn an operational goal into system requirements, interfaces, test plans, and engineering priorities.
- Makes explicit tradeoffs among safety, reliability, cost, schedule, serviceability, and performance.
- Debugs across mechanical, electrical, firmware, autonomy, and cloud boundaries.
- Communicates clearly with operators and founders when evidence changes the plan.
The field reality
The environment is part of the design.
This is a hands-on systems role. Expect early mornings in Central Coast fields, work around active crews, and direct responsibility for whether the full machine is ready to run—not only whether one subsystem passes its test.
- Mobile robots, autonomous vehicles, industrial equipment, or safety-critical machinery.
- Functional-safety practice, hazard analysis, or machinery certification.
- Outdoor robotics with unreliable connectivity, changing terrain, or human coworkers.
- Early-stage technical leadership without a large process or support organization.
Apply for this role
Upload your résumé.
We are actively hiring for Robotics Systems Lead. A professional link is optional.