Principal Robotics Engineer, Autonomous Systems

A combination, not necessarily all-inclusive, of the following:

• Define the engineering strategy and technical roadmap for the robotics stack for Blue River's autonomous construction program.
• Make build-vs-reuse-vs-buy decisions on critical subsystems and drive them to execution.
• Design safeguarding systems and safety architectures for heavy autonomous equipment, drawing on best practices from the AV and robotics safety community.
• Work directly with mechatronics, platform, and field operations teams on system integration, bring-up, and field validation.
• Mentor and elevate the engineers around you.

• Architected and shipped autonomous systems. You've made the structural decisions on a robotics or AV program and lived with the consequences through production. You know what works, what doesn't, and why.
• Deep, broad technical judgment. You can go deep in multiple areas across the technical stack, and broad across all of it. You understand how decisions in one domain constrain the others. You think in systems, not subsystems.
• A track record of making the right technical decisions across team boundaries. You've shaped architecture and engineering practices beyond your immediate team, not by mandate, but because you did the work to understand the problem and build consensus around the right approach.
• The ability to operate in ambiguity. You can take an ill-defined problem, structure it, make a call, and drive to a result, without waiting for someone to hand you a spec.
• Strong software skills. You write and review production code in compiled languages. You have strong opinions about software architecture, testing, and code quality. You lead by example.
• 10+ years in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or related industries (or equivalent depth with fewer years and a graduate degree).

• Experience with off-highway, construction, or agriculture autonomy - environments where the rules are different from on-road AV.
• Deep familiarity with autonomous vehicle safety practices: hazard analysis, safe behavior design, runtime monitoring, and the engineering disciplines that make autonomous systems trustworthy in the real world.
• Experience building and scaling robotics teams and codebases from early-stage to production.

Only individual applicants will be considered.

We do not work with unsolicited third-party agencies or proxy interview services.

At Blue River, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package.

For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $174,000 – $305,000/year for the level at which this job has been scoped.

Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills.

This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus and a competitive benefit package.

During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited.

If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.

We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.

While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing in our programs, including recruiting, mentorship, career development, and learning & development, to ensure they support our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals.

We support each employee in living a full life, enabling a thriving career, and accomplishing a meaningful, challenging mission while collaborating with incredible people.

We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align completely with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Please contact us to request an accommodation.