Principal Systems Engineer

Mission Summary: 

We’re seeking highly motivated candidates to join our Autonomy Systems team at Motional, to help us tackle some of the most challenging technical problems facing the autonomous driving industry, and improve the robustness, performance, comfort, and safety of our driverless vehicle.  

A Senior Autonomy Systems Engineer in the Planning, Controls, and Drive-By-Wire (PCD) Autonomy Systems team will work closely with their primary customer (PCD Autonomy Software Development teams) in their day-to-day work. This role enables the development of autonomous capabilities to the required performance by establishing feedback loops and insights on current/past AV system, subsystem, and software performance. These insights/data are gathered from simulation, on-vehicle, and software integration/unit testing. Additionally, this role can involve informing/specifying PCD architecture and requirements via in-depth analysis. A successful engineer in this role is able to balance competing requests based on urgency/priority and impact to the product utilizing their previous experience working end-to-end on complex safety critical systems.

What you'll do: 

Develop and lead projects to meet customer needs and requests: 

• Balance competing requests based on urgency/priority and impact to the product
• Identify MVP/8020 scope/deliverables in an agile environment
• Deliver usable/demo-able products on a weekly basis; collect feedback from stakeholders and build upon deliverables in following weeks in order to achieve longer term goals/milestones.
• Pivot project plans based on stakeholder feedback and analysis discoveries
• Lead/advise more junior engineers to support projects

Establish feedback loops and insights from simulation, on-vehicle, and software integration/unit testing and data via:

• Create automated, real-time dashboards (SQL, Python using Redash, Jupyter, internal tools, etc.) enabled by fusing/analyzing test results and data from the aforementioned test environments
• Perform static results/data analysis (SQL, Python, Matlab, etc.)

Determine necessary performance metrics and requirements in parallel with system, subsystem, and software level V&V planning/execution with:

• Physics/Dynamics analysis
• Data/Statistical analysis - e.g. Monte Carlo, regression
• System analysis - e.g. latency, sensitivity, requirements/test coverage

What we're looking for: 

• Strong skills/experience with all of the following: physics/dynamics, data/statistical, and systems analyses
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; effective in communicating complex concepts and driving resolutions
• Ability to focus on MVP/8020 solutions that enable current day-to-day priorities--that are also compatible with, and contribute to a final product/solution
• Ability to adapt to changes in strategy/requests by pivoting project plans and execution
• Passion for developing complex safety critical systems
• Software or hardware test development
• Pragmatic end-to-end systems engineering experience and capability in analysis, requirements development, and V&V
• General experience/comfort with Linux (including terminal)
• Some general experience/comfort with creating scripts and queries >=1 language (beyond Matlab; e.g. Python, C++, shell, SQL)
• BS in Aerospace, Computer Science, Electrical, Physics, Robotics, Software, or equivalent engineering experience

Bonus Points: 

• Software and hardware test development
• General experience creating software integration and/or unit tests
• General experience with git (or equiv) and landing code in a config controlled repo
• Systems Engineering experience in a regulated industry
• UML/SysML experience
• Experience working in an agile environment
• Safety Analysis experience on complex safety critical systems in a regulated environment (aerospace, autonomy, medical, rail, etc.)

Why you should join us: 

• You will be empowered to help shape the team’s statements of work, strategy, etc. Your input is encouraged for making key decisions
• Be part of a growing team that interfaces with many branches of the organization
• We are a values-led culture, where everyone feels included, recognized and empowered to be themselves and do their best work in the way that suits them
• Excellent benefits to include generous medical plans, wellness benefits, unlimited PTO, 401k and equity, to name a few

The Motional Pittsburgh office is located in the new Hazelwood Green development, a culmination of the city’s goal of restoring an economic driver to the neighborhood in a thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable way. With views along the Monongahela river, the Pittsburgh office is in the heart of this new state of the art development.  This position can support remote work within the United States.