Vehicle Systems Engineer

Lightfoot; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lightfoot in the United Kingdom is seeking a Vehicle Systems Engineer to drive our vehicle compatibility programme. You will acquire, research, and reverse engineer EV and commercial vehicles to extract data powering Lightfoot's driver behaviour and efficiency platform, while building automation tools and pipelines.

The role requires a methodical, proactive approach and strong stakeholder relationships with OEMs, builders, and fleet operators, with occasional travel to supplier and fleet sites.

Qualifications

• Strong programming skillset including Python and C/C++.
• Experience with vehicle systems, diagnostics and electrical architecture.
• Deep knowledge of SAE J1939 and SAE J1979 standards.
• Analytical mindset with attention to detail.
• Proactive planner able to manage broad workload.

Responsibilities

• Source and acquire target vehicles for integration per roadmap.
• Access vehicle data via OBDII, proprietary connectors, sensors, loom.
• Capture and log data for analysis and simulation.
• Decode signals to derive speed, battery state, torque and faults.
• Document integrations for field engineers and installers.
• Own automation and vehicle data simulators for testing.
• Drive vehicle integrations and track roadmap progress.
• Maintain relationships with OEMs and fleet stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Embedded & Vehicle Systems team on firmware updates.
• Identify new approaches to data acquisition and tooling.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Vehicle systems

Diagnostics

SAE J1939/J1979

Analytical mindset

Communication

Job description

This role sits at the heart of Lightfoot's vehicle compatibility programme. The Vehicle Systems Engineer is responsible for acquiring, researching, and reverse engineering the latest EV and commercial vehicles to extract the key data that underpins Lightfoot's driver behaviour and efficiency platform, enabling full functionality of in-cab Lightfoot products. They will support these responsibilities through automating processes and tooling.

The role requires a methodical, proactive approach to building and maintaining a vehicle integration pipeline, delivering a growing portfolio of integrated vehicles. It also demands strong stakeholder relationships with vehicle OEMs, builders, and fleet operators.

Location: This can be peformed remotely but will require occasional travel to vehicle suppliers, OEM partners, and customer fleet sites.

Hours: This is a full time role working 37.5 hours a week, across Monday - Friday.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Vehicle Acquisition and Connectivity:

• Source and acquire target vehicles for integration based on the vehicle integration roadmap
• Identify and access vehicle data through interfaces such as OBDII, proprietary connectors, inductive sensors, and direct vehicle loom access
• Capture and log raw vehicle data in a structured and contextualised format enabling analysis and simulation
• Decode and map signals to derive meaningful parameters such as speed, battery state, torque, and fault codes
• Document integrations for usage by Field Installation Engineers and customer self-installers

Automation and Tooling:

• Optimise integration processes through automation and enhanced tooling
• Own and continually improve vehicle data simulator(s) for process optimisation and integration testing

Delivery Pipeline and Roadmap:

• Drive a high cadence of vehicle integrations, ensuring new vehicle support reaches production at pace
• Contribute to the vehicle integration roadmap, prioritising own work accordingly
• Track progress against integration targets and proactively flag risks or blockers

Stakeholder Relationships:

• Maintain close relationships with vehicle OEMs and bodybuilders to obtain technical documentation and early access to new platforms
• Coordinate field research and testing of new integrations with Field Installation Engineers
• Act as the technical point of contact for vehicle compatibility queries from internal teams and Field Installation Engineers

Collaboration and Support:

• Work closely with the Embedded & Vehicle Systems team to translate findings into firmware and application updates
• Contribute to root cause analysis for vehicle compatibility issues raised in the field
• Support pre-sales and account management with vehicle compatibility assessments where required

Creativity & Innovation

• Proactively identify new approaches to vehicle data acquisition as OEM architectures evolve
• Contribute ideas to improve integration tooling, documentation practices, and testing processes
• Stay current with EV platform developments and emerging vehicle communication standards

Levels of Responsibility

• Works with a high degree of autonomy, reporting progress to the Head of Embedded & Vehicle Systems
• Represents Lightfoot externally with OEMs and fleet stakeholders

Key Skills

• Supports and embodies Lightfoot's core values: To Care, To Deliver, To Innovate
• Strong programming skillset, including Python and C/C++
• Experience of vehicle systems, including diagnostics and electrical architecture
• Deep technical knowledge of diagnostic standards (e.g. SAE J1939, SAE J1979)
• Strong analytical mindset with excellent attention to detail
• Proactive planner who can manage a broad workload and maintain momentum
• Confident communicator with internal teams, OEMs, and fleet customers
• Commercially aware and outcome-focused
• Comfortable working with physical vehicles and diagnostic hardware