Field Application Engineer

BlackTree Technical Group, Inc.; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

BlackTree Technical Group, Inc. is seeking a diligent Site Reliability Engineer for robotics deployments in Mountain View, CA.

You will monitor system performance, troubleshoot field issues, and lead projects that improve integration efficiency and reliability. You will train customers, gather feedback for product and engineering teams, and help develop SOWs and support documentation while ensuring compliance with industry standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a technical field related to robotics or computer science.
• 2+ years of hands-on field applications, systems integration, or site reliability engineering.
• Strong Linux (Ubuntu) experience, including systemctl, bash, SSH, and networking basics.
• Experience with HMI peripherals, VR/AR tracking systems, and multi-node systems.
• Commitment to safety around high-energy robotic systems and robust debugging skills.

Responsibilities

• Own site-level robot health and operational readiness across deployment sites.
• Triage field failures, analyze logs, and determine escalation paths.
• Deploy, configure, and maintain teleoperation workstations and related hardware.
• Troubleshoot high-bandwidth field networks and gRPC endpoints.
• Coordinate hardware repairs, FRU swaps, and battery protocols with FSEs.
• Validate software releases and firmware updates, and perform pre-flight health checks.

Skills

Linux Mastery

SRE Experience

Robotics Systems

Field Troubleshooting

Scripting (Python/C++)

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in Robotics/EE/Mechatronics/CS

Tools

Jira

Bolt Dashboard

Tableau

Looker

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Job Summary

Your expertise will also be crucial in monitoring system performance, resolving technical issues through advanced troubleshooting, and providing comprehensive customer training and support. Additionally, you will lead technical projects that enhance integration efficiency, standardize processes, and drive continuous improvement, while also supporting the early-stage testing and integration of new products. You will proactively gather, systematize, and convey customer feedback to internal teams, champion product enhancements, and steer customer-focused solutions closely working with product and engineering teams. Throughout your work, you will ensure adherence to industry standards and regulations, develop SOWs and customer success documentation, and deliver comprehensive customer training.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Fleet Availability & Operational Ownership: Own site-level robot health and operational readiness across primary deployment sites and test workcells, driving strategies to maintain a minimum +75% fleet uptime threshold.
• System-Level Triage & Log Analysis: Act as the Tier-2 operational first responder for field failures (e.g., fall events, communication loss, actuator faults, and supervisor soft-freezes). Analyze high-rate Linux system logs, telemetry, and diagnostic traces (bosplot, bdirector, Sawmill) to rapidly localize bugs and determine escalation paths.
• Telemanipulation & Infrastructure Operations: Deploy, configure, and maintain local tele-op workstations, including high-spec Linux desktops, SteamVR base stations, tracking wands, haptic wearables, and operator control interfaces.
• Network & Connectivity Management: Troubleshoot isolated, high-bandwidth field network setups (Wi-Fi 6E, dedicated switches, router configurations, and gRPC endpoints).
• Maintenance & Service Escalation: Work closely with Field Service Engineers (FSEs) and repair technicians to coordinate physical hardware repairs, Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) swaps, actuator re-namings, and battery-charging protocols.
• Software Release & Firmware Bring-Up: Validate and push core system software releases, controls builds, and node-level firmware updates across fleet units; execute pre-flight health routines (Atlas Check) before handing robots over for daily tasks or data collection.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience: 2+ years of hands‑on experience in field applications, systems integration, or site reliability engineering for complex electromechanical systems (industrial automation, mobile robotics, or aerospace).
• Linux & Command-Line Mastery: Knowledge in Linux (Ubuntu) environments, including system configuration, service management (systemctl), bash scripting, network interface utilities, and SSH management
• HMI & Peripherals Infrastructure: Direct experience setting up and troubleshooting workstation hardware, VR/AR tracking systems (e.g., SteamVR, HTC Vive), USB camera pipelines, and custom human‑machine interfaces. And debugging multi-node electromechanical systems
• Safety & Field Rigor: Deep commitment to operational safety around high‑energy mobile/humanoid robots, including experience with hardware E-stops, motor inhibits, and safe workcell setup

Nice to Have

• Proficiency in Python or C++ for writing automated triage scripts, log parsers, or custom field utility tools.
• Solid foundation in network engineering—configuring local VLANs, router switches, Wi-Fi 6E access points, IP tables/port forwarding, and troubleshooting streaming latency or packet drops
• Familiarity with Jira ticket administration, root‑cause tagging, and fleet management dashboards (e.g., Bolt Dashboard, Tableau, or Looker)
• Hands‑on experience with battery management systems (BMS), high‑voltage shore power setups, and battery swap operations