Ground Robotics Systems Engineer

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions; Fort Walton Beach (FL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions in Fort Walton Beach, FL seeks a Ground Robotics Systems Engineer to advance autonomous ground vehicle control systems from prototype to field-ready product. You will tackle system-level challenges spanning electrical, embedded, software, and mechanical subsystems, and oversee verification, validation and production release.

You will translate customer problems into well-defined requirements, interfaces and acceptance criteria, while designing for

Qualifications

• Problem solving that goes past the symptom to the underlying cause.
• Creative approaches when systematic methods stall and the judgment to change direction.
• Translate an unstructured customer concept into defined requirements and interfaces.
• Command of the complete system across electronics, firmware, software, networking and mechanics.
• Proficient in applying current AI models to improve productivity with oversight.
• Apply production discipline to designs not yet fully defined.
• Proficient in verification and validation methods and traceability.

Responsibilities

• Own the system architecture from concept forward, including subsystem decomposition and interface definition.
• Translate customer problems into defined requirements, interfaces and acceptance criteria.
• Isolate and resolve faults crossing electrical, firmware, software, networking and mechanical boundaries.
• Mature prototype designs into production-ready systems with design risk reduction.
• Design, build and test prototypes across circuit, firmware, vehicle software and mechanical integration.
• Plan and execute verification and validation, including traceability and environmental testing.
• Collaborate with production and design-for-manufacturability teams.
• Guide supplier and component selection throughout the project.

Skills

Problem solving

Requirements translation

System knowledge

AI models

Verification & validation

Production discipline

Configuration control

Circuit design

Embedded firmware

Linux

Team collaboration

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Schematic capture tools

Job description

Ground Robotics Systems Engineer responsible for taking autonomous ground vehicle control systems, including remote operation and platooning, from working prototype to a product that can be built repeatably and trusted in the field. This position sits at the point where speed and safety meet: our mission is to deliver the value of self-driving vehicle technology quickly and safely, and this role determines whether a promising prototype becomes something we can put in a customer's hands. The work spans electrical, embedded, software, communications and mechanical subsystems, and carries designs through verification, validation and production release.

Job Description

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY:

Ground Robotics Systems Engineer responsible for taking autonomous ground vehicle control systems, including remote operation and platooning, from working prototype to a product that can be built repeatably and trusted in the field. This position sits at the point where speed and safety meet: our mission is to deliver the value of self-driving vehicle technology quickly and safely, and this role determines whether a promising prototype becomes something we can put in a customer's hands. The work spans electrical, embedded, software, communications and mechanical subsystems, and carries designs through verification, validation and production release.

The central requirement of this position is problem solving, beginning with what the customer needs and extending through architecture, design and the resolution of complex system failures. Programs in this group do not arrive as a finished requirements document. Customers present an operational problem, a rough concept, or a capability gap, and the engineer is responsible for defining what the system should be. Unlike environments where requirements are specified and traced from the outset, this position requires the ability to make decisions on incomplete information and take the lead in technical direction while applying production discipline to a design that is still in motion.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Own the system architecture from concept forward, including subsystem decomposition, functional allocation and interface definition
• Turn an unstructured customer problem into defined requirements, interfaces and acceptance criteria the team can build against
• Isolate and resolve faults that cross electrical, firmware, software, networking, mechanical and manufacturing boundaries, and drive them to root cause
• Mature prototype designs into production-ready systems, closing open design risk, reducing variation and designing for cost and build
• Design, build and test working prototypes across circuit design, embedded firmware, vehicle software and mechanical integration
• Plan and execute verification and validation, including requirements traceability, design verification testing, environmental and durability testing, and EMC/EMI
• Develop and tune control and estimation approaches, including feedback control, state estimation and sensor fusion
• Own configuration control and the engineering release package, including schematics, interface control documents, drawings, bills of material and engineering change orders
• Partner with production and manufacturing engineering on design for manufacturability and assembly, process capability, first article inspection, tooling and production test
• Guide supplier and component selection, including qualification, second sourcing and obsolescence management
• Put current AI and modern engineering tools to work, including simulation, model-based design and data analysis, to compress development cycle time and strengthen verification
• Seek out and adopt new tools, methods and technologies on an ongoing basis
• Work directly with customers and end users on technical matters
• Travel to support testing, demonstrations, qualification, customers and fielded systems
• Must be at assigned worksite during assigned hours 100% of time; less PTO, FML/STD/LTD

OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Mentor new engineers, Co-op and Interns
• Contribute to the technical bid and proposal process
• Other duties may be assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

• Provide technical direction to project engineering team and support staff

Experience And Skills

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Problem solving that goes past the symptom to the underlying cause, and the persistence to see a fix through to proof
• Creative approaches when systematic methods stall, and the judgment to recognize when to change direction
• Skill in translating an unstructured customer concept into defined requirements, interfaces and acceptance criteria
• Command of the complete system, including how electronics, firmware, software, networking, sensing, actuation and mechanics affect one another
• Proficient in applying current AI models as a productivity multiplier, including the judgment to review, verify and critique output rather than delegating complex technical work without oversight
• Comfort applying production discipline to designs that are not yet fully defined
• Proficient in verification and validation methods, including requirements definition and traceability, design verification testing and qualification
• Familiar with design for manufacturability and assembly, cost drivers and the requirements of volume production
• Proficient in configuration control and engineering release, including drawings, interface control documents, bills of material and revision integrity
• Proficient in circuit design, including schematic capture, circuit analysis and design review
• Proficient in the use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, meters and bench supplies
• Familiar with analog and power fundamentals, including signal conditioning, filtering, grounding, noise, power distribution and EMC-aware design
• Familiar with embedded firmware, vehicle buses and networking sufficient to design across, integrate and debug them
• Familiar with feedback control and state estimation as applied to ground vehicles
• Familiar with Linux environments, including shell, networking, services, device interfaces and log-based debugging
• Effective collaboration within a multi-functional team in a fast-paced environment
• Clear technical communication in writing, including