Lead, Digital Agriculture Systems Engineering

Iowa State University - College of Design; Ames (IA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement benefits

Onsite childcare

Job summary

Iowa State University - College of Design is seeking an R&D Systems Engineering Lead in Ames, IA. The role focuses on developing people, growing technical capability, and leading projects in digital agriculture from planning through field deployment.

You will guide engineers, technicians, and students, coordinate resources, and ensure technical quality across embedded computing, sensing, and automated systems in collaboration with industry partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years related experience.
• Experience leading complex engineering work from concept through deployment or field validation.
• Experience managing, developing, and mentoring engineers and technical staff.
• Ability to balance competing priorities across people, projects, resources, and technical objectives.

Responsibilities

• Manage, coach, mentor, and develop engineers, technicians, graduate students, and student employees.
• Build technical capability by establishing engineering standards, best practices, knowledge sharing, and workforce development.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership for integrated digital agriculture systems across hardware, software, sensing, robotics, connectivity, and data systems.
• Support delivery across multiple concurrent engineering efforts through planning, estimation, reviews, risk management, and resource coordination.
• Build trusted relationships with sponsors, OEMs, and research collaborators, aligning work to customer objectives.

Skills

Systems thinking

Engineering leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Project management

Embedded systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Iowa State University - College of Design is seeking an R&D Systems Engineering Lead in Ames, IA. The role focuses on developing people, growing technical capability, and leading projects in digital agriculture from planning through field deployment.

You will guide engineers, technicians, and students, coordinate resources, and ensure technical quality across embedded computing, sensing, and automated systems in collaboration with industry partners.