Lead Systems Engineer

Econolite; Anaheim (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly pay

Weekly PTO accrual

Paid holidays

Medical plans

Dental

Vision

Flexible spending accounts

Direct deposit

Life insurance

LTD

401k discretionary match

Identity theft protection

Job summary

Econolite is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to own cross-functional product design and drive engineering alignment across hardware, firmware, embedded software, and IoT/cloud development teams. This role translates market and customer requirements into system architectures and ensures disciplined execution across all disciplines involved in traffic management and data-driven architectures.

The ideal candidate is a systems-level thinker with deep experience in hardware, embedded software, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; systems engineering experience preferred.
• 7+ years in systems engineering with traffic/industrial tech domain.
• 3+ years in technical leadership coordinating cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own cross-functional product design and translate requirements into system-level architecture.
• Align hardware, firmware, embedded software, and IoT/cloud teams across the lifecycle.
• Define system interfaces, dependencies, and verification strategies.
• Lead requirements decomposition and traceability from product to components.
• Coordinate system-level integration, risk management, and blockers.

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Hardware fundamentals

Embedded software

IoT cloud

Requirements decomposition

ISO standards

Agile methods

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

NVIDIA GPU platforms

Sensor interfaces (camera, radar, LiDAR)

Job description

Lead Systems Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Lead Systems Engineer to own cross-functional product design and drive engineering alignment across our hardware, firmware, embedded software, and IoT/cloud development teams. This role sits at the intersection of product and engineering, translating market and customer requirements into coherent system architectures and ensuring disciplined execution across all technical disciplines involved in delivering our traffic management and data driven architecture.

The ideal candidate is a systems-level thinker with strong technical depth across hardware, embedded software, and connected/cloud systems, who thrives on aligning diverse engineering teams around a shared product vision and technical roadmap.

Key Responsibilities

• Own cross-functional product design implementation, working closely with the product organization to translate business and customer requirements into system-level requirements and architecture
• Drive team and schedule alignment across hardware development, embedded software development, and IoT/cloud integration teams throughout the product development lifecycle
• Define and maintain system architecture, including interfaces and dependencies between hardware, firmware, and cloud/IoT layers
• Lead requirements decomposition and traceability from product/customer needs down to component-level specifications
• Facilitate technical trade-off decisions across disciplines (hardware, firmware, cloud) to balance cost, performance, schedule, and manufacturability
• Coordinate system-level integration, verification, and validation activities across engineering teams
• Identify and manage cross-team technical risks and dependencies, escalating and resolving blockers proactively
• Partner with hardware engineering on chip/SOM selection, sensor integration (camera, radar, LiDAR), and total edge component architecture as they affect overall system design
• Partner with firmware/software teams on embedded architecture, IoT connectivity, and cloud integration strategy
• Support development and ISO process compliance across the full product development lifecycle
• Champion agile methodologies adapted for multi-discipline hardware/software/cloud systems development
• Represent systems engineering in product planning, design reviews, and stakeholder communications

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of systems engineering or equivalent experience, with significant work in traffic/automotive/industrial technology domains
• 3+ years in a technical leadership or lead role coordinating cross-functional engineering teams (hardware, firmware/embedded, and cloud/IoT)
• Strong working knowledge of hardware development fundamentals, including chip/SOM-based compute platforms (e.g., NVIDIA or similar GPU-based platforms) and sensor interfaces (camera, radar, LiDAR)
• Solid understanding of embedded/firmware software development and test practices and constraints
• Experience with IoT connectivity and cloud integration architectures (device-to-cloud communication, data pipelines, remote management/OTA, security)
• Demonstrated ability to own requirements definition and system architecture across multiple engineering disciplines
• Experience working within formal development processes and ISO standards
• Practical experience applying agile methodologies to hardware and systems-level engineering programs
• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to align stakeholders across product, hardware, firmware, and cloud teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in traffic management systems, ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), or ADAS-related products
• Experience with requirements management tools (e.g. Jira/Confluence-based traceability)
• Background working with outsourced hardware partners, contract manufacturers, or design houses
• Track record of successfully launching connected hardware products from concept through production

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and bonus structure
• High-visibility role shaping product direction across the full engineering organization
• Opportunity to define system architecture for next-generation leading traffic technology products

*This role reports to Director of Hardware Engineering and works in close, ongoing collaboration with the product organization and engineering leads across hardware, firmware, and cloud/IoT teams.*

PRE-EMPLOYMENT

All candidates who accept employment will be subject to a background investigation and drug screening. For applicable roles, candidates who accept employment will also be subject to a Motor Vehicle/Driving Record screening.

COMPENSATION

The base pay range for this full-time exempt position is $125,000-$145,000 per year plus benefits. Pay ranges are determined by various factors, including role, experience, and location. The pay range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire base pay rates for this position. Within the range, actual individual compensation is determined by various factors, including location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

BENEFITS

This role is eligible for benefits: weekly pay, weekly PTO accrual, paid holidays. Various medical plans, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, direct deposit. Basic life, LTD, 401k discretionary match. Other voluntary benefits include: identity theft protection.

DISCLAIMER

The above statements are intended to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, lactation, ancestry/national origin, citizenship, age, disability, arrest and court records, military & veteran's status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, or any other classification protected by state or federal law. We prohibit Retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or otherwise oppose discrimination.An Equal Opportunity Employer - Non-Smoking Facility