Lead Systems Engineer, Robotics & Field Deployment

TAR; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TAR is seeking a Systems Engineer for the robotics program in San Francisco. You will own machine-level requirements, interfaces, budgets, verification, and safety, while design engineers own subsystems. The role includes travel to the West Texas site for hands-on supervision.

Derive requirements from deployment targets, develop use cases, define subsystem interfaces, and build budgets. You will lead verification, handle safety architecture, and drive cross-functional collaboration toward a

Qualifications

• 5+ years of systems engineering, systems integration, or multi-disciplinary design engineering on complex robotic or electromechanical systems.
• Cross-discipline fluency spanning mechanical, electrical, and software.
• Experience taking a machine end-to-end from prototype to deployment.
• Requirements definition, flow-down, and traceability on hardware programs.
• Strong cross-discipline debugging with scopes, logic analyzers, telemetry, and logs.
• Cross-functional stakeholder management and driving decisions through influence.
• Python or similar for analysis, budgets, and tooling.

Responsibilities

• Derive machine-level requirements from deployment targets (cycle time, placement accuracy, uptime) with design engineers to align subsystems.
• Develop use cases and concepts of operations covering loading, positioning, operation, recovery, and maintenance, including off-nominal cases.
• Define interfaces between subsystems (mechanical mounting, power, data buses, timing, software contracts) and broker agreements to surface issues on paper.
• Build error and performance budgets to determine if a machine can place a module to spec.
• Act as backstop for system performance, surfacing risks spanning mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software.
• Plan and run machine-level verification and validation, bring FMEA and reliability analysis to design teams.
• Own safety architecture for machines that move heavy loads: E-stops, interlocks, safety zones.
• Support integration and bring-up of complete machines from first article through field-ready, then commission in West Texas.
• Exhibit exceptional written and verbal communication to guide cross-functional programs.

Skills

Systems engineering

Robotics

Electrical

Software

Python

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Logic analyzers

Scopes

Telemetry

FMEA tools

Job description

TAR is seeking a Systems Engineer for the robotics program in San Francisco. You will own machine-level requirements, interfaces, budgets, verification, and safety, while design engineers own subsystems. The role includes travel to the West Texas site for hands-on supervision.

Derive requirements from deployment targets, develop use cases, define subsystem interfaces, and build budgets. You will lead verification, handle safety architecture, and drive cross-functional collaboration toward a