Senior Controls & Software Integration Engineer

Motive Workforce; Southfield (MI); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

PTO

Equity consideration

Job summary

Motive Workforce is seeking a Senior Controls & Software Integration Engineer in Southeast Michigan. You will own vessel control software end-to-end, from VCU to helm, across consumer and defense platforms, with hands-on bench, boat, and water time.

You will integrate high‑voltage powertrains, build data pipelines, and ensure robust fault handling and safe on‑water operation. This role includes leadership of junior staff and close work with the CTO.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in vehicle/vessel controls or embedded powertrain software.
• Hands-on with model-based toolchains (Simulink or similar).
• MATLAB experience required; strong CAN/J1939 knowledge.
• HV system integration and safe HV work practices.
• BS in Electrical/Computer/Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Own vessel control software end-to-end from VCU to helm screen.
• Integrate powertrain over CAN/J1939 and manage BMS, inverters and OBC.
• Design fault handling, derating, and safe on-water states.
• Build data pipelines to UI and telemetry, including NMEA 2000/J1939 mapping.
• Coordinate bench, HIL, and on-water validation and releases.
• Support demos, sea trials, and defense exercise events.
• Lead junior engineers and collaborate with harness design team.

Skills

Vessel controls

Embedded powertrain

Model-based development

MATLAB

CAN/J1939 familiarity

HV integration

Hardware debugging

ITAR/EAR awareness

Education

BS in Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering

Equivalent experience

Tools

MotoHawk

EcoCoder

OpenECU

Simulink

Vector/Kvaser/PCAN

NMEA 2000

Job description

Senior Controls & Software Integration Engineer

About the Company

Our client builds high-performance electric vessels on a shared, patented platform spanning two lines: a premium all-electric sportsboat and a family of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for defense and government customers.

The Role

You will own vessel control software end-to-end, from the VCU application to the helm screen, across both consumer and defense platforms, working directly with the CTO. This is a hands‑on role with bench, boat, and water time included.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, calibrate, and release Vessel Control Unit and remote control application software using a Simulink model-based development and automatic code generation toolchain, with professional calibration tools.
• Integrate the electric powertrain over CAN/J1939: battery management system (BMS), traction motor and inverter, on‑board charger (OBC), DC/DC, high‑voltage power distribution system, low‑voltage PDU, thermal management, range extender genset automation, and all other propulsion system components.
• Design and implement fault handling, interlocks, derating strategies, and limp/safe states for on‑water operation.
• Build the data pipeline from VCU to helm: NMEA 2000 / J1939 PGN mapping, display integration, and software hooks exposing vessel telemetry to the UI and companion tools.
• Integrate the USV drive‑by‑wire interface with government and third‑party autonomy kits (A‑Kits), including command/telemetry bridging aligned to UMAA/MOSA principles.
• Own bench, HIL, and on‑water validation, release sign-off, and calibration documentation.
• Support customer demos, sea trials, and defense exercise events.
• Manage the work of junior engineering staff and technicians.
• Work with the harness design team and edit/contribute to vessel electrical wiring design.

What You Bring

• 5+ years in vehicle/vessel controls or embedded powertrain software.
• Hands‑on experience with one or more model‑based code development toolchains (MotoHawk, EcoCoder, OpenECU, or other Simulink‑based development environments).
• MATLAB experience.
• Deep CAN fluency: Standard CAN messaging and J1939 required; NMEA 2000 and CANopen a plus; comfortable with Vector/Kvaser/PCAN hardware and software, CAN datalogging tools, and data analysis tools such as TSMaster.
• High‑voltage system integration experience (BMS, inverters, chargers) and safe HV work practices.
• A bias for hardware: you debug at the connector with a breakout box and a scope, not just in simulation.
• BS in Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Due to ITAR/EAR requirements on defense programs, candidates must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents).

Nice to Have

• Marine experience: ABYC E-30 / ISO 16315, NMEA 2000 certification, sea‑trial time.
• Alternate platform experience: Curtis VCL, CODESYS, or bare‑metal embedded C.
• Autonomy interface experience: UMAA, ROS 2/DDS, MAVLink, or similar.
• Functional safety exposure: ISO 26262, ISO 13849, or comparable.
• Prior startup or 0-to-1 product experience.

Base salary: $80,000-$150,000, reflecting the breadth of experience across model-based development, HV integration, and defense‑autonomy work.

Early‑stage equity consideration, details discussed at the offer stage.

Benefits package including health, dental, PTO, and other standard benefits.

Southeast Michigan preferred, or hybrid ability to be local for months on end. The role requires proximity to vessel integration and the vehicle‑controls talent ecosystem.

Ability to travel up to 50% of the time, if not more. Candidates must have the flexibility to be deployed as a field team member next to the vessel during demonstrations and testing trials for months at a time.

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.