Senior Systems Engineer

Tennant Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 98,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

Tennant Company is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join the Robotics Product Development organization in a role blending hands-on systems engineering with leadership responsibilities.

You will define, integrate, and deliver complex electro-mechanical, electrical, and software-enabled robotic systems, partnering with Electrical, Software, Mechanical, and Manufacturing teams to translate requirements into verifiable system solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or closely related field.
• 5+ years of experience in systems engineering, electrical engineering, or controls-focused roles.
• Strong hands-on experience in electrical system integration and testing for complex products.
• Experience owning subsystems or significant technical workstreams.
• Experience with requirements development, decomposition, verification, and technical documentation.
• Proven experience working on cross-functional engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Own development and delivery of subsystem architectures and system features.
• Lead requirements decomposition, allocation, and verification for assigned systems and subsystems.
• Establish functional requirements and performance targets for electrical and control subsystems.
• Create and maintain system documentation including requirements, interface definitions, and verification artifacts.
• Contribute to system-level architecture discussions and tradeoff decisions.
• Utilize tools like Jira, Confluence, Jama, Visure for requirements management.

Skills

Systems thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Hands-on engineering

Project ownership

Education

B.S. in Electrical/Computer/Systems Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

PSpice

MathCad

C#

Python

C++

Job description

Location: United States - Minneapolis, MN

Pay: $97,500 - $150,600

With more than $1B in revenue, Tennant Company is a globally recognized leader in the cleaning equipment industry. For the past 150 years, we have been passionate about developing and manufacturing innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers. At Tennant Company, we are committed to stewardship and creating a cleaner, safer and healthier world. With manufacturing, operations and sales, service, and support functions across the globe, your journey at Tennant can take you places you never expected.

We are seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join the Tennant Company (TNC) Robotics Product Development organization. This role combines strong hands-on systems engineering execution with emerging technical leadership responsibilities, supporting the definition, integration, and delivery of complex electro-mechanical, electrical, and software-enabled robotic systems.

The Senior Systems Engineer contributes to system-level design and integration while owning key subsystems or technical areas end-to-end. This role partners closely with Electrical, Software, Mechanical, and Manufacturing teams to translate product and business requirements into well-defined, verifiable system solutions, while beginning to influence architectural direction, technical decisions, and engineering best practices.

Success is measured by technical quality, execution reliability, system integration effectiveness, and the ability to guide work, reduce risk, and elevate team performance.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Engineering & Emerging Architecture Ownership

• Own development and delivery of subsystem architectures and system features, ensuring alignment with overall system design.
• Lead requirements decomposition, allocation, and verification for assigned systems and subsystems.
• Establish functional requirements and performance targets for electrical and control subsystems, including power, communications, and safety.
• Create and maintain system documentation including requirements, interface definitions, and verification artifacts.
• Contribute to system-level architecture discussions, providing technical input on tradeoffs, scalability, and maintainability.
• Utilize requirements and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Jama, Visure, or similar.

Electrical Integration & Controls Engineering

• Lead integration of electrical subsystems, including:
• Wiring harnesses, connectors, and cable routing
• Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs)
• Controllers and embedded software interfaces
• Power distribution and protection (fuses, circuit breakers)
• Contribute to definition and implementation of machine control systems, including closed-loop control strategies.
• Support and guide integration of communication interfaces such as CAN, RS-232, Ethernet, and USB.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical and controls issues across development, validation, and production environments.

Verification, Testing & Technical Rigor

• Define and execute verification strategies for assigned systems to ensure requirements traceability and performance.
• Apply design risk assessment tools such as DFMEA and HARA to identify and mitigate system-level risks.
• Support and influence compliance activities, including UL, IEC, EMC, and related standards.
• Utilize modeling or analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB, Simulink, MathCad, PSpice) as appropriate to validate system behavior.
• Drive structured root cause analysis and resolution of integration issues.

Execution, Prototyping & Product Development

• Own delivery of complex subsystems or integration workstreams within New Product Development (NPD).
• Lead and execute Proofs of Concept (POCs) and prototype builds to validate design assumptions and de-risk development.
• Break down technical challenges into structured tasks and milestones with clear outcomes.
• Actively lead or contribute to design reviews with a strong system-level perspective.
• Support product launches by ensuring designs are robust, manufacturable, and serviceable.

Technical Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior engineers.
• Drive alignment across teams on system interfaces, integration strategies, and technical decisions.
• Collaborate closely with Systems, Electrical, Software, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and external partners.
• Communicate technical concepts, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Influence best practices in requirements management, integration, and system validation.

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of experience in systems engineering, electrical engineering, or controls-focused roles.
• Strong hands-on experience in electrical system integration and testing for complex products.
• Experience owning subsystems or significant technical workstreams.
• Experience with requirements development, decomposition, verification, and technical documentation.
• Proven experience working on cross-functional engineering teams.

Preferred

• Experience with robotics, autonomous systems, or complex electro-mechanical products.
• Experience with batteries, chargers, power electronics, or control systems.
• Familiarity with model-based design and simulation tools (MATLAB/Simulink, PSpice, MathCad).
• Experience with an object-oriented programming language (C#, Python, or C++).
• Exposure to production support, manufacturing ramp-up, or end-of-line testing.
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., code generation, test automation, requirements management, or data analytics) to accelerate development.
• Experience with motion control systems, including the specification, integration, tuning, and troubleshooting of electric motors, motor drives, actuators, encoders, and closed-loop control systems.
• Experience managing and analyzing data from connected robotic fleets, including machine health monitoring, event logging, software deployment metrics, and operational performance reporting.

Key Attributes for Success

• Strong systems thinker with growing architectural perspective.
• Hands-on, execution-oriented engineer who can own and deliver complex technical work.
• Ability to balance detailed engineering work with emerging technical leadership responsibilities.
• Effective collaborator who can influence without direct authority.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving progress in complex systems.
• Proactive problem solver with strong ownership mindset and follow-through.

Total Compensation = Pay range + Benefits

Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. Tennant Co. reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualifications of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity. The salary range reflects both entry into the role and future growth. Total Compensation = Base Salary + Benefits

Benefits = A comprehensive benefits package including multiple medical plan options, 401(k) with a 100% match up to 6