Vehicle Electrical Control Systems (VECS) Staff Engineer

Polaris Inc; Novi (MI); On-site; USD 111,000 - 146,000; Full time

Job summary

Polaris Inc. is seeking a Staff Vehicle Electrical Control Systems Engineer to shape electrical features for Off-road Vehicles from concept to realization.

You will work across product owners, architects, validation, and manufacturing to deliver features with tested, traceable behavior. Responsibilities include ownerhip of features, defining customer experiences, and leading cross-functional teams using MATLAB/Simulink and CAN data analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer/Systems Engineering or related field.
• Experience with requirements development and systems engineering.
• Experience with modeling tools like MATLAB/Simulink and Stateflow.
• Ability to translate customer needs into technical behavior and requirements.
• Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Own electrical features from concept through vehicle realization.
• Define customer experiences and align stakeholders on feature behavior and direction.
• Write and maintain feature requirements with clear traceability.
• Develop architectures, interfaces, and requirements traceability.
• Lead cross-functional execution with validation, manufacturing, and service.
• Conduct DFMEAs and engage safety, cybersecurity, regulatory teams.
• Develop test cases and perform vehicle testing and CAN-data analysis.

Skills

Systems engineering

Model-based engineering

Cross-functional leadership

Requirements development

CAN-based embedded systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer/Systems Engineering or related field

Tools

Codebeamer

MATLAB/Simulink

Stateflow

SysML/UML

Job description

At Polaris Inc., we have fun doing what we love by driving change and innovation. We empower employees to take on challenging assignments and roles with an elevated level of responsibility in our agile working environment. Our people make us who we are, and we create incredible products and experiences that empower us to THINK OUTSIDE.

Position Overview:

Join Polaris as a Staff Vehicle Electrical Control Systems Engineer and help shape electrical features for Off-road Vehicles from initial concept through vehicle realization. Combining systems engineering, model-based engineering, cross-functional technical leadership, and hands-on vehicle work, this role translates product concepts and customer needs into defined feature behavior, requirements, models, implementation plans, and integrated vehicle functionality. You will collaborate with product owners, architects, component owners, validation, manufacturing, service, safety, cybersecurity, regulatory, and program teams to deliver features that perform as intended. This position offers end-to-end technical ownership and a direct impact on the Polaris Off-road Vehicle rider experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own assigned electrical features from concept through vehicle realization, serving as the accountable technical leader for feature intent, requirements, cross-functional execution, integration, and readiness.
• Define intended customer experiences and align product and engineering stakeholders on feature behavior, tradeoffs, acceptance criteria, and technical direction.
• Author and maintain feature and function requirements that translate stakeholder goals into clear, testable, and traceable engineering expectations.
• Develop logical behavior, functional architectures, interfaces, and requirements traceability using Codebeamer or similar tools.
• Apply MATLAB/Simulink, Stateflow, and other modeling or simulation methods to evaluate concepts, identify edge cases, improve requirements, and support model-based development.
• Lead cross-functional technical execution with component owners, validation, manufacturing, service, and vehicle program teams to deliver assigned features successfully.
• Lead feature risk and compliance activities, including DFMEAs and engagement with functional safety, cybersecurity, regulatory, and intellectual-property teams.
• Develop system-level test cases and integration plans, and perform vehicle testing, calibration, CAN-data analysis, issue triage, and production-readiness assessments.
• Create virtual or physical prototypes when useful to clarify concepts, accelerate decisions, and validate the user experience.
• Contribute to VECS engineering standards, guidelines, best practices, and templates that support continuous improvement.

Desired Competencies:

• Technical / Functional Expertise: You apply the required technical or professional knowledge to perform your role effectively and stay current within your area of expertise.
• Collaboration: You work effectively with others across functions and levels, contributing to shared goals while respecting different perspectives.
• Critical Thinking: You analyze information objectively, evaluate options, and apply sound judgment to solve problems and make informed decisions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Experience with requirements development, systems engineering, functional decomposition, interface definition, or requirements-management tools.
• Experience with model-based engineering tools or methods such as MATLAB/Simulink, Stateflow, SysML, or UML.
• Ability to translate ambiguous customer or business needs into clear technical behavior, decisions, and actionable requirements.
• Strong communication and technical leadership skills, including the ability to facilitate alignment and move cross-functional teams toward decisions.
• Working knowledge of CAN-based embedded systems and the ability to use vehicle-network data to diagnose system behavior.
• Ability and willingness to work hands-on with vehicles, test equipment, software tools, and incomplete early-development systems.
• Preferred experience in powersports, automotive, commercial vehicle, off-highway, aerospace, robotics, or another complex embedded-system industry.
• Preferred experience with requirements-management platforms, modeling and simulation, vehicle-network and diagnostic tools, embedded software and controller concepts, programming or scripting, feature risk and compliance activities, and system-level verification environments.
• This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Minimum of eight years of relevant experience in systems engineering, electrical control systems, embedded systems, or a related technical field.

#LI-CS99

The starting pay range for Minnesota is $111,000 to $146,000 per year. Individual salaries and positioning within the range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills, and geography. While individual pay could fall anywhere in the range based on these factors, it is not common to start at the high end or top of the range.

To qualify for this position, former employees must be eligible for rehire, and current employees must be in good standing.

We are an ambitious, resourceful, and driven workforce, which empowers us to THINK OUTSIDE.

About Polaris

As the global leader in powersports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) pioneers product breakthroughs and enriching experiences and services that have invited people to discover the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. Polaris' high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris RANGER, RZR and Polaris GENERAL side-by-side off-road vehicles; Sportsman and military and commercial off-road vehicles; snowmobiles; Slingshot moto-roadsters; Aixam quadricycles; Goupil electric vehicles; and pontoon and deck boats, including industry-leading Bennington pontoons. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a robust portfolio of parts, garments, and accessories. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe. www.polaris.com

EEO Statement

Polaris Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will make all employment-related decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Applicants with a disability that are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, or otherwise need assistance or an accommodation in the recruiting process, should contact Human Resources at 800-765-2747 or [e-mail] .To read more about employment discrimination protection under U.S. federal law, see: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (eeoc.gov) .