Systems Engineer

About Motivo

Motivo is a project-based company delivering excellence in mechanical and electrical system design and prototype builds. We have a history in successfully taking concepts through to actual finished solutions. Our work spans a wide range of market segments including mobility/automotive, aerospace, robotics, and clean energy, to name a few. Every team member will experience a wide variety of challenging projects, offering rich opportunities for professional growth. We are passionate about solving complex engineering challenges, striving for excellence within every unique project constraint, and believe in having fun while we do it!

About the role

We are looking for a passionate, enthusiastic multidisciplinary engineer, capable of leading the technical decision-making process in electro-mechanical projects that require a solid system architecture.

• What is a Systems Engineer? At Motivo, these are some of our most highly valued and versatile team members. The ideal Systems Engineer is someone who understands what it takes to execute on an electromechanical project from concept to fabrication. People with those skills are often creative, balance competing priorities well, and have a high degree of attention to detail. A Systems Engineer typically works with a Project Manager and Technical Lead to guide a focused team of engineers into the beginning phases of a product development program. Together, this group is responsible for planning the technical and programmatic aspects of the development, defining or reviewing the complete system architecture, identifying key components and technologies, and leading the technical team to successful project completion. Often, in later phases of the program, the Systems Engineer will lead brainstorms, review the work of other engineers, provide guidance along specific technical paths, and help debug and troubleshoot during integration.
• A strong Systems Engineer candidate will know enough about mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, as well as physics in general, to speak intelligently about all of them and understand their interactions. This candidate can often be an individual contributor across a variety of engineering tasks. The Motivo Systems Engineer position is the ideal role for an exceedingly sharp engineer who is insatiably curious about all aspects of engineering!

Qualifications

Below is a list of proficiencies and exposures we look for in Systems Engineering candidates, though we don’t expect that suitable candidates will have experience with every item in the list.

Hard skills and experiences:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline (Master’s preferred)
• Three or more years of professional engineering experience (7+ years for senior role consideration)
• Direct technical experience on multiple electro-mechanical projects
• Deep understanding of physics and electro-mechanical control systems
• Extensive detailed design experience in either mechanical, electrical or software systems
• Experience working with design tools and environments similar to ours:
• Simulation and controls development (we use Matlab/Simulink)
• SPICE platforms for electronics simulation
• 3D CAD (we use Solidworks)
• PCB design (we use Altium)
• C/C++ for firmware development (we typically use STM32 MCUs for custom embedded hardware)
• Higher-level software development (Python and C/C++ most often)
• Strong ability to take a client’s desires/requirements and develop a system architecture and technical roadmap
• Ability to generate technical drawings of systems, components, and interfaces
• Experience with troubleshooting, debugging, and root cause analysis of issues in electromechanical systems

Soft skills and experiences:

• Exceptional communication skills; able to present results and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders
• Strong ability to lead and support a team of engineers through technical challenges
• Solutions and execution focused; ability to make trades against competing priorities
• Open to new ideas and challenges from the team
• Reacts well to changing client needs
• Ability to mentor less experienced colleagues
• Ability to handle concurrent fast-paced projects with minimal direction
• Exceptional English speaking ability and good-for-an-engineer writing skills
• Positive, solutions-oriented attitude

Benefits

We’re convinced that the team and the projects are hands-down the best part of working at Motivo. To support that, we offer a solid benefits package including high-quality insurance, a 401(k) match, generous vacation time, and our Monday–Thursday 4/10 work week. We offer profit-sharing bonuses, which are tied to overall company performance, because we believe in winning together; we’re transparent about the company’s numbers, and when our hard work drives financial success, employees may share in the upside.

• Base Salary Range: $95,000 - $125,000
• Salary is dependent on experience, knowledge and interview performance.