Field Configuration Engineer

You thrive at the intersection of software, systems, and field reality. You enjoy taking a freshly installed system and methodically turning it into a functioning autonomous machine.

You are equally comfortable:

• configuring Linux systems, networks, and cloud connectivity

• calibrating sensors and validating perception and localization

• debugging logs, telemetry, and system traces after a failed run

• writing scripts or tools to automate bring-up and recovery

• training operators on how the system actually works

You think like a systems engineer and act with field urgency - because configuration errors show up immediately in real operations.

Together, we will:

• reliably bring autonomy systems online in production environments

• reduce bring-up time through better tooling and automation

• validate safety and degraded-mode behavior in real conditions

• make configuration repeatable enough to scale beyond AIM engineers

• close the gap between software design and field operation

We’ll debug failures late at night, refine workflows under pressure, and steadily turn fragile bring-up processes into robust systems.

• Configure autonomy software, perception stacks, networking, and cloud services.

• Perform calibration, alignment, and validation of sensors and localization.

• Execute first autonomy runs and safety acceptance tests.

• Diagnose system failures across compute, networking, sensors, hydraulics, perception, control models, GNSS, and cloud connectivity.

• Perform structured root-cause analysis based on logs, system traces, packet captures, machine telemetry, and hardware inspection.

• Develop or extend diagnostic tools, scripts, and test harnesses to triage issues faster.

• Identify failure patterns and propose mitigations upstream (software, firmware, safety logic, hardware design).

• Translate field realities into actionable requirements for software, hardware, autonomy, and reliability engineering teams.

• Identify gaps in serviceability, environmental tolerance (shock, vibration, dust), safety behavior, and operator workflows.

• Validate ConOps, safety assumptions, and degraded-mode behavior against real site conditions.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Robotics, Systems) or equivalent practical experience.

• 5+ years experience in one or more: field engineering, systems engineering, SDE/SDE-T, robotics deployment, industrial automation, test/validation engineering.

• Hands-on experience debugging complex hardware/software systems under real-world constraints.

• Strong scripting ability (Python, Bash, JavaScript, or equivalent) and comfort writing production-quality scripts or small features.

• Strong understanding of sensors, networking, Linux systems, compute modules, and embedded hardware fundamentals.

• Experience designing/executing test plans and reporting structured quality findings.

• Excellent communication skills - able to translate field issues into crisp engineering requirements.

• Ability to work autonomously under ambiguous, high-pressure conditions.

• Willingness to travel internationally and domestically, often on short notice.

• Experience deploying robotics, autonomous systems, heavy equipment, or industrial automation.

• Experience with safety-critical systems, emergency stops, lockout/tagout, or functional safety frameworks.

• Familiarity with hydraulics, GNSS systems, perception stacks, or motion control systems.

• Experience analyzing operational data and performance metrics.

• Experience building test automation, CI test harnesses, or validation pipelines.

• Experience developing service manuals, install guides, or field engineering playbooks.

• OEM or dealer network experience (e.g., Komatsu, Caterpillar, Volvo).

• Ability to influence product and engineering teams through data, clarity, and field insight.

• Design and execute on-site test plans (functional, performance, environmental, regression) for autonomy behaviors, safety systems, control responses, and telemetry reliability.

• Validate releases, patches, hardware revisions, and autonomy updates under real operational stress.

• Maintain clear bug reports, defect triage, downtime logs, and structured feedback cycles into engineering.

• Drive quality upstream - flagging architectural/testability gaps early and championing improvements.

• Train on-site personnel on system operation and workflows.

• Partner with software teams to improve configuration and tuning tools.

• Identify gaps that block dealer- or customer-led configuration.

• Create service documentation, deployment procedures, troubleshooting guides, and safety protocols.

• Work with OEMs and dealers to enable them to install, maintain, and support systems.

• Define and improve deployment playbooks that scale globally.

• Act as the bridge between customers and AIM engineering - clear, honest, technically grounded communication.

• Manage expectations around downtime, features, maintenance windows, and machine readiness.

• Build trust through competence, transparency, and ownership.

• Deep immersion on customer sites worldwide (US, Australia, Africa, Europe).

• ~40-70% travel depending on deployment cycles.

• You bring systems thinking - connecting field issues to architectural insights.

• You can turn ambiguous field failures into structured, repeatable engineering test cases.

• You operate calmly under pressure and lead customers through complex issues.

• You write clean code, clean documentation, and clean bug reports.

• You thrive in the dirt, in the logs, and in the details.

• You bridge the gap between engineering vision and field reality.

• Solve a massive set of real-world problems that require scalable earth moving

• Accomplish that via deploying and expanding cutting edge tech

• Run your workstreams with the largest degree of autonomy

• Have an opportunity for rapid growth and a large voice on the direction of the company

• Receive company funded medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, gourmet food & perks

• Experience a strong onsite collaboration (AIM offices, labs and proving grounds on the east side of the Greater Seattle area)

• Have an opportunity to travel to unique sites around the world (Americas, Australia, Africa & more)