Senior/Staff/Principal Systems Engineer

Kodama Systems

. Define system-level functional, performance, and fault behavior requirements .

Posted 11/11/2026full-timeRemote • California • United StatesSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in defining and analyzing system-level functional and safety requirements for complex, safety-critical systems, while effectively communicating technical tradeoffs and leading cross-disciplinary decisions. Proficient in applying relevant safety standards and methodologies to ensure robust system architecture and design.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Systems EngineeringSafety-Critical System DesignFunctional Safety MethodsTechnical CommunicationCross-Disciplinary Leadership

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

System Requirements DevelopmentFault Tree AnalysisFMEASafety Standards ComplianceElectromechanical Systems IntegrationMulti-Machine Systems NetworkingDebugging and TestingPythonEmbedded SystemsHuman-Machine Interaction

Soft Skills

Technical CommunicationInfluence and JudgmentCollaboration

Tools & Technologies

PLCsCAN/J1939Hardware-in-the-Loop TestingReal-Time NetworkingRobotics Perception

Certifications & Qualifications

BS or Advanced Degree in EngineeringSafety Certification

Industry Keywords

Autonomous VehiclesMobile RoboticsHeavy EquipmentDefenseTeleoperationOff-Road Operating Environments

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsPython

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define system-level functional, performance, and fault behavior requirements
Develop subsystem requirements in partnership with hardware and software engineers
Own system analysis, including hazard analyses, FMEAs, and fault trees
Define platform, operator, and operating-procedure responses to failures or degraded behavior across operating environments
Lead next-generation architecture, trade studies, and requirements for safety-critical control systems
Address safety controllers, E-stops, and human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interaction
Translate system and safety requirements into actionable engineering work, verification strategies, and deployment evidence
Ensure architecture and engineering practices apply relevant safety standards, including BS EN 17067:2018, BS EN 62745:2017, and ISO 17757:2019
Serve as a technical resource to customers, OEM partners, and other external stakeholders on system architecture and safety design
Travel approximately 10–20% to customer sites, with more concentrated travel during the first few months

Requirements

What you’ll need

BS or advanced degree in electrical, mechanical, systems, or a related engineering field, or 10+ years of systems engineering or equivalent practical experience
Significant experience designing or integrating complex, safety-critical electromechanical or distributed systems
Ability to reason across hardware, software, networking, controls, and physical-machine behavior
Experience writing clear, testable system requirements and interfaces
Experience applying system or functional safety methods through design, integration, and verification
Experience with multi-machine systems, such as fleet management, one operator controlling multiple machines, or networking that scales across machines and sites
Experience right-sizing systems engineering and safety processes for a fast-moving team
Ability to communicate technical tradeoffs clearly to engineers, customers, and partners
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-disciplinary technical decisions through influence and judgment
Willingness to get hands-on with debugging, data, and machine testing when needed
Experience in several relevant areas may be valuable, including autonomous vehicles, mobile robotics, heavy equipment, defense, functional safety standards, safety certification, teleoperation, distributed robotics, real-time networking, embedded systems, safety controllers, PLCs, CAN/J1939, hardware-in-the-loop testing, fault injection, robotics perception, localization, planning, control, autonomy safety, validation of machine-learning components, Python or equivalent system modeling tools, human factors, operator interface design, human-machine interaction, and off-road or unstructured operating environments

Benefits

Comp & perks

Remote work within the United States
Approximately 10–20% travel to customer sites