Principal Systems Engineer

We are looking for team players who are excited about being part of a fast-moving company, curious enough to ask questions and explore new ideas, passionate enough to serve our customers and communities, and ready to take ownership of challenges and grow with us. We are a team, first and foremost, and we take pride in our collaborative efforts; Everyone is accountable for achieving our goals.

Motiv Power Systems (www.motivps.com) is based in Foster City, CA.  Motiv is a market-leading Electric Vehicle (EV) technology company that builds medium duty commercial trucks and buses including step vans, box trucks, shuttle buses and school buses. The fleets that use them are the ‘backbone of urban commerce’. Motiv is committed to assembling the best, groundbreaking EV technologies that enable big & small fleets to reliably deliver products, move people and provide services. For over a decade Motiv has continually led development of next generation, higher performing, more reliable, and lower cost products. Motiv’s mission is to free fleets from fossil fuels with customer-driven solutions to enable our customers to convert their legacy fleets into EV fleets of the future. 

We are looking for a Senior Systems Engineering Manager to join us in transforming an industry. In this position your key responsibilities will be to translate the customer and market requirements of our products into Vehicle and Subsystem, Engineering Requirements and Targets. This includes ensuring certification, safety, reliability, compliance and documentation requirements are met. 

Our core values are deep Passion, Curiosity, Collaboration, Customer Focus and “owning it”. As with all roles at Motiv, your alignment with these values will be critical to your success here. As a small and growing company, we are critically dependent on our team members’ leadership, enthusiasm, creative problem solving, and self-motivation across a wide range of both technical and nontechnical disciplines. Responsibilities include effectively using appropriate Systems & Vehicle tools and processes, through practical cross-functional leadership appropriate for a scale-up organization, to drive objectives to successful conclusion in a timely manner. Candidates should enjoy getting their hands dirty and must be comfortable analyzing complex systems, and collaborating with subject matter experts.

Responsibilities

• Work with Sales and Marketing to understand customer expectations and translate them into Product Requirements aligned with the Product Roadmap. 
• Analyze Product Functional Safety requirements and drive requisite systems and subsystems.
• Drive the cross-functional decomposition of product requirements into component and subsystem requirements across the organization, including Electrical, Mechanical and Software Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Customer Support, within the framework of Motiv’s NPI process
• Create Systems Design Specifications to guide the design and deployment of new products.
• Coordinate with partners and internal departments regarding the design, specifications, validation of advanced automotive electronics software and applications. 
• Ensure appropriate Compliance/Certification (FMVSS), Safety and Reliability requirements are reflected in all subsystems. (25%-30% of job function)
• Adhere to Motiv company policies and procedures, and automotive best-practices.
• Create and maintain comprehensive system documentation including DFMEA/PFMEA, DVP, Control Plans.
• Design a Vehicle Architecture taking into consideration all functional Objectives, Performance, Safety, Integration and Business constraints.
• Provide models, simulations, and other tools to characterize and validate system performance.
• Ensure integration of subsystem level design and development meets the overall performance requirements and targets.
• Utilize Value Engineering to reduce complexity and specify cost reduction targets.
• Ensure forward and backward traceability for every requirement using a requirement management tool.
• Functional Attributes cascade to be verified and countermeasures validated.

Requirements

• BS in Engineering or equivalent experience, additional degree(s) a plus
• Minimum of 10+ years industry experience in an automotive or related regulated field
• Working Knowledge in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering systems in the Automotive industry a strong plus
• Experience in evaluating regulatory compliance or closely related fields. Working knowledge of regulations as associated with emissions compliance and compliance procedures
• Previous experience working with regulatory & certification entities such as DOT/ NHTSA, EPA, and CARB
• Experience working with technical standards and with writing technical documents, coordinating compliance testing with independent labs & certification agencies
• Technical background in mechanical testing, electronics, and verifying safety & compliance

Skills

• Ability to work in a fast-paced start-up/scale-up development and manufacturing cross-functional environment
• Strong understanding of Systems and Vehicle Engineering with the ability to transfer customer wants into Motiv offerings and move seamlessly between Systems, sub-systems and back. Knowledge of Software, Electrical and Controls Systems with Modelling and Simulations background will be a plus.
• Deep knowledge of engineering, manufacturing processes; and developing solutions that optimize System performance. Knowledge of ISO 26262 would be a plus.
• A team player with strong communication skills. Must possess a sense of urgency. A self-starter who can independently prioritize and manage multiple competing tasks.
• Excellent cross-functional communication and collaboration – simplifying and providing practical, clearly applicable solutions - across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Able to write for a variety of audiences ranging from detailed technical reports to executive summaries with a high level of precision, accuracy and detail
• Working knowledge of regulations as associated with emissions compliance and compliance procedures
• Proficient in Microsoft office, Google Suite, Jira and other software systems like Plex.

No sponsorship is available at this time.

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive and comprehensive benefits package including Medical (including 24/7 online access to a physician), Dental, Vision, HSA, & 401(k), Company paid Basic Life and AD&D, Employee paid Voluntary Life and AD&D.
• Generous PTO policy, 11 Paid Company Holidays
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and Education Reimbursement 
• Fresh daily snacks and a healthy Work/Life Balance
• Access to Perks at Work - Discounted learning, tickets, electronics, travel, health, restaurants & retail
• Free Online Training & Development
• Bicycle friendly, with bike storage available to all Foster City employees with a 5 minute walk to the scenic Bay Front
• Regular Happy Hours, Company Cultural Events, and more!

About Motiv

Founded in 2009, and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Motiv Power Systems, a leading provider of software and technology to electrify medium duty commercial vehicles, is committed to freeing fleets from their dependence on fossil fuels. Motiv’s EPIC (Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis) are CARB certified, GSA approved, and available for many configurations including step vans, box trucks, work trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, trolleys, and other specialty vehicles. An EPIC offers uncompromised performance and functionality without the pollution, noise, heat, and vibration of gasoline or diesel power.

Motiv is the only Ford eQVM-approved provider of all-electric chassis for commercial trucks and buses and benefits from engineering insights and support from Ford to ensure safety and reliability. With more than 500,000 miles logged among several of the largest fleet operators in the United States, the EPIC family eliminates 100% of vehicle emissions, dramatically reduces operating and maintenance costs, and creates a healthier environment for riders and communities, while also reducing driver fatigue.