Principal Systems Engineer
First Mode is a carbon reduction company developing creative, clean energy solutions for heavy industry’s toughest problems.
We hope you’ll join us in building a brighter future for people and planet.
First Mode is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to work with us on in a full-time capacity. You must have strong capabilities for working these types of problems within a constrained, fast-paced environment. Applicants from all industries are welcome, with particular emphasis in complex, multi-disciplinary system developments.
Position Responsibilities
- Support the growth of the technical team through selection, teaching, and mentorship
- Provide technical leadership to the systems engineering team
- Represent systems engineering (as a discipline) as a key stakeholder from product/system formulation through design, build, and test
- Lead and provide guidance in system design reviews, hardware design reviews, and code reviews
- Support the development of internal technical principles and quality standards, and track compliance with safety regulations, processes, and/or state-of-practice
- Develop concepts and perform feasibility analysis given an incomplete problem definition
- Gather and articulate needs & limitations from customers, colleagues, vendors, and physics itself
- Balance pain among multidisciplinary teams to optimize the whole rather than the part
- Bring together disparate groups (subsystems, vendors, or clients) to agree on common interfaces
- Develop and execute integration & test plans focused on requirements verification within programmatic constraints
Basic Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in systems engineering
- 4+ years of experience as an engineering lead
- Experience architecting complex systems involving hardware
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in systems engineering
- Experience leading a technical team through all phases of life-cycle development of hardware for a safety-critical system or product
- Passion for teaching and mentoring others
- Obsessive focus on clear definition of the need before selecting a solution
- Solid simulation, analysis, and data interpretation skills
- Experience in revision control in various forms (git, wiki, or others)
- Experience in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, SolidWorks CAD, and wiki documentation
- Ability to write and speak clearly about a technical subject matter
- Flexibility and responsiveness in a fast-paced, dynamic, small team environment
Location
- This position will be located at First Mode’s headquarters in Seattle, WA and will be required to work in office >60% of working hours
Total Rewards
Base Salary Range: $156,000 - $233,500
Senior Systems Engineer II: $156,500 - $211,500
Principal Systems Engineer I: $172,500 - $233,500
Benefits & Perks
- Annual bonus incentive
- Equity-based awards
- 100% employer-paid health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
- 401(k) retirement account with a 3% employer contribution from the start of employment
- Flexible PTO with 12 weeks of supplementary paid parental leave
- Commuter benefits (parking & public transportation)
- A culture that encourages professional growth with learning and development reimbursements
- Open and collaborative workspace with free office snacks and lunches
- Hybrid work model
#LI-hybrid
First Mode is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with First Mode is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
