Senior System Engineer

Job Title: Systems Engineer III: Senior

Job Duration: 2-year initial contract, expected to continually extend yearly after that

Job Location: Client in Midtown Atlanta, GA (role is hybrid – 2 days/week onsite) (zip code: 30308) ;

(Travel for role: out 1-2 weeks at a time, back on weekends and several weeks between trips, between 25-50% travel)

Position Summary

We are seeking a hands-on Systems Engineer to design, integrate, deploy, and support complex technology systems for railroad environments. Our systems combine electrical hardware, embedded computing, software, cameras, sensors, networking, machine learning, servers, and physical infrastructure for machine vision, trackside inspection, autonomous platforms, robotics, drones, and AI-enabled monitoring.

This role bridges hardware, software, data science, solution architecture, field operations, and customer needs. The Systems Engineer must understand the complete system—not just individual components—and ensure the pieces work together as a reliable operational solution in real-world railroad environments.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Design & Integration

• Design and integrate complete systems spanning electrical, mechanical, embedded, software, networking, sensing, AI, and field infrastructure components.
• Translate operational needs into practical architectures, requirements, interfaces, implementation plans, and integration strategies.
• Integrate custom electronics, PCBs, embedded computers, cameras, sensors, networking equipment, servers, software, and AI models into deployed systems.
• Identify technical risks, dependencies, and integration challenges; troubleshoot failures across hardware, firmware, software, networking, sensing, AI, and field conditions.
• Collaborate with Solution Architects, Software Engineers, Data Scientists, Electrical Engineers, IT/cybersecurity teams, DevSecOps, field personnel, and other Systems Engineers.

Embedded Systems, Software & AI

• Develop, configure, integrate, and troubleshoot embedded computing systems and hardware/software interfaces.
• Write and maintain C++ and Python software, scripts, and tools for device control, data acquisition, communications, diagnostics, testing, configuration, deployment, and monitoring.
• Analyze system behavior to identify integration issues, performance bottlenecks, and boundaries between application, embedded, and system-level functionality.
• Support integration of machine learning and computer vision models; ensure sensor and image data are captured, processed, and delivered reliably.
• Determine whether field performance issues originate from sensing, data quality, model performance, software, hardware, networking, or integration.

Electrical, Hardware, Vision & Infrastructure

• Design, integrate, configure, and troubleshoot field-deployed electrical and electronic systems, including power, sensors, communications equipment, embedded computers, and PCBs.
• Read schematics, PCB documentation, datasheets, technical drawings, and specifications; select components based on electrical, environmental, performance, and operational requirements.
• Integrate cameras, lenses, lighting, image acquisition systems, optics, sensors, and related equipment for machine vision and inspection.
• Evaluate camera placement, mounting, field of view, resolution, exposure, lighting, image quality, environmental effects, and data suitability for computer vision and AI models.
• Design, configure, deploy, and troubleshoot servers, switches, routers, wireless equipment, edge platforms, IP networks, distributed communications, databases, cloud interfaces, and enterprise infrastructure connections.
• Develop practical solutions for environments affected by connectivity, weather, vibration, temperature, lighting, and other physical conditions.

Field Deployment & Railroad Applications

• Deploy, commission, validate, test, and troubleshoot systems in labs, test-track environments, trackside locations, rail yards, maintenance facilities, and other railroad settings.
• Analyze operational data, logs, sensor information, images, and diagnostics to assess performance and isolate failures.
• Develop procedures and tools that simplify installation, configuration, testing, maintenance, troubleshooting, and deployment.
• Apply engineering principles to track inspection, rolling stock inspection, train and car identification, rail-yard operations, automated monitoring, safety, maintenance, efficiency, and operational awareness.
• Travel to field locations as needed.

Example Systems

Systems Engineers may contribute to trackside machine vision, camera-based inspection, AI-enabled defect and object classification, railcar tracking, autonomous or semi-autonomous robots, drone inspection, distributed camera and sensor networks, edge-computing platforms, custom PCB-based systems, and other field-deployed solutions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, a related engineering discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience developing, integrating, or troubleshooting complex hardware/software systems.
• Working knowledge of C++ and Python.
• Ability to troubleshoot systems involving hardware, software, embedded computing, networking, sensors, and field equipment.
• Understanding of electrical/electronic fundamentals, including sensors, signals, power, digital/analog I/O, embedded systems, and components.
• Ability to read schematics, technical drawings, datasheets, and system documentation.
• Understanding of computer networking fundamentals, IP networking, and networked devices.
• Strong analytical, communication, collaboration, and hands-on problem-solving skills in lab and field environments.
• Ability and desire to work across disciplines and learn new technologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with robotics, mechatronics, autonomous systems, drones, industrial automation, motion systems, or physical system integration.
• Experience with computer vision, machine learning, cameras, lenses, optics, lighting, image acquisition, sensor fusion, localization, tracking, or perception systems.
• Experience with PCB design, electronics design, wiring, hardware development, microcontrollers, embedded processors, edge-computing platforms, embedded Linux, or other embedded operating systems.
• Experience with Linux servers, industrial networking, communications protocols, databases, SQL, Docker, containers, virtualization, Git, CI/CD, DevSecOps, automated deployment, real-time systems, or high-performance computing.
• Experience in outdoor, industrial, transportation, railroad, rail vehicle, track infrastructure, or other demanding physical environments.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a T-shaped engineer: deep in at least one engineering discipline and broad enough to integrate systems across electrical/electronics, embedded software, networking, vision and sensing, AI/data, mechanical systems, robotics, and field engineering. Candidates do not need to be experts in every area; we value strong technical foundations, curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to learn.

Relevant competencies include electrical systems, sensors and instrumentation, analog/digital signals, power, PCB integration, hardware troubleshooting, C++, Python, embedded computing, Linux, data acquisition, TCP/IP, Ethernet, edge computing, distributed systems, cameras, optics, lighting, computer vision, machine learning fundamentals, data quality, model integration, robotics, mechatronics, industrial automation, and environmental reliability.

Strong Systems Engineers are systems thinkers, hands-on problem solvers, practical troubleshooters, comfortable with ambiguity, collaborative, adaptable, and willing to own the complete system. They can connect a camera, circuit board, computer, network, software application, AI model, and physical machine—and understand why the full solution is or is not working.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Systems Engineer can take an open-ended challenge—such as automatically identifying and tracking railcars in a busy yard—and help define the required cameras, optics, sensors, electrical infrastructure, embedded computing, AI processing, networking, data flow, testing, diagnostics, failure behavior, and field reliability plan.

The Systems Engineer does not need to personally design every component; their responsibility is to understand the complete system, identify how the pieces work together, and ensure the final solution operates reliably in real railroad environments.

Examples of strong candidates include an Electrical Engineer with excellent electronics and PCB skills who can grow in software, vision, and networking; a Computer Engineer with strong embedded Linux/C++ skills who can grow in electrical, optics, and machine vision; or a Mechatronics Engineer with strong robotics, mechanical, and electrical integration skills who can grow in AI and networking.

If you enjoy building systems where hardware, software, AI, networking, sensing, and physical infrastructure all have to work together, this is the type of engineering role where you will thrive.