Research Engineer I

Department: Keweenaw Research Center

Sub Department:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  

If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations to apply for employment, or for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or humanresources@mtu.edu.

Job Description Summary

Coordinate and execute tasks related to electrical engineer projects. Project tasks include design, analysis, purchasing and assembly oversight, laboratory and field tests on ground vehicles and related subsystems. Routinely develop electronic systems associated with the aforementioned project tasks. Routinely perform computer system modeling and analysis on ground vehicle parts and systems.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities (other duties may be assigned)

• Develop, integrate, and maintain electrical and electro-mechanical systems
• Develop custom electronics (e.g. FPGA development, PCB design & assembly)
• Conduct vehicle electrical systems development & integration
• Perform cable harness design and construction
• Identify and direct supplier base used for required purchases
• Develop technical data packages suitable for purchase and assembly
• Develop machine control software (e.g. Embedded firmware and GUI software, actuator & motor controller interfaces, and remote/autonomous system controls)
• Evaluate and develop new technologies
• Perform electrical and electronics troubleshooting
• Perform sensor integration & maintenance
• Conduct laboratory and field tests
• Travel to various locations and arrange/conduct off-site field tests
• Maintain communication with sponsors, governmental and industrial organizational agencies and personnel
• Participate in design activities with other staff members and customers
• Assist in training, supervising and guiding students in above duties
• Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work
• Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives
• Integrate safety practices into daily activities
• Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures (minimum requirements)

•  Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.
• US citizenship and able to acquire a US DOD government security clearance.

Required Experience (minimum requirements)

• Experience in product development relevant to the essential duties and responsibilities listed
• Experience using personal computers to conduct electronic design and development

Desirable Education and/or Experience

 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities (minimum requirements)

• Excellent oral/written communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and take the initiative to solve problems
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with suppliers and fabricators
• Capable of effectively communicating across cultural boundaries and working harmoniously with diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff
• Demonstrated ability to obtain a DOD security clearance
• Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of custom electronics, machine control software laboratory and field-testing
• Demonstrated success in, or potential future contributions to, working with persons from diverse backgrounds, creating a sense of belonging, and fostering a fair, objective, welcoming place to work for persons with a wide variety of personal characteristics and viewpoints

Language, Mathematics and/or Reasoning Skills

 

Work Environment and/or