Position Field Engineer Technician- Seasonal/Contract, April, 2023 start

Blue River Technology

About us

Blue River Technology serves the agricultural industry by designing and building advanced farm machines that utilize computer vision and machine learning to enable farmers to understand and manage every plant. These machines help farmers to improve profitability, protect the environment by reducing pesticide use, and capture valuable plant-by-plant data. Blue River is a pioneer in the agricultural robotics space and has developed the See & Spray precision sprayer, which applies herbicide only where needed, and can reduce herbicide use 90%. Blue River also leads the development of autonomous systems for John Deere.

John Deere & Company, with over 180 years of experience in designing, manufacturing, and distributing innovative products to farmers, acquired Blue River Technology in the fall of 2017 as an independently run subsidiary. In partnership with John Deere, Blue River has expanded rapidly, and together both companies see many opportunities to apply advanced computer vision, machine learning, and robotics technologies to areas in agriculture beyond spraying.

Our office is located in Sunnyvale, CA with a satellite office in San Francisco and Austin, TX, and is home to 200+ team members with diverse experience including computer vision, machine learning, systems software, autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture. Our working environment is fast paced and highly collaborative, and employees are excited to use their talents to improve food production and protect the environment.

Summary

Field Engineer Technicians help develop, support, and maintain our next generation of "smart" farm machines and play a key role in enabling further product development. The primary role of this position is to carry out in-field product feature testing, troubleshoot problems in the field and provide support and communication that leads to short-term and long-term fixes to the equipment. Tasks include conducting test plans, tracking issues and progress in fixing them, and communicating with customers, product managers, agronomists, and engineers on a regular basis. Most projects are 3-6 month contracts, with potential extensions for the right candidate.

Responsibilities

• Carry out system- and feature-related hardware, software, and machine vision field tests of mechatronic farm machinery. Provide detailed documentation of testing execution and results.
• Provide in-field engineering support, including data collection, field test, troubleshoot, diagnose, resolve and document all aspects of the products
• Provide an interface for Product Management, Agronomy and Engineering to understand the evolving needs of customers
• Perform hands-on set-up, maintenance, testing and customization in the field per engineering test requirements
• Track and manage recurring issues, from problem identification to resolution
• Suggest design alternatives and support development of new features and tools
• Transport and operate field test-related equipment as needed

Requirements

• Experience with Agricultural equipment and working with large machinery in the field
• Experience troubleshooting and working with complex systems involving software, electronics and mechanical systems
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong customer-facing skills & team-oriented mindset
• Willingness to travel extensively and provide hands-on support
• 2+ years in supporting, maintaining or operating agricultural electro-mechanical systems

Pluses

• Bachelor's degree or relevant work experience in Engineering, Computer Science, Agricultural or related technical area.

Tools, equipment and vehicles are provided by the employer, and employer reimburses for all travel-related expenses.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate verbally, including listening and speaking. This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, crawling and climbing, often outdoors in cold and hot ambient weather conditions. The employee must frequently lift and/or move items over 40 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move items over 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

This position is a full time temporary, non-exempt role and is not eligible for sponsorship or third party employment.

We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

The US base salary range for this position is $25-35 per hour.

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level which you are more suited to. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.