Systems Engineer

About Overland AI

Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is transforming land operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver combined capabilities for unit commanders. Our OverDrive autonomy stack enables ground vehicles to navigate and operate off-road in any terrain without GPS or direct operator control. Our intuitive OverWatch C2 interface provides commanders with precise coordination capabilities essential for mission success.

Overland AI has secured funding from prominent defense tech investors including 8VC and Point 72, and built trusted partnerships with DARPA, the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command. Backed by eight-figure contracts across the Department of Defense, we are strengthening national security by iterating closely with end users engaged in tactical operations.

Role Summary

Overland AI is hiring a Systems Engineer to support engineering execution and grow into core systems engineering responsibilities within the Systems, Safety, and Test (SST) organization.

This role is responsible for keeping engineering moving while contributing to core systems engineering. You will run technical working sessions and integration meetings, capture decisions, track action items, and ensure cross-team work progresses to completion. You will also develop requirements, support functional analysis, participate in hazard analysis workshops, and contribute to integration planning, test strategies, and safety documentation.

Working directly with software, hardware, production, safety, and test teams, you'll be embedded in real engineering work from day one - running meetings, taking notes, driving follow-through, developing requirements, and supporting technical analysis. You will gain deep exposure to autonomy systems, MIL-STD-882E safety engineering, DoD requirements, and systems architecture while contributing to system design, customer engagements, and certification efforts.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, the System Engineer will drive engineering execution by leading working sessions, integration syncs, release readiness meetings, and technical reviews, capturing decisions, risks, and action items and owning them through closure. They will coordinate cross-team handoffs across software, hardware, production, safety, and test, maintaining clear ownership, timelines, dependencies, and execution status while supporting bug triage, issue tracking, release planning, and milestone coordination. This person will develop, analyze, and maintain system and subsystem requirements in accordance with MIL-STD-961E, support functional decomposition, interface definition, and requirements traceability, and participate in design reviews, functional hazard analyses, and technical trade studies. They will build verification strategies, support test planning and acceptance criteria, and apply MIL-STD-882E safety processes, DoD acquisition standards, and systems engineering best practices to produce safety documentation, certification artifacts, and customer-facing technical deliverables. This person will maintain high-quality engineering records and technical rationale, prepare concise updates for systems engineering leadership and program management, document requirements, analyses, test outcomes, and design decisions, and identify and implement lightweight process improvements that reduce friction, increase predictability, and help scale the systems engineering discipline as the organization grows.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Systems, or related) or equivalent practical experience.
• 2+ years' of professional engineering experience.

Desired Experience and Qualifications

• Experience working with robotics, autonomy, mechatronics, or vehicle systems (incl. academic projects, internships)
• Hands-on experience working with integrated hardware / software systems and development cycles, including integration, test, or quality-related work.
• Familiarity with requirements management, functional analysis, and verification processes and tools.
• Demonstrated ability to drive follow-through, coordination, an escalation across teams.
• Strong organizational and technical communication skills, including clear note-taking, action tracking, and driving follow-through across engineering activities.
• Ability to apply core engineering fundamentals (physics, dynamics, controls, analysis) to real-world problems and learn complex technical systems quickly.
• Comfortable working in manufacturing and labStrong environments with required PPE.
• Strong technical curiosity and growth mindset, with a track record of proven ownership.
• Willingness to travel regularly to field test sites, including Ellensburg, WA.
• Experience balancing coordination and hands-on engineering work, supporting both execution and technical analysis.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD security clearance.

Location

This position will be onsite in Seattle, WA. Must be willing to travel to additional sites as needed.

Compensation

Annual Base Pay: $140,000 - $190,000

Benefits

• Equity compensation

• Best-in-class healthcare, dental, and vision plans

• Unlimited PTO

• 401(k) with company match

• Parental leave

Overland AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, protected veteran or military status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

This position may involve access to export-controlled technology. Employment is contingent on the ability to comply with U.S. export control laws.

Overland AI provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans during the application process. Please contact [[email protected]]to request an accommodation.