Systems Engineering Lead / System Owner

Description A deep-tech startup building real-time vision intelligence systems, is looking for an experienced Systems Engineering Lead / System Owner to drive the end-to-end technical execution of a multidisciplinary hardware-software product. This role owns the full system lifecycle — from architecture, integration, and testing to releases, customer deployments, and field readiness. The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader with strong system-level thinking, capable of connecting software, hardware, algorithms, and field operations to ensure the product performs reliably in real-world environments. Key Responsibilities Own end-to-end system integration across software, hardware, sensors, optics, edge compute, communications, power, and mechanical components. Lead technical execution and delivery, translating product and customer requirements into engineering plans, priorities, and release scopes. Drive system architecture decisions in collaboration with technical leadership, with a focus on performance, integration, and system constraints. Define release readiness criteria, including lab testing, field validation, customer demos, deployments, and production readiness. Establish testing and validation processes, including logging, configuration management, documentation, and troubleshooting workflows. Lead debugging and root-cause analysis across the full system stack. Coordinate cross-functional teams (Software, Hardware, Algorithms, Operations, Field teams) to ensure successful execution and delivery. Balance engineering trade-offs between performance, reliability, cost, manufacturability, timelines, and customer requirements. Translate field feedback into product improvements and technical enhancements. Requirements Requirements 7+ years of hands-on experience in multidisciplinary systems involving hardware, software, and real-world deployments. Experience with cameras, imaging, electro-optics, sensors, or similar real-world sensing systems. Proven experience leading integration, testing, debugging, and release processes in production environments. Strong system-level thinking with the technical depth to challenge and guide engineering teams across domains. Experience delivering under tight timelines and customer-facing pressure. Comfortable working in a hands-on startup environment, including lab, integration, and field activities. Strong Advantages Background in Defense, Security, Robotics, Drones, ADAS, Edge AI, Embedded Systems, or ruggedized products. Familiarity with manufacturing processes, BOMs, suppliers, and production readiness. Experience building engineering processes from scratch in startup environments.