Systems Engineer

About Us: Vatn Systems is an autonomous underwater vehicle startup focused on developing cutting-edge technology to support underwater exploration, research, and defense applications. Our team is passionate about creating innovative solutions that push the boundaries of what is possible underwater. We are based in Bristol, Rhode Island with a waterfront workshop and office.

We are looking for Systems Engineer to own the full lifecycle of requirements and system-level design across our autonomous underwater platforms, from high-level mission needs down to testable, verifiable subsystem requirements.

What You'll Do

• Derive and document system-level requirements from mission, programmatic, and customer needs, breaking them down from top-level capability statements to testable subsystem requirements.
• Develop and maintain system-level designs and architectures, including block diagrams that define system components, interfaces, and their interactions across mechanical, electrical, and software domains.
• Define pass/fail criteria for products and systems, and partner with test engineering to design the test methods used to verify them.
• Own verification and validation (V&V) planning for programmatic and IRAD (Internal Research & Development) systems and capabilities, and work closely with test engineers to ensure test execution meets V&V plan objectives.
• Lead and participate in design reviews, providing systems-level input across mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines.
• Support integration of new hardware and software into existing platforms and infrastructure, ensuring subsystems interface correctly at the system level.
• Maintain systems documentation throughout the product lifecycle, including requirements traceability, design rationale, and test records.
• Identify system-level risks and technical gaps, and drive mitigation strategies in coordination with engineering leads.
• Monitor fielded and test systems for performance, troubleshoot issues, and support updates as systems mature from prototype to production.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in a technical engineering discipline (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Aerospace, Ocean Engineering, or related field).
• 5-8 years of experience in systems engineering, with demonstrated ownership of requirements derivation, system design, and V&V planning on complex, multi-disciplinary hardware/software products.
• Strong working knowledge of how mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems interact within a larger system.
• Familiarity with code/software sufficient to collaborate effectively with firmware and software engineering teams.
• Experience writing and decomposing requirements from top-level system needs down to component-level specifications.
• Familiarity with the Department of War Systems Engineering Technical Review (SETR) process.
• Experience with Agile systems engineering methodologies (e.g., Scrum).
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) a plus.

Vatn is an equal opportunity employer.