R&D Engineer IV - Digital Ag

Iowa State University • Ames, IA

7d

About The Position

Build the Future of Agriculture If you want your engineering work to matter outside the lab—on real machines, in real farm fields, with real impact—this is the role for you. Who We Are The Digital Ag Innovation Lab partners with leading agricultural companies to imagine, design, and deploy next-generation technologies for agriculture. Our team works at the intersection of applied engineering, industry collaboration, and the land-grant mission, moving ideas from concept to prototype to field deployment and ultimately into industry adoption. Our vision is bold: to be the premiere thought leader and partner in ag innovation. Our mission guides everything we do: Innovate. Educate. Outreach. We innovate with partners to create technology solutions that drive value into agriculture and our communities. We educate to inspire and develop students and professionals to ensure a thriving workforce that drives success within our industry. We outreach to share knowledge with farmers and ag businesses and promote practices that enhance their success. We operate with four core values: Passion. Innovation. Collaboration. Excellence. The Opportunity We are seeking a Research & Development Engineer IV to lead the architecture, integration, and deployment of advanced digital agriculture systems with OEM and industry partners. This is a hands-on systems engineering leadership role guiding complex technical initiatives from concept through field deployment. You will architect integrated hardware and software systems, build production-representative platforms, and translate emerging technologies into practical solutions for real agricultural environments. In this role, you will collaborate closely with industry partners, engineers, agronomists, and interdisciplinary research teams to define system architectures, lead technical execution, and ensure solutions are robust, scalable, and deployment ready. You will have the opportunity to influence technical direction, mentor engineers, and see technologies move from early validation into real-world agricultural deployment. The successful candidate will bring experience designing and integrating complex hardware–software systems, including embedded devices, sensors, networking technologies, and distributed computing platforms. Experience with modern software development practices such as version control and CI/CD workflows is valuable, along with familiarity with cybersecurity practices for connected systems. Strong communication and leadership skills are essential when working with interdisciplinary teams, industry partners, and externally funded engineering projects. Projects in the Digital Ag Innovation Lab often integrate sensing, computing, and connected technologies used in modern agricultural equipment. Your work may involve systems such as: Embedded computing platforms and Linux-based systems Vehicle communication networks (e.g., CAN Bus, Ethernet) Multi-sensor data pipelines and edge computing architectures Robotics, sensing, and computer vision systems Cloud-connected digital agriculture platforms Embedded interfaces such as MIPI, I2C, SPI, and UART Modern software development tools including CI/CD pipelines and version control Agricultural or off-road mobile equipment platforms This is a term position with the expectation of long-term renewal. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position. Level Guidelines • Expert-level position possessing advanced professional and/or technical skills working under limited or no supervision • Applies high-level professional knowledge and expertise to focus on ISU’s mission and meeting division, department or work unit goals • Solves complex issues using highly-developed problem resolution skills • Regularly provides recommendations regarding problems/issues outside the bounds of defined procedures and practices • Utilizes high-level professional knowledge and expertise to provide guidance, recommendations, and set standards related to strategy, policy, and mission • Leads projects of moderate to high scope and complexity with broad impact • May provide supervision to other department staff (i.e., leads a small work team)

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years related experience
• experience designing and integrating complex hardware–software systems, including embedded devices, sensors, networking technologies, and distributed computing platforms
• Strong communication and leadership skills are essential when working with interdisciplinary teams, industry partners, and externally funded engineering projects

Nice To Haves

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• Background in agricultural equipment, off‑highway machinery, robotics, or precision ag systems
• Experience commercializing applied engineering solutions
• Experience mentoring engineers in fast‑paced development environments
• Experience with modern software development practices such as version control and CI/CD workflows is valuable, along with familiarity with cybersecurity practices for connected systems

Responsibilities

• Architect and lead system-level integration of digital agriculture platforms spanning embedded systems, sensors, robotics, networking infrastructure, and cloud-connected technologies
• Develop and optimize multi-sensor data pipelines and integrate embedded interfaces such as CAN, Ethernet, MIPI, I2C, SPI, and UART
• Design and manage secure, scalable test environments replicating real agricultural operations
• Translate emerging technologies into validated prototypes and field-ready engineering solutions
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams with clear milestones, deliverables, and outcomes
• Develop technical documentation, sponsor deliverables, and applied demonstrations for industry stakeholders
• Mentor engineers and technical staff while fostering a culture of ownership, curiosity, and engineering excellence

Benefits

• Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental
• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
• Generous vacation, holiday and sick time and leave plans
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level