Sr Product Manager, Autonomous Construction

About us*

Blue River Technology works within John Deere’s vision to “innovate on behalf of humanity” by quickly identifying and solving high-value, high-uncertainty challenges in the fields of AI, machine learning, computer vision, and robotics. BRT acts as a research and development flywheel, building not only new products but new platforms that reliably create value for both Deere and its customers. From fully autonomous machines to highly precise farming equipment, BRT & Deere are partnering to create technical breakthroughs across industries like agriculture construction, and commercial mowing.

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Through cross-discipline collaboration, this mission-driven team is eager to define the new frontier of robotics. We are always asking hard questions, rapidly iterating, and getting our boots in the field to figure it out.

Our office is located in Santa Clara, CA, but the team is distributed & therefore we are open to remote candidates.

Summary*

Large scale construction is the next huge industry to be revolutionized by autonomous machines. At John Deere, we’re positioned to be a key player in creating that future.

We are seeking an experienced product manager to partner with our engineering leaders & the GTM teams on this zero to one journey. To succeed in this role, you’ll need to love making sense out of ambiguous problems, thrive when charting a new course, and possess the cultural athleticism to work effectively in both the worlds of hard iron and Silicon Valley. If you’re excited about building enormous robots that help shape the earth, this role is for you.

Responsibilities*

• Help define, validate, and shepherd the construction autonomy strategy from concept to success.• Collaborate with the Deere Product & Engineering teams to define the right early target customer, ODD, and MVP.• Drive rapid customer facing experimentation in order to validate / invalidate early concepts.• Build a deep empathy and understanding of the customer, the business, and the market through qualitative and quantitative research.• Core Autonomy System - Define requirements for perception, SLAM, ODD, collision hazard detection, and adherence to safety systems• Precision Tech & Guidance - Define requirements for in-field machine behavior: path planning, guidance, machine controls, etc.• System Performance & Monitoring - Define system performance criteria, ensuring product meets customer expectations as they change throughout the adoption curve.• Data Collection & Model Development: Define and execute our data collection strategy to support model development. You own the test set.• Collaborate with leadership on the long-term product vision and roadmap.• Whatever it takes to make this product successful!

• 5 or more years of experience as a product manager in a technology company.• Strong technical competency, specifically in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) systems.• The ability to collaboratively solve unstructured, ambiguous problems with curiosity.• Proven ability to influence, collaborate, and engage with others from diverse backgrounds.• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate technical product information in a clear, concise, and creative manner.• The ability to galvanize a team around a mission.• Delivery focus and a forward-looking understanding of the software development challenges faced by cross-functional engineering teams.• Bachelor's or advanced degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.• Familiarity with software development methodologies (Agile, Scrum) and modern product management methodologies.

• Experience with or knowledge of the autonomy space.• Entrepreneurial experience taking a product from ideation to commercialization.• Experience working on a Platform team.• MBA or MSE.