Sr. Requirements & Systems Engineer

About the Company

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. The company designs, engineers, and manufactures school buses with a focus on safety, reliability, and durability, transporting 25 million children twice a day. Blue Bird is a leader in low- and zero-emission school buses, with over 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric-powered buses sold. The company is transforming student transportation through cleaner energy solutions.

About the Role

The Senior Requirements & Systems Engineer is responsible for defining and driving the system-level architecture, requirements, and integration strategy across complex vehicle platforms. This role sits at the center of vehicle development, translating customer, regulatory, and business needs into clear technical requirements and executable engineering frameworks. The position operates in a fast-moving environment where processes, requirements, and system definitions may be incomplete or outdated. Success requires creating structure from ambiguity, making high-quality decisions with incomplete information, and aligning cross-functional teams around practical engineering solutions.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation and execution of the vehicle-level architecture through requirements development, interface management, and systems integration activities.
• Create, refine, and manage product and system requirements where none exist or where legacy requirements are incomplete or outdated.
• Develop and manage Interface Control Documents (ICDs) across chassis, body, propulsion, electrical, and controls systems to ensure compatibility, traceability, and integration readiness.
• Drive integration across mechanical, electrical, software, and controls domains to ensure reliable vehicle system functionality without unintended interactions.
• Establish and maintain traceability between customer needs, vehicle requirements, subsystem requirements, and validation activities using tools such as JIRA.
• Lead trade-off discussions involving performance, weight, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, and program timing, making timely engineering decisions in ambiguous environments.
• Drive alignment across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams, resolving conflicting priorities through clear technical direction.
• Support the integration of new vehicle platforms, propulsion systems, and advanced technologies into scalable, production-ready architectures.
• Lead investigation and resolution of cross-functional integration issues involving electrical communication, controls, packaging conflicts, and vehicle-level behavior.
• Ensure system requirements and integrated vehicle functions align with applicable safety, accessibility, and regulatory standards.
• Help establish scalable systems engineering practices, requirements frameworks, and integration processes to improve engineering execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in automotive, mechanical, or systems engineering.
• 4+ years of hands-on experience in automotive systems development, integration, and validation.
• 3+ years of experience in vehicle architecture, integration, or chassis systems.
• Strong understanding of vehicle system architecture and cross-domain integration (mechanical, electrical, software, thermal).
• Experience developing and managing product or system requirements in complex automotive engineering environments.
• Working knowledge of vehicle communication networks including CAN, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet.
• Familiarity with tools such as Vector CANoe/CANalyzer or equivalent diagnostic and communication analysis platforms.
• Familiarity with MBSE methodologies and requirements management tools such as IBM DOORS, Polarion, or JIRA.
• Ability to create structure and drive execution in low-process or rapidly evolving organizations.
• Strong systems thinking and ability to balance technical trade-offs across competing priorities.
• Experience influencing cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Demonstrated experience defining and managing system requirements, interfaces, or vehicle architecture.
• Experience supporting programs through prototype builds, integration, validation, and production launch.
• Experience with commercial vehicles, body-on-chassis platforms, or incomplete vehicle integration.
• Experience operating in low-process or rapidly scaling engineering organizations.
• Familiarity with systems engineering standards and MBSE methodologies.
• U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required; must be authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering or related technical discipline.
• Takes ownership of difficult technical problems and drives them to resolution.
• Operates with urgency while maintaining strong engineering judgment.
• Thinks in systems and interfaces, not isolated components.
• Balances technical depth with practical execution.
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and driving change.
• Ability to anticipate and understand customer needs and provide guidance.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer relationship skills.
• Strong project management skills.
• Effective communication and ability to convey complex details clearly.

Benefits

• Continued professional development.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 14 paid holidays.
• Vacation time.
• 401k matching.

Work Conditions

• Office and production environment with exposure to heat, cold, and noise.
• Fast-paced manufacturing environment with moving objects and sheet metal.
• Occasional periods of standing or sitting for extended periods.
• Must wear appropriate PPE when and where required.
• Frequent weeks working 40+ hours.
• Frequent communication with people throughout the day.
• Travel up to 20%.