R&D Engineer IV Digital Ag

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Build the Future of Agriculture

If you want your engineering work to matter outside the labon real machines in real farm fields with real impactthis 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.

What Youll Do

• 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

The successful candidate will bring experience designing and integrating complex hardwaresoftware 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.

Technology & Systems You May Work With

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 ISUs 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)

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Application Instructions:

To apply for this position please click on Apply and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:

1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae
2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter

If you have questions regarding this application process please email or call or Toll Free: 1-.

Why Choose ISU

Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits including medical and dental; as well as:
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

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