Sr Product Manager, Autonomous Construction

We’re Blue River, a team of innovators driven to create intelligent machinery that solves monumental problems for our customers. We empower our customers – farmers, construction crews, and foresters - to implement safer and more sustainable solutions, driving increased profitability with less reliance on scarce labor. We believe that focusing on the small stuff – pixel-by-pixel and task-by-task - leads to big gains.

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

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.

• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Work Location: Remote in the United States
• Visa sponsorship: Open to visa sponsorship.

Job Responsibilities

A combination, not necessarily all-inclusive, of the following:

• 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!

Required Experience and Skills

• 5+ 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 the ability to communicate technical product information clearly, concisely, and creatively.
• The ability to galvanize a team around a mission.
• Delivery focus and a forward-looking understanding of the software development challenges cross-functional engineering teams face.
• 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.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• 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.

Only individual applicants will be considered. We do not work with unsolicited third-party agencies or proxy interview services.

At Blue River, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. For this position, the reasonably expected pay range is between $142,000 – $250,000/year for the level at which this job has been scoped. Your base pay will depend on several factors, including your experience, qualifications, education, location, and skills. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus and a competitive benefits package. During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level that better suits you. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.

We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing in our programs, including recruiting, mentorship, career development, and learning & development, to ensure they support our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. We support each employee in living a full life, enabling a thriving career, and accomplishing a meaningful, challenging mission while collaborating with incredible people. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align completely with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.