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!

Requirements

• 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.

Pluses

• 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.

At Blue River, 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 past 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 on the basis of 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.

The US base salary range for this position is $142,000–$250,000, along with eligibility for Blue River’s generous bonus and benefit programs.

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited. 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.

Blue River offers competitive compensation and benefits, including a great 401(K) match. We believe in a work-life balance and offer generous Paid Time Off and Sick Leave as well as Paid Parental Leave and an adoption benefit. Subsidized lunches, flexible work hours, CalTrain passes (with mobile Wi-Fi), and a collaborative and supportive environment also contribute to making Blue River a great place to work.

Must-have skills, experience, and competencies we should source and screen for? 

• Skills: first principle thinking; structured, repeatable opportunity assessment; customer research and experimentation; product strategy, prioritization, measurable goals, tradeoffs, and clear communication. Minimum background from JD: 5+ years as a PM in a technology company; strong robotics and AI/ML competency; CS/engineering/related degree; familiarity with software and product development methods.
• Experience: autonomy experience (not a lot of people in autonomous construction, target people in automotive)
• Competencies: High ceiling demonstrated through expanding scope and personal impact; curiosity and comfort with ambiguity; mission motivation; resilience; truth-seeking; cultural adaptability; influence without authority; customer centricity; technical grasp; and delivery ownership. Calibration: prior autonomy experience is a sourcing priority in this intake, but a plus in the JD, not an explicit minimum. Construction-domain knowledge is learnable. Prioritize automotive autonomy and adjacent robotics experience; confirm any intended hard autonomy requirement with HM. Zero-to-one, platform experience, and MBA/MSE are pluses.