Systems Engineer Jobs in Kentucky (NOW HIRING)

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

We are seeking a Manufacturing Systems Engineer who sits at the intersection of the factory floor and the software development team. This is a hands‑on engineering position that requires equal parts technical depth and business process understanding. You will write production code, own features end‑to‑end, and in the same week sit with an assembly line supervisor to understand why a process is not working and translate that into a system improvement. We are looking for someone who is energized by solving real manufacturing problems through code, who thrives in ambiguity, and who measures success by what ships rather than what is documented.

Embed directly with manufacturing operations, quality, and logistics teams to understand their processes and build technical solutions.

Develop and maintain Go microservices, Python FastAPIs and React front ends within the FactoryOS platform, owning features from technical design through production deployment.

Translate complex, often ambiguous manufacturing requirements into clean, testable code using clean architecture.

Lead root cause analysis on production system issues, determining whether the fix is code, configuration, process, or a combination, and then delivering it.

Define and instrument key metrics for manufacturing system performance; identify improvement opportunities and build the features to capture them.

Write meaningful tests — unit, integration, and end‑to‑end — and take personal accountability for the quality of your own deliverables.

Actively participate in sprint planning, design reviews, and retrospectives as a contributing member of the team.

Partner with OT engineers, ERP and PLM teams, as well as QMS and CMMS stakeholders to ensure integration points are correctly specified and implemented.

Champion continuous improvement of both the manufacturing systems and the development process.

Document system behaviour, data flows, and operational runbooks to a standard that makes the system maintainable by anyone on the team, not just its original author.

• 3–7 years of software engineering experience with meaningful production exposure to Python and Go or a comparable statically typed language; a demonstrated ability to ramp Go/Python quickly if coming from another language such as Java or C# .NET.
• Solid React and TypeScript front‑end experience, with ability to build and maintain production‑quality UI components independently without front‑end specialists to lean on.
• Working knowledge of PostgreSQL or other RDBMS: comfortable with schema design, writing performant queries, and reading execution plans.
• Familiarity with event‑driven architecture and message brokers such as NATS, Kafka, or RabbitMQ.
• Solid understanding of RESTful API design, HTTP fundamentals, and service‑to‑service communication patterns.
• Comfortable in a CI/CD environment: Git branching, code review, automated testing pipelines, and deployment tooling.
• Exposure to manufacturing systems — MES, WMS, QMS, CMMS, or similar — is a genuine advantage but not a barrier for a strong engineer with intellectual curiosity about how things are built.

Communicates across the room: equally comfortable presenting a technical trade‑off to a fellow engineer and explaining a system behaviour to a shift supervisor.

Turns ambiguity into action: in a greenfield environment, requirements are often incomplete. You gather information, make a reasonable call, build something, get feedback, and improve — rather than waiting for a perfect specification.

Curious about the process, not just the code: you ask why the manufacturing process works the way it does, and that curiosity produces better software decisions than any requirements document.

Owns outcomes, not tasks: you care whether the feature you built is actually being used and working correctly after deployment.

Constructively challenges: you raise concerns early and with proposed alternatives, rather than flagging problems after a decision has shipped.

Continuous improvement orientation: you leave code and processes better than you found them.

You look for patterns in problems and fix root causes, not just symptoms.

You treat a recurring defect or a slow process as an invitation.

Comfortable with visibility: this role requires you to be present with the business. If your preference is to work exclusively behind a screen without engaging with stakeholders, this is not the right seat.

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field — or equivalent demonstrable experience.

Experience in a fast‑moving startup or scale‑up environment is a strong plus; comfort with building foundations, not just adding features to established systems.

Automotive or discrete manufacturing industry experience is welcomed but not required.

Base Pay Range (Annual) $108,877.00-$163,316.00 USD Annual USD Annual

Additional Compensation and Benefits: Slate offers a wide range of competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, vacation, and 401k. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in the equity program and/or a discretionary annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing such programs.

At Slate, we’re fueled by grit, determination, and attention to detail. The start‑up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, and is motivated by shared principles.

Safety First, Delight Customers, One Team, Relentless Improvement, Fast, Frugal, and Scrappy, Respectful Collaboration, Positive Legacy.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affi… We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason. Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at slate‑talent_acquisition@slate.auto.

At Slate, we’ve got one job: building a vehicle you’ll fall in love with, right here in the USA. We believe that car buyers—not car companies—should call the shots. We like looking at a road, not a screen. We don’t like paying for stuff we don’t need. We like picking out the stuff we do need. We think dings are badges, not blemishes. But we know not everyone likes what we like. So, we built you a Slate: you make it yours.