About us
At Gideon, we're crafting the future of logistics, manufacturing and other industrial environments with cutting-edge AI and 3D vision-based autonomous robots. Our team is committed to automating complex operations, allowing people to shine in what they do best.
If you're ready to join us and be part of this journey, read on!
Our team consists of 100+ super-talented people, including top-notch experts in the field of hardware and software engineering, and is devoted to developing robots with a mission of making people's work easier.
We are an ambitious group of tech enthusiasts with different backgrounds, skills, and experiences, very excited and passionate about what we do! And above all, we cherish team spirit, constant learning and kindness. There is much more to learn, so we hope this piqued your curiosity!
About the role
As a Deployment Engineer, you lead our autonomous robot deployments from readiness through closeout. You own the technical judgment calls, direct the Deployment Technicians executing on site, and stay accountable for the deployment whether or not you are physically there.
This is a leadership role rather than a purely hands-on one. Deployment Technicians carry the on-site execution: unloading, network setup, calibrations, testing, and operator handoff. You set them up to succeed, unblock them when documented procedure runs out, and make the calls that require engineering judgment - configuration compatibility, PLC work, and anything that deviates from the agreed design.
Because execution sits with technicians, you carry multiple deployment sites at once rather than living at a single one. You travel the moments that need you in person - site opening, commissioning, safety validation, go-live, and escalations that cannot be resolved remotely - and lead the rest remotely.
Responsibilities we'll trust you with
Deployment leadership
- Lead the deployment end to end, from readiness through closeout, and remain accountable for it regardless of who is on site.
- Own multiple deployment sites concurrently, tracking progress and open issues across all of them.
- Lead commissioning, facility mapping, project setup, fleet configuration, safety validation, and integration checks.
- Ensure the initial configuration is compatible before technicians begin execution.
- Own software and firmware updates - verify version compatibility across the stack and track what is deployed where.
- Lead live testing and go-live activities.
Leading technicians
- Instruct and lead Deployment Technicians, both on site and remotely.
- Act as the first point of contact for technicians during active deployment work.
- Validate technician work against deployment checklists and gates.
- Determine when a technician can carry execution unsupervised at each site.
Technical problem solving
- Diagnose faults that technicians have recognized, evidenced, and escalated.
- Analyze system logs and identify root causes across software, hardware, networking, and IT.
- Own all PLC work, including Beckhoff PLC and SPLC commissioning, updates, and parameters.
- Own every configuration adjustment and parameter change.
- Approve any deviation from the documented design, threshold, or pattern.
- Support critical technical escalations across customer deployments.
Program and coordination
- Communicate directly with the Project Manager on scope, schedule, and site status.
- Verify the On-Site Risk Assessment.
- Own and maintain deployment checklists.
- Escalate to Product and Engineering, and feed field reality back as product improvement input.
Customer success
- Act as the primary technical point of contact during deployment.
- Handle customer escalations professionally and confidently.
- Verify readiness for customer handoff and support final acceptance and project sign-off.
- Provide remote technical support to customers after go-live.
Sustaining and continuous improvement
- Support sustaining activities between deployments.
- Analyze robot performance and identify optimization opportunities.
- Support internal software and hardware validation.
- Improve technical, deployment, and customer documentation.
- Provide structured feedback to Product and Engineering to improve reliability.
Your area of expertise
- Experience with complex hardware systems - robotics strongly preferred; CNC machines, industrial automation, or large materials-testing equipment also considered.
- Proficient Linux knowledge, and comfort with Git and Docker.
- Solid understanding of networking -able to set up and troubleshoot your own network, and to work through addressing, VPN, and firewall questions with a customer IT team.
- Understanding of log systems, system states, and network configuration, with a strong instinct for troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
- Strong critical thinking: able to reason through where in the system a problem sits before jumping to a fix.
- Comfortable directing and developing technicians, and confident deciding when someone is ready to work unsupervised.
- Comfortable delivering technical guidance and handling customer escalations professionally.
- Willingness to travel to customer sites at critical deployment moments, including occasional weekends.
- Valid US work authorization.
Bonus points
- Familiarity with ROS.
- Experience with autonomous mobile robots or robotics systems specifically.
- PLC experience, particularly Beckhoff and TwinCAT.
- Prior experience as a Deployment Technician. A technical background without a four-year degree is welcome - hands-on experience with complex systems matters more than the diploma.
- Familiarity with bug and issue tracking tools such as Jira.
- Based within reach of our Bolingbrook, Illinois facility. This is a bonus, not a requirement - we are open to candidates anywhere in the United States.
Qualifications
Education
Bachelor's degree in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field - or equivalent hands-on experience.
Experience
- Experience with robotics, industrial automation, or commissioning hardware and software systems strongly preferred.
- Prior work as a Field Engineer, Deployment Engineer, Integration Engineer, or similar customer-facing technical role is a plus.
- Experience leading or mentoring technicians is a plus.
- Comfortable representing the company independently on customer sites.
Technical skills
- Intermediate to advanced Linux experience, including Docker and Git.
- Understanding of logs, system states, and network configuration and troubleshooting.
- Familiarity with robot sensor platforms - cameras, LiDAR, ultrasonic.
- Proficient in hardware troubleshooting, including:
- UI data monitoring
- Electrical schematics
- Multimeter familiarity
Professional skills
- Strong troubleshooting instincts and structured problem-solving.
- Clear, confident communication - able to explain technical issues to non-technical site staff and build trust.
- Comfortable working independently in unfamiliar environments.
- Able to hold several sites in your head at once and prioritize across them.
Logistics
- Valid US work authorization and driver’s license required.
- Travel approximately 20%, concentrated at critical deployment moments - site opening, commissioning, safety validation, go-live, and escalations that cannot be resolved remotely.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: On the road
