Senior Software Engineer - New Product Development

Title: Senior Software Engineer, Robotics

Location: United States - Minneapolis, MN

Pay: $97,500 - 150,600

With more than $1B in revenue, Tennant Company is a globally recognized leader in the cleaning equipment industry. For the past 150 years, we have been passionate about developing and manufacturing innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers. At Tennant Company, we are committed to stewardship and creating a cleaner, safer and healthier world. With manufacturing, operations and sales, service, and support functions across the globe, your journey at Tennant can take you places you never expected.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join the Tennant Company (TNC) Robotics Product Development organization. This role combines strong hands-on software development with emerging technical leadership responsibilities, supporting the design, integration, and delivery of embedded and connected software systems for robotic cleaning platforms.

The Senior Software Engineer contributes to system-level software design while also owning complex features or subsystems end-to-end. This role partners closely with Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Test, and Product teams to translate requirements into scalable, reliable solutions and begins to influence technical direction, best practices, and architectural decisions.

Success in this role is measured by software quality, system integration effectiveness, technical contributions to architecture, and the ability to guide and elevate team execution.

Key Responsibilities

Embedded & Platform Software Development

• Design, develop, test, and maintain embedded software using C/C++ on Linux and/or Real‑Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
• Own delivery of complex features or subsystems, ensuring performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Contribute to software running on machine controllers and companion processing units.
• Provide hands-on support for:
• Board bring‑up and hardware/software integration
• Driver configuration and targeted development
• Debugging hardware/software interface issues
• Ensure software integrates cleanly with electrical, controls, and mechanical subsystems.

Connected Systems & Communications

• Develop and support software for connected and distributed systems, including:
• Controller‑to‑controller communication (CAN, CANOpen)
• Ethernet and USB‑based interfaces
• Contribute to the design and implementation of IoT-enabled features, including data exchange, telemetry, and system monitoring.
• Apply and promote best practices for secure, reliable communication and data handling.

Software Design & Emerging Architecture Leadership

• Define and refine functional requirements, system behaviors, and performance targets for features and subsystems.
• Develop clear and structured design artifacts (flowcharts, architecture diagrams, interface specifications).
• Actively contribute to software architecture discussions, offering recommendations that improve scalability, modularity, and reuse.
• Participate in and help lead design reviews, ensuring alignment with system-level requirements and architectural intent.
• Begin to drive consistency in design approaches across projects and teams.

Quality, Testing & Debugging

• Build high-quality software with strong emphasis on maintainability, testability, and robustness.
• Lead debugging efforts, performing fault isolation and root cause analysis across system boundaries.
• Support and guide unit, integration, and system-level testing activities.
• Promote adherence to coding standards, review practices, and quality metrics.

Development Process, Tooling & Continuous Improvement

• Execute software development within the New Product Development (NPD) lifecycle.
• Participate in Agile or iterative development processes while helping improve team execution efficiency.
• Use and support best practices with tools such as:
• Configuration management (Bitbucket or similar)
• Defect tracking and task management (Jira)
• Requirements management (Visure or similar)
• Contribute to process improvements, including development workflows, documentation, and traceability.

Technical Leadership & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Systems, Hardware, Test, Manufacturing, and external partners to resolve system-level challenges.
• Provide technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior engineers.
• Help drive alignment across teams on software interfaces, integration strategies, and technical decisions.
• Clearly communicate technical status, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Support product launches and help resolve issues during integration, validation, and early production.

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical, Software or Computer Engineering.
• Minimum 6–9 years of professional software engineering experience, including embedded or systems‑level development.
• Strong hands-on experience with C/C++ in Linux and/or RTOS environments.
• Experience working with requirements management, configuration management, and defect tracking tools.
• Demonstrated ability to debug hardware/software and system-level issues.
• Proven experience working effectively on cross-functional engineering teams.

Preferred

• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or complex electro‑mechanical products.
• Exposure to IoT and connected systems architectures.
• Experience with scripting or higher‑level languages such as Python or C#.
• Familiarity with communication protocols such as CAN / CANOpen.
• Experience with unit, integration, and system-level testing frameworks.
• Demonstrated growth into technical leadership or subsystem ownership roles.

Key Attributes for Success

• Strong hands-on engineer with growing system-level perspective.
• Ability to balance execution with technical leadership and mentorship.
• Solid architectural intuition with interest in scalable and maintainable system design.
• Proactive problem solver comfortable working in complex, multi-disciplinary systems.
• Collaborative communicator who can influence without authority.
• Motivated to grow into principal-level technical leadership roles.

Total Compensation = Pay range + Benefits

Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. Tennant Co. reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualifications of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.  The salary range reflects both entry into the role and future growth. Total Compensation = Base Salary + Benefits

Benefits = A comprehensive benefits package including multiple medical plan options, 401(k) with a 100% match up to 6%, paid vacation time, 8 paid company holidays and 3 personal holidays dental and vision coverage, wellness rewards, robust family support programs, company‑paid disability and life insurance, and a full Employee Assistance Program.

Defining Our Employee Value Proposition   

At Tennant Company, we…  

Discover fulfilling work with opportunities for growth and meaningful recognition. 
Drive the quality and innovation our customers rely on in our products and services. 
Connect with people who care about each other, our brands and our communities.

These are the principles that define how our employees experience Tennant Company, make Tennant a great place to grow your career, and are at the core of our legacy and future. Together, they serve as guideposts for working with our customers, our partners and one another.

Begin your journey with us. Let's reinvent how the world cleans.  

Equal Opportunity Employer

Tennant Company is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made on the basis of individual skill, ability, reliability, productivity, and other factors important to performance. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or any other basis protected by state or federal law or local ordinance.