Product Manager, Electrical & Embedded Software (E&E) Engineering

In this on-site contract role with Cerebral Staffing, LLC, you will support John Deere as a Product Manager for Electrical & Embedded Software (E&E) Engineering. The position centers on owning E&E product feature backlogs and embedded software roadmaps, while coordinating cross-functional engineering teams through concept and delivery to production release.

Working from an approved facility with 100% onsite availability for a 2+ year engagement, you will help connect customer and operator needs to technical requirements for vehicle electrical systems, embedded architectures, and digital solutions.

Responsibilities

• Define, manage, and prioritize product feature backlogs, roadmaps, and functional requirements for vehicle electrical systems and embedded software architectures.
• Partner daily with systems engineers, software developers, validation teams, and platform leaders to drive feature delivery from concept through production release.
• Convert high-level customer and operator requirements into technical specifications for electronic control units (ECUs), harness architectures, and digital solutions.
• Track technical project milestones, evaluate trade-offs between cost, schedule, and quality, and maintain alignment across multi-site engineering groups.
• Apply systems engineering methodologies, Agile/Scrum development frameworks, and change management practices across the software lifecycle.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline.
• Experience in product management, systems engineering, or technical project leadership focused on electrical architectures and embedded software systems.
• Strong understanding of embedded control systems, CAN bus protocols (J1939), SDLC, and vehicle electronics integration.
• Experience managing product backlogs, defining user stories, and using tools such as Jira, Confluence, or Azure DevOps.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with experience influencing cross-functional engineering teams without direct authority.
• 100% onsite availability at one of the approved facilities: Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Urbandale, or Moline; 1st Shift hours are 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

Technologies

• CAN bus protocols (J1939)
• SDLC
• Jira
• Confluence
• Azure DevOps

Benefits

• 2 Weeks PTO
• Health, Dental, Vision, Life
• 401k
• Referral Bonuses

Position Details & Compensation

• Pay Rate: Up to $74/hr (W2)
• Job Type: Contract
• Duration: 2+ Years
• Shift: 1st Shift (7:00 AM – 3:30 PM, Monday – Friday)
• Location (100% Onsite): Waterloo Product Engineering Center (Cedar Falls, IA); Intelligent Solutions Group / ISG (Urbandale, IA); Southwest Office Building (Moline, IL)
• Travel: Infrequent local travel between Deere facilities within a 200-mile radius; rental cars provided for official travel
• Visa Sponsorship: Not available now or in the near future for this position
• Note: Candidates previously submitted to JP43841 cannot be re-considered

Preferred / Standout Qualifications

• Master’s degree (advanced technical degree) or MBA
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or Agile Product Manager certification
• Direct domain experience with off-highway equipment, agricultural machinery, commercial vehicles, or automotive electronic control systems
• Familiarity with the John Deere Enterprise Product Delivery Process (EPDP) or Systems Engineering Methodology