Senior Systems Integration Architect

Rol: Senior Systems Integration Architect

Location: Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal

Type of contract: permanent

Carrier is the leading worldwide provider of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security, and cold chain solutions. We invented the modern air conditioning, and our team of pioneers and innovators have a long history of developing new technologies. 

Addvolt, now part of Carrier, global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions, delivers advanced electrification technology, integrated power management and power electronics capabilities for transport refrigeration and auxiliary systems.  Driving innovation in the electrification and decarbonization of onboard systems for refrigerated trailers, trucks, vans and containers, Addvolt empowers fleets to avoid fuel usage, reduce major emissions and operate efficiently at a remarkably low noise level. By combining Addvolt’s innovative power solutions with Carrier Transicold’s expertise in transport refrigeration, we are enhancing the value we deliver to fleets, original equipment manufacturers and logistics operators worldwide. Together with Carrier, we are accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, efficient and intelligent cold chain.

Job description summary

The Senior systems integration architect – Aftermarket connected solutions leads the system-level architecture, interface governance, and multi-tier integration for aftermarket enhancements, connected retrofit kits, and digital telematics solutions across Truck and Trailer refrigeration platforms.

Situated directly within the Embedded systems engineering organization and centered on the Aftermarket engineering solutions portfolio, this role serves a high-impact dual mandate:

• Aftermarket integration leadership: Architecting how embedded refrigeration controllers seamlessly connect outward to telematics units, aftermarket sensors, auxiliary power solutions, cloud ecosystems, and mobile fleet management applications.

• Systems engineering catalyst: Championing a holistic systems engineering mindset across the embedded team, translating commercial aftermarket opportunities into robust system boundaries, interface contracts, and modular software/hardware architectures.

Role focus & operating model

To maximize cross-functional velocity and ensure long-term architectural stability, this role operates under a clear, system-level charter:

• Strategic architectural scope: The position is dedicated to high-level system design, interface control, feasibility evaluation, and multi-tier integration. It partners closely with component-level firmware developers who handle low-level device drivers, board bring-up, and routine sprint bug maintenance.

• Interface governance authority: Serves as the designated technical authority for authoring, reviewing, and approving Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and data communication contracts connecting embedded platforms to aftermarket peripherals and digital backends.

• Collaborative systems coaching: Acts as an internal mentor within embedded systems, facilitating architecture design reviews and fostering systems-thinking methodologies (requirements decomposition, V-model traceability, and boundary modeling).

Key responsibilities

1. Aftermarket architecture & multi-tier integration

• Lead the end-to-end technical system architecture for aftermarket products, telematics upgrades, and retrofit kits across transport refrigeration units.

• Define and govern interface boundaries between embedded refrigeration controllers, telematics gateways, cloud data brokers, mobile applications, and customer interfaces.

• Author, maintain, and baseline formal Interface Control Documents (ICDs), messaging schemas (CAN/J1939, Modbus, MQTT, REST, Protobuf), and API contracts.

• Evaluate technical feasibility, system trade-offs, power-management constraints, and integration risks for new aftermarket feature requests and customer-specific retrofit programs.

2. Systems engineering catalyst & mentorship

• Drive the adoption of structured systems engineering practices within the embedded systems team, ensuring firmware enhancements are developed with total machine behavior and vehicle network topologies in mind.

• Decompose customer, aftermarket commercial, and regulatory requirements into clear, testable, and traceable subsystem functional specifications.

• Establish and facilitate regular architectural review rhythms, guiding firmware and hardware engineers on state-machine modeling, modular design, and robust failure-mode handling.

• Promote early defect detection by ensuring system-level requirements are unambiguous and verifiable prior to sprint implementation.

3. Cross-functional collaboration & technical leadership

• Serve as the embedded systems team’s primary technical liaison to aftermarket product managers, application engineering, product testing, field service, and external electronics suppliers.

• Partner with product managers to translate commercial aftermarket business cases into realistic technical architectures and execution roadmaps.

• Collaborate closely with dedicated program managers, offloading administrative schedule and budget tracking to focus squarely on technical alignment and interface integrity.

• Coordinate with product testing engineering to ensure aftermarket system requirements are covered by automated verification environments (SIL/HIL).

4. Supplier engagement & technical documentation

• Lead technical discussions with third-party electronics suppliers, sensor manufacturers, and telematics hardware partners to adapt proven commercial solutions to Carrier equipment.

• Support supplier evaluation, technical requirement specifications, and Request for Information (RFI) reviews.

• Own and maintain system-level architecture diagrams, interface registers, and requirements baselines using enterprise project documentation and ticketing platforms.

• Ensure all aftermarket connectivity and controller integrations comply with corporate cybersecurity guidelines, data encryption protocols, and safety standards.

Typical product & technical domains

• Aftermarket solutions: Connected retrofit packages, auxiliary power management upgrades, specialized temperature monitoring kits, fuel-saving controls, and peripheral sensor retrofits.

• Embedded control systems: Microcontroller architectures (ARM Cortex, STM32 platforms), real-time operating systems (FreeRTOS), and hardware abstraction layers.

• Vehicle & industrial networks: CAN 2.0B / CAN FD, SAE J1939, RS-485, and proprietary controller area networks.

• Connected ecosystems: Cellular/telematics gateways, cloud messaging pipelines (MQTT/JSON), remote monitoring, over-the-air (OTA) update frameworks, and fleet management APIs.

Tools & platforms

• Architecture & systems modeling: UML/SysML modeling platforms, block diagrams, and system topology tools.

• Project documentation & tracking: Enterprise requirements traceability platforms, technical wikis, and issue/defect tracking tools.

• Embedded network analysis: CAN diagnostic tools (Vector CANoe, CANalyzer, PCAN), oscilloscopes, serial analyzers, and protocol analyzers.

• Version control & integration: Git repository workflows and automated build/integration environments.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, systems engineering, mechatronics, or related technical field.

• Experience: 5+ years of progressive professional experience in systems engineering, embedded systems design, or connected IoT product development.

• Strong knowledge of embedded hardware, microcontrollers, and vehicle communication protocols (CAN/J1939).

• Demonstrated track record of authoring Interface Control Documents (ICDs), system requirements, and architectural specifications.

• Proven ability to coordinate technically across multiple engineering domains (hardware, firmware, cloud, and test).

• Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills with an appetite for mentoring peers.

Preferred qualifications

• Master’s degree in systems engineering, electrical engineering, or software engineering.

• Direct experience in commercial transportation refrigeration, heavy vehicles, automotive systems, or industrial machinery.

• Experience delivering aftermarket retrofit solutions, sensor integration packages, or connected vehicle telematics.

• Familiarity with secure embedded architectures (secure boot, cryptographic authentication, and secure OTA firmware distribution).

• Experience partnering with commercial product managers to evaluate supplier electronics and third-party modules.

Success measures & key performance indicators

• First-pass integration quality: High success rate and minimal rework during integration trials between embedded controllers, telematics gateways, and aftermarket retrofit kits.

• Interface stability: Delivery of complete, unambiguous ICDs and API contracts with zero breaking changes during downstream execution.

• Systems mindset elevation: Observable adoption of requirements traceability, architectural reviews, and modular design practices across the embedded engineering team.

• Aftermarket delivery predictability: Reliable delivery of technical architectures supporting planned aftermarket launch milestones.

• Documentation rigor: Up-to-date, comprehensive system architecture documentation maintained across all active aftermarket projects.

Pay Range