At a glanceSummarised by Seekless from the posting.
Must have7
3+ years of hands-on experience in controls, mechatronics, or electrical engineering on heavy equipment, industrial machinery, or robotic systems
Degree in any field of engineering or equivalent training
Proven experience interfacing with and controlling hydraulic machinery (construction, mining, agriculture, or similar)
Hands-on experience with CAN bus / J1939 and at least one of the following: PLCs, mobile machine controllers, or embedded microcontrollers
Ability to read, create, and modify electrical schematics and hydraulic circuit diagrams
A track record of shipping working hardware in the field, not just designs
Experience with heavy equipment hydraulic systems (tractors, excavators, mining systems)
Nice to have8
Experience retrofitting manned machines for teleoperation or autonomy (construction, mining, agriculture, defense, or robotics)
Background with electro-hydraulic proportional control, valve drivers, and closed-loop control of hydraulic actuators
Programming experience in C/C++ and Python; familiarity with ROS/ROS 2, IEC 61131-3, or similar control frameworks
Experience designing safety-rated systems (ISO 13849, IEC 61508, or similar) and running FMEA or hazard analysis
Experience with ruggedized electronics, including IP-rated enclosures, EMI/EMC mitigation, and vibration/shock tolerance (MIL-STD-810 or ISO 16750 familiarity is a plus)
Experience with sensor integration for machine state estimation (encoders, IMUs, pressure transducers, load cells) and low-latency video systems
Defense or mission-critical field deployment experience
Comfortable working with incomplete documentation and making sound engineering decisions quickly
Eligibility4
Extended hours and weekend work will be required around critical field milestones
Frequent travel to field and test sites, working outdoors in heat, cold, mud, and rain
Comfortable working around, and operating, heavy equipment and hydraulic systems
U.S. person as defined in 22 C.F.R. § 120.62, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce
Skills
CAN bus / J1939
PLC
mobile machine controllers
embedded microcontrollers
C/C++
Python
ROS/ROS 2
IEC 61131-3
ISO 13849
IEC 61508
MIL-STD-810
ISO 16750
Benefits
Equal opportunity employer
About Traysar
Traysar was founded in 2025 by second time tech founders, recipients of the Israel Defense Prize, and engineers from elite military units, the Boring Company and SpaceX. Backed by Lux Capital aside investors from Anduril, the leading autonomous defense company, Traysar is reclaiming Western Deterrence by developing and deploying technologies for the 5th domain of warfare: the underground.
Job Summary
Traysar is looking for a highly motivated, hands-on Controls Engineer to own remote operation and autonomy for our underground systems. You will own everything between the operator and the machine’s hydraulics: control architecture, actuation, sensing, safety, and machine-side software. Your job is to make our machines respond reliably, safely, and predictably to remote and autonomous commands. The systems you build will be used to find and destroy hundreds of miles of tunnels currently used for terrorist activities. You will work closely with a mechanical/hydraulics engineer and report directly to Traysar’s leadership.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
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End-to-end ownership of remote operation and control systems for heavy hydraulic machinery: architecture, build, integration, and field demonstration.
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Interface with and extend existing machine controls, including OEM CAN/J1939 networks, electro-hydraulic valves, pilot-operated hydraulics, engine controls, and operator inputs.
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Design and implement drive-by-wire and actuate-by-wire solutions for all critical machine functions, using electrified hydraulic controls, proportional solenoids, or mechanical actuation where needed.
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Architect and implement safety systems, including independent remote E-stop, loss-of-link and watchdog behaviors, interlocks, safe-state logic, and local/remote mode arbitration.
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Select and integrate controllers (PLCs, ruggedized mobile controllers, or embedded compute), sensors (pressure, position, load, inclination, motion), and cameras built for vibration, shock, dust, mud, and water.
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Develop machine-side control software, operator interfaces, and command/telemetry interfaces that perform reliably under real-world latency and dropouts.
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Design Traysar’s control system architecture from the ground up to support sensor fusion, closed-loop control, and autonomy.
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Produce schematics, wiring diagrams, harness layouts, and build documentation so systems can be built and deployed repeatably.
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Run bench, hardware-in-the-loop, and field testing. Troubleshoot under load in the field, find root causes, and iterate quickly.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
•
3+ years of hands-on experience in controls, mechatronics, or electrical engineering on heavy equipment, industrial machinery, or robotic systems.
•
Degree in any field of engineering or equivalent training.
•
Proven experience interfacing with and controlling hydraulic machinery (construction, mining, agriculture, or similar).
•
Hands-on experience with CAN bus / J1939 and at least one of the following: PLCs, mobile machine controllers, or embedded microcontrollers.
•
Ability to read, create, and modify electrical schematics and hydraulic circuit diagrams.
•
A track record of shipping working hardware in the field, not just designs.
•
Experience with heavy equipment hydraulic systems (tractors, excavators, mining systems).
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
•
Experience retrofitting manned machines for teleoperation or autonomy (construction, mining, agriculture, defense, or robotics).
•
Background with electro-hydraulic proportional control, valve drivers, and closed-loop control of hydraulic actuators.
•
Programming experience in C/C++ and Python; familiarity with ROS/ROS 2, IEC 61131-3, or similar control frameworks.
•
Experience designing safety-rated systems (ISO 13849, IEC 61508, or similar) and running FMEA or hazard analysis.
•
Experience with ruggedized electronics, including IP-rated enclosures, EMI/EMC mitigation, and vibration/shock tolerance (MIL-STD-810 or ISO 16750 familiarity is a plus).
•
Experience with sensor integration for machine state estimation (encoders, IMUs, pressure transducers, load cells) and low-latency video systems.
•
Defense or mission-critical field deployment experience.
•
Comfortable working with incomplete documentation and making sound engineering decisions quickly.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
•
Extended hours and weekend work will be required around critical field milestones.
•
Frequent travel to field and test sites, working outdoors in heat, cold, mud, and rain.
•
Comfortable working around, and operating, heavy equipment and hydraulic systems.
Hiring process
If there is a fit, we’ll schedule two technical interviews. For the second one you will prepare a short presentation about something you built that you are proud of. Those who pass the technical interviews will proceed to a third and final interview on-site.
ITAR / EXPORT CONTROL REQUIREMENTS
This position requires access to technical data, software, and/or hardware controlled under U.S. export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a “U.S. person” as defined in 22 C.F.R. § 120.62, which includes a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State (Directorate of Defense Trade Controls) and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce. Learn more about the ITAR at https://www.pmddtc.state.gov.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Traysar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions at Traysar are based on merit, competence, qualifications, and business need, and are not influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status (except as required by law, regulation, executive order, or government contract), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Traysar is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and interview process. To request an accommodation, contact [email protected].