Control Systems Engineer

Iowa State University•Ames, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Build the Future of Agriculture. If you want your engineering work to matter outside the lab—on real machines, in real farm fields, with real impact—this is the role for you. Who We Are The Digital Ag Innovation Lab partners with leading agricultural companies to imagine, design, and deploy next-generation technologies for agriculture. Our team works at the intersection of applied engineering, industry collaboration, and the land-grant mission, moving ideas from concept to prototype to field deployment and ultimately into industry adoption. Our vision is bold: to be the premiere thought leader and partner in ag innovation. Our mission guides everything we do: Innovate. Educate. Outreach. We innovate with partners to create technology solutions that drive value into agriculture and our communities. We educate to inspire and develop students and professionals to ensure a thriving workforce that drives success within our industry. We outreach to share knowledge with farmers and ag businesses and promote practices that enhance their success. We operate with four core values: Passion. Innovation. Collaboration. Excellence. The Opportunity We are seeking a Control System Engineer to lead the architecture, integration, and deployment of advanced digital agriculture systems with OEM and industry partners. This is a hands-on systems engineering leadership role guiding complex technical initiatives from concept through field deployment. You will architect integrated hardware and software systems, build production-representative platforms, and translate emerging technologies into practical solutions for real agricultural environments. In this role, you will collaborate closely with industry partners, engineers, agronomists, and interdisciplinary research teams to define system architectures, lead technical execution, and ensure solutions are robust, scalable, and deployment ready. You will have the opportunity to influence technical direction, mentor engineers, and see technologies move from early validation into real-world agricultural deployment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 8 years related experience
Deep experience designing and integrating complex hardware-software systems for vehicle dynamics and controls, from modeling and simulation through embedded deployment, lab and field validation, and extraction of meaningful performance metrics.
Strong project management, communication, and leadership skills are essential when collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, industry partners, and externally funded engineering projects.
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship.
Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Nice To Haves

M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
Background in agricultural equipment, off‑highway machinery, robotics, or precision ag systems
Experience commercializing applied engineering solutions
Experience mentoring engineers in fast‑paced development environments

Responsibilities

Lead system architecture and integration of advanced digital agriculture platforms, including sensing, automation, and control systems for real-time vehicle applications.
Design, develop, and optimize multi-sensor data acquisition and processing pipelines to support control system development, performance analysis, and data-driven decision-making.
Lead development of embedded control software and machine automation systems for agricultural machinery
Establish and execute scalable test and validation strategies across lab and field environments that reflect real-world operating conditions.
Translate emerging technologies into functional prototypes and deployable solutions aligned with industry needs.
Lead a cross-functional engineering team to deliver complex projects with clear milestones, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
Develop technical documentation, scopes of work, and deliverables for external partners and stakeholders.
Mentor and develop engineers, fostering a collaborative, high-performing engineering culture focused on technical excellence, innovation, and accountability.