Senior Rope & Line Systems Engineer

Infravision•Austin, TX

About The Position

Infravision is seeking a Senior Rope & Line Systems Engineer to help develop next-generation aerial powerline construction systems using advanced robotics, autonomous systems, and high-performance rope technologies. We welcome candidates from utility construction, offshore marine, industrial rigging, aerospace, and high-performance sailing backgrounds — if you understand loads, rope mechanics, and field hardware, we want to talk. Infravision is transforming how the world builds and maintains power grids. With its proprietary aerial robotics system, the company enables utilities, contractors, and developers to expand transmission and distribution infrastructure faster, safer, with lower environmental and community impact, and at significantly reduced costs. Operating globally, Infravision is helping meet the urgent demand for reliable and resilient grid infrastructure.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Engineering, or related technical field.
5–10+ years of experience in rope systems, rigging systems, lifting systems, utility construction equipment, or related industries (including offshore, marine, industrial, or high-performance sailing backgrounds).
Hands-on experience with high-performance synthetic ropes — UHMWPE/HMPE, aramid, polyester, or hybrid systems.
Experience with powerline stringing hardware and pulling/tensioning systems, or comparable rigging systems in adjacent industries.
Strong understanding of mechanical systems: load paths, fatigue, abrasion, bending radius effects, and rope termination methods.
Experience conducting field operations, qualification testing, and failure investigations.
Strong technical communication and leadership skills.
Hands-on problem solver: You don't just design on paper — you get into the field, run tests, and figure out why things fail.
Deep mechanical intuition: Load paths, fatigue, abrasion, bending radius, and termination methods are second nature to you.
Comfortable with ambiguity: You make sound recommendations with incomplete data in a fast-moving environment.
Cross-disciplinary collaborator: You work effectively with robotics, software, and operations teams who may not speak your language.
Field-ready: You are willing to travel domestically and internationally and thrive in operational environments.
Focused: We are a small team with many competing priorities. You isolate where you can have the greatest impact and rigorously prioritize.

Responsibilities

Lead engineering development of advanced rope and rigging systems for aerial powerline construction.
Develop specifications, qualification methods, and field validation plans for synthetic ropes, winches, blocks, pulleys, connectors, and stringing hardware.
Work directly with field operations teams to optimize pulling, tensioning, and conductor handling systems.
Support integration of rope systems with autonomous aerial robotics and drone-enabled stringing platforms.
Conduct field testing and root-cause investigations for rope, rigging, and mechanical system failures.
Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers, including rope and stringing equipment vendors.
Develop operational procedures, inspection standards, maintenance criteria, and safety protocols.
Support rapid prototyping, hardware iteration, and field deployment activities.
Mentor junior engineers and technicians and support development of scalable engineering processes.
Travel domestically and internationally to field sites to support deployment and testing.