Service Engineer — Oarsman Systems

WET Design•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$120,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

WET designs and builds large-scale, multi-sensory projects that transform how people experience nature's elements, such as water and light. The WET Legacy team is the technical service arm responsible for maintaining, repairing, commissioning, programming, and upgrading these sophisticated systems globally. This role focuses on being an in-house technical authority for Oarsman and other complex WET proprietary devices, equipment, electronics, and controls. The majority of the work will be performed in-house, diagnosing, repairing, testing, and improving equipment. Travel will be limited and purposeful, supporting critical field issues that require specialized expertise.

Requirements

5+ years of progressively responsible experience in electrical, controls, automation, electromechanical repair, service engineering, manufacturing engineering, test engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Formal technical qualification, apprenticeship, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or equivalent practical experience in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation, Controls Engineering, or a similar field.
Strong hands-on troubleshooting experience with electrical power, industrial controls, automation equipment, and electromechanical systems.
Demonstrated ability to diagnose difficult or intermittent failures using a structured, methodical approach.
Experience with PLC-based systems, industrial control panels, I/O, sensors, instrumentation, motor controls, and VFDs.
Ability to read and interpret electrical, mechanical, and construction drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical documentation.
Strong understanding of electrical safety practices, power distribution, circuit protection, grounding, lockout/tagout principles, and safe test procedures.
Experience using multimeters, insulation-resistance testers, oscilloscopes or other electronic test equipment, signal generators, laptop-based diagnostic tools, and related troubleshooting equipment.
Ability to document technical work clearly, accurately, and on time.
Fluent English communication skills, written and verbal.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel occasionally, including limited domestic travel and potential international assignments.
Ability to lift at least 50 pounds and safely work with equipment, tools, and assemblies in a shop, warehouse, test area, or occasional field environment.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with WET Oarsman devices or comparable sophisticated kinetic, motion-control, water-feature, robotics, animation, or show-control equipment.
Experience repairing complex proprietary equipment in a depot, lab, factory, service center, or engineering environment.
Experience with pumps, valves, actuators, rotating equipment, water systems, plumbing, hydraulics, pneumatics, or process systems.
Familiarity with high-voltage induction or synchronous motors, motor-driven equipment, and rotating machinery.
Experience with industrial communications and networking, including Ethernet-based controls, serial communications, managed switches, remote I/O, or field devices.
Familiarity with HMI configuration, control-system parameters, firmware management, and commissioning tools.
Experience conducting root-cause analysis, failure-mode analysis, corrective-action investigations, or reliability improvements.
Ability to fabricate, modify, rework, or improve electrical and mechanical assemblies as part of a repair solution.
Experience working with engineering change processes, bills of materials, spare-parts strategies, repair instructions, or technical publications.
A passion for intricate systems, practical engineering, and learning the details that turn difficult problems into repeatable solutions.

Responsibilities

Serve as the in-house technical expert for Oarsman devices and other advanced proprietary WET equipment, controls, and assemblies.
Diagnose and repair complex equipment returned from field sites, including electrical, electronic, controls, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and water-system-related components.
Perform detailed failure analysis to identify root cause.
Troubleshoot electrical power distribution, protection systems, motor controls, VFDs, power supplies, transformers, relays, contactors, fuses, breakers, GFCI systems, E-stops, and related control hardware.
Diagnose PLC-based control systems, I/O modules, sensors, instrumentation, communications networks, control panels, HMIs, and show-control-related electronics.
Repair, rebuild, calibrate, align, tune, and functionally test proprietary devices, assemblies, and control systems to defined performance standards.
Develop and execute bench-test procedures, acceptance tests, burn-in tests, and verification plans.
Use laptop-based diagnostic tools and software to review faults, modify parameters, update firmware or software, validate HMI functions, and confirm system performance.
Read, interpret, and use electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, mechanical drawings, plumbing diagrams, bills of materials, and technical specifications.
Identify recurring failure modes, design vulnerabilities, component obsolescence concerns, and opportunities for serviceability improvements.
Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing to recommend design improvements, retrofit packages, repair standards, replacement parts, and preventive-maintenance actions.
Create clear repair records, troubleshooting guides, test reports, photographs, parts lists, and technical findings.
Support field-service personnel remotely by providing advanced troubleshooting guidance.
Provide limited travel support for critical site repairs, commissioning, complex diagnostics, equipment installations, or training.
Maintain an organized, safe, efficient service and repair work area.
Coordinate with suppliers and technical partners regarding specialized components, repairs, replacement parts, and obsolescence solutions.
Help establish best practices for incoming inspection, repair triage, testing, service documentation, and equipment release.