Director of Autonomy

Job Description

Canrig is redefining the future of drilling by advancing from operator-directed equipment to intelligent, autonomous rig systems. As Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems, you will lead the strategy and execution of technologies that improve safety, efficiency, consistency, and operational performance across drilling and tubular-handling operations. This role is instrumental in creating new product differentiation, accelerating innovation, and positioning Canrig as an industry leader in autonomous drilling solutions. Your work will directly influence how customers operate their rigs, maximize productivity, and unlock the next generation of digital and automated oilfield technologies.

The Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems is responsible for establishing and leading Canrig's autonomy vision, roadmap, and execution strategy across drilling and tubular-handling systems. This role serves as the organization's technical and strategic leader for autonomous machine functions, intelligent automation, AI-enabled controls, machine perception, simulation, and human‑machine interaction. Working across engineering, product management, field operations, manufacturing, and executive leadership, the Director will align technology investments and product development efforts to deliver safe, reliable, and commercially scalable autonomy solutions.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or another engineering discipline directly applicable to industrial controls and automation.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible engineering experience in controls, industrial automation, robotics, autonomous machines, or integrated electromechanical systems, including accountability for complex systems from design through field deployment and lifecycle support.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams, technical programs, or multidisciplinary product development, with demonstrated responsibility for technical direction, talent development, priorities, and delivery outcomes.
• Demonstrated hands‑on depth in industrial controls and automation, including PLC or real‑time controls, machine sequencing, HMI, instrumentation, sensors and actuators, drives or motion control, industrial communications, system integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience designing, integrating, or governing closed‑loop, autonomous, or semi‑autonomous functions for safety‑critical physical equipment, mobile machinery, robotics, industrial systems, or comparable engineered products.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI, machine learning, machine perception, predictive analytics, or optimization into production industrial systems, including model evaluation, monitoring, fallback behavior, data quality, and human oversight.
• Experience with requirements engineering, architecture reviews, hazard and risk analysis, verification and validation, configuration management, design documentation, release governance, and production support.
• Ability to communicate complex technical decisions, tradeoffs, risks, investment needs, and roadmaps clearly to engineers, operators, customers, and executive stakeholders.
• Ability to travel to manufacturing, test, customer, and rig or field locations as needed and work around active industrial equipment while following site safety requirements.

Preferred

• Master's degree or doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related engineering field.
• Experience with autonomous mining, autonomous vehicles, agricultural autonomy, defense autonomy, industrial robotics, advanced manufacturing, or other autonomy‑mature physical‑machine environments.
• Experience with Rockwell, Siemens, Beckhoff, B&R, National Instruments, or comparable industrial control platforms; model‑based design tools such as MATLAB/Simulink; and software practices such as Git, CI/CD, automated testing, and secure development.
• Experience with functional safety, machinery safety, safety PLCs, fault‑tolerant controls, or relevant IEC, ISO, API, or industry standards for automated equipment.
• Experience with digital twins, software‑in‑the‑loop, hardware‑in‑the‑loop, real‑time simulation, machine vision, sensor fusion, robotics middleware, or remote operations.
• Experience with heavy industrial equipment, drilling systems, top drives, drawworks, pipe handling, fluid systems, or other field‑deployed capital equipment.
• Published patents, technical papers, standards participation, or recognized technical leadership in controls, robotics, autonomy, or industrial AI.

Responsibilities