Hydraulic Controls Engineer at ALA Engineering in Scottsbluff, NE

Hydraulic Controls Engineer

ALA Engineering and AGEO Autonomy are seeking a Hydraulic Controls Engineer to support the design, development, testing, and implementation of hydraulic control systems for autonomous agricultural equipment. This role will focus on integrating hydraulic systems with electronic controls, sensors, CAN communication, and vehicle control software.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with mobile hydraulic systems, electro-hydraulic valves, proportional controls, sensors, PID control loops, CAN bus communication, and controller programming. This position requires both engineering design capability and field troubleshooting experience.

Key Responsibilities

- Design and develop hydraulic control systems for mobile agricultural equipment.

- Develop control logic for hydraulic functions including steering, chute control, conveyor control, mixer discharge, suspension, and auxiliary hydraulic functions.

- Tune PID control loops using sensor feedback from cylinders, pressure sensors, flow sensors, position sensors, and other system inputs.

- Select and integrate hydraulic components including pumps, motors, valves, manifolds, cylinders, sensors, and hose assemblies.

- Program and support mobile controllers such as IFM, Danfoss, Parker, or similar platforms.

- Work with CAN bus systems, including J1939, CANopen, and custom CAN messaging.

- Integrate hydraulic controls with vehicle control systems, autonomy computers, safety controllers, and operator interfaces.

- Develop test procedures for hydraulic performance, safety validation, and functional verification.

- Troubleshoot hydraulic and electrical control issues in the shop and in field environments.

- Support commissioning, calibration, and validation of prototype and production vehicles.

- Create and maintain hydraulic schematics, wiring diagrams, control documentation, and test reports.

- Work closely with mechanical, electrical, software, and field operations teams.

- Support functional safety efforts related to hydraulic control, emergency stop behavior, safe-state behavior, and fault handling.

- Assist with supplier communication, component selection, and technical reviews.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field; equivalent hands-on experience may be considered.

- Experience with mobile hydraulic systems, electro-hydraulic controls, or off-highway equipment.

- Understanding of hydraulic pumps, motors, valves, cylinders, accumulators, filters, relief valves, and manifolds.

- Experience with proportional valves, PWM outputs, analog inputs, digital inputs, and sensor-based control.

- Ability to read and create hydraulic schematics and electrical wiring diagrams.

- Experience with CAN bus diagnostics and communication tools.

- Strong troubleshooting skills for hydraulic, electrical, and control system issues.

- Ability to work hands-on with equipment in a shop, test yard, and field environment.

- Strong documentation and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with CODESYS, IFM controllers, Danfoss PLUS+1, Parker IQAN, or similar mobile control platforms.

- Experience with PID tuning for hydraulic position, speed, pressure, or flow control.

- Experience with J1939, CANopen, DBC files, and CAN diagnostic tools such as Kvaser CANking, Vector CANalyzer, PCAN, or similar tools.

- Experience with autonomous vehicles, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, mining equipment, or specialty mobile machinery.

- Familiarity with functional safety standards such as ISO 18497, ISO 25119, or ISO 26262.

- Experience with hydraulic drive systems, steering systems, conveyor systems, mixer systems, or feed delivery equipment.

- Experience selecting pressure sensors, position sensors, rotary sensors, flow sensors, and temperature sensors.

- Familiarity with 12 VDC and 24 VDC mobile electrical systems.

- Experience supporting prototype builds, field testing, and production readiness.

Technical Skills

- Hydraulic system design and troubleshooting

- Electro-hydraulic valve control

- PID loop tuning

- CAN bus communication

- Mobile controller programming

- Sensor integration and calibration

- Electrical diagnostics

- Hydraulic schematic review

- Test procedure development

- Field commissioning and validation

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

- Ability to work around heavy equipment, hydraulic systems, electrical systems, and moving machinery.

- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs as needed.

- Ability to climb on and around equipment during installation, testing, and troubleshooting.

- Ability to work in shop, outdoor, and field environments.

- Occasional travel may be required for field testing, customer support, supplier visits, or equipment demonstrations.