Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Houston, TX, United States
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Not specified
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or another engineering discipline direc
- 12+ years of progressively responsible engineering experience in controls, industrial automation, robotics, autonomous machines, or integrated electromechanical systems, including accountability for c
- 5+ years leading engineering teams, technical programs, or multidisciplinary product development, with demonstrated responsibility for technical direction, talent development, priorities, and delivery
- 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, indus
- Demonstrated experience designing, integrating, or governing closed-loop, autonomous, or semi-autonomous functions for safety-critical physical equipment, mobile machinery, robotics, industrial system
- Demonstrated ability to integrate AI, machine learning, machine perception, predictive analytics, or optimization into production industrial systems, including model evaluation, monitoring, fallback b
- Experience with requirements engineering, architecture reviews, hazard and risk analysis, verification and validation, configuration management, design documentation, release governance, and productio
- 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
Full 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.
Success in this role is defined by the ability to build and lead a high-performing multidisciplinary team, translate emerging technologies into production-ready products, and deliver measurable improvements in operational efficiency, equipment performance, and customer outcomes. The Director will drive the company's long-term autonomy strategy while ensuring that advanced controls, AI, robotics, and field operations are integrated into a cohesive platform that supports Canrig's growth, innovation objectives, and competitive advantage in the drilling industry.
Autonomous Machine Functions & Rig Orchestration
- Lead development of autonomous systems and sequences that coordinate functions across integrated drilling equipment.
- Partner with operations and product teams to translate the well-construction sequence into testable automation requirements, acceptance criteria, deployment priorities, and measurable operating outcomes.
- Drive integration with SmartROS and other rig operating platforms so subsystem controls operate as a coherent, observable, and supportable rig-level system.
AI-Enabled Industrial Automation
- Direct practical application of AI and machine learning to industrial controls, including predictive operations, anomaly detection, machine perception, operator decision support, adaptive optimization, and intelligent exception management.
- Ensure AI-enabled functions are bounded by approved controls architecture, safety constraints, data quality requirements, model evaluation, traceability, cybersecurity, and appropriate human oversight.