Field Operations and Test Engineer

Position Title:

Field Operations and Test Engineer

Job Group:

Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience

Job Description:

Build the Future of Agriculture

If you want your work to matter beyond the lab and shop—on real machines, in real field conditions, and supporting technologies that are deployed across agriculture—this is the role for you.

Who We Are

The Digital Ag Innovation Lab at Iowa State University partners with leading agricultural companies to design, build, and deploy next-generation technologies for agriculture. Our team works at the intersection of applied engineering, industry collaboration, and the land-grant mission, moving ideas from concept to prototype to field deployment.

Our vision is bold: to be the premier thought leader and partner in ag innovation.

Our mission guides everything we do: Innovate. Educate. Outreach.

• We innovate with partners to create technology solutions that drive value into agriculture and our communities.

• We educate to inspire and develop students and professionals to ensure a thriving workforce that drives success within our industry. 

• We outreach to share knowledge with farmers and ag businesses and promote practices that enhance their success. 

We operate with four core values: Passion. Innovation. Collaboration. Excellence.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Field Operations & Test Engineer to support testing, validation, equipment deployment, and field operations across the Digital Ag Innovation Lab portfolio.  This role serves as a shared engineering resource, partnering with multiple project teams to plan and execute field trials, operate agricultural equipment, develop test methodologies, collect performance data, and ensure technologies are successfully validated in real-world environments.

This is a highly hands-on role that combines engineering, equipment operation, troubleshooting, and field execution. The successful candidate will play a critical role in enabling project success by helping teams move technologies from prototype to validated field-ready systems.

What You'll Do

• Plan and execute field trials across multiple Digital Ag Innovation Lab projects.

• Operate agricultural equipment during planting, application, harvest, and technology validation activities.

• Build, modify, instrument, and troubleshoot prototype equipment and test systems.

• Install sensors, controls, and data acquisition hardware to support field testing.

• Collect, analyze, and document field and system performance data while supporting diagnostics and root-cause analysis.

• Develop test plans, document test procedures, and prepare technical reports summarizing field performance and validation results.

• Coordinate shared testing resources, equipment, and field operations across multiple project teams.

• Maintain testing equipment, instrumentation, and shared field support assets.

• Support sponsor demonstrations, field days, customer visits, and technology evaluations.

• Mentor students and promote safe, efficient, and effective field testing and engineering best practices.

What You Bring

• Hands-on experience operating, testing, and troubleshooting agricultural or off-road equipment

• Experience conducting field trials, equipment evaluations, or product validation activities

• Ability to diagnose mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, and control-related issues

• Experience with sensors, instrumentation, data acquisition, and performance measurement systems

• Strong mechanical aptitude with experience building, calibrating, and maintaining equipment and test systems

• Ability to independently organize and execute testing activities across multiple projects

• Strong communication and collaboration skills

• Willingness to work in outdoor environments

• Commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement

Technology & Systems You May Work With

Projects in the Digital Ag Innovation Lab involve testing and validating a wide range of agricultural systems and technologies. Depending on the project, you may work with:

• Agricultural and off-road mobile equipment

• Precision agriculture technologies (guidance, rate control, telemetry, automation)

• Mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical systems

• Sensors, instrumentation, and data