Controls & Automation Engineer

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Formic

Compensation

$52 USD

Chicago || Woodridge, IL

Hybrid

Posted April 3, 2026

Job Description

Who we are:

Formic is on a mission to reshape American manufacturing by making automation accessible to every factory. As labor constraints rise, costs increase, and global competition intensifies, automation is no longer optional for manufacturers that want to stay competitive.

We deliver automation through a Robotics-as-a-Service model that combines industrial robotics, proprietary software, and full-service support into a single, integrated solution. By removing the traditional barriers of cost, complexity, and risk, we enable manufacturers to deploy automation quickly and realize measurable gains in throughput, safety, and operational efficiency without large upfront capital investment.

Backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Initialized Capital, Blackhorn Ventures, and Mitsubishi HC Capital North America, Formic is scaling rapidly and building the foundation for a new era of high-performance, Made in America production.

About the team:

The Fleet Operations Team drives uptime and operational performance across Formic’s growing fleet of deployed robotic systems. Working inside live manufacturing environments, the team diagnoses issues, restores production, and continuously improves system reliability at scale. Fleet Operations operates at the intersection of robotics, controls, and real-world factory execution, ensuring Formic’s automation delivers consistent, measurable performance across diverse industrial applications.

About the role:

As Controls & Automation Engineer, you will own advanced technical support and the long-term reliability of deployed robotic systems. You will operate at the intersection of troubleshooting, system optimization, and product improvement, ensuring automation systems perform consistently in demanding production environments.

This role blends reactive support with proactive engineering. You will diagnose complex failures, implement structured improvements, and partner cross-functionally to strengthen system stability across the fleet. Your work will directly impact system uptime, performance consistency, and long-term customer success.

In this role you will:

Diagnose and resolve complex automation failures to minimize production downtime
Design and implement preventative and predictive strategies that improve system reliability
Lead system-level continuous improvement initiatives, including hardware and software upgrades
Analyze production data and diagnostic trends to identify systemic performance gaps
Provide remote support by responding to service tickets, guiding troubleshooting efforts, and triaging issues to onsite teams when required
Support field service activities within your local region for both reactive and preventative maintenance
Partner with Product, Deployment, and Engineering teams to standardize equipment configurations and improve system repeatability
Maintain system documentation, including procedures, maintenance logs, and change-control records
Serve as the escalation point for complex technical issues across the fleet
Mentor field technicians and engineers on troubleshooting and system health best practices
Ensure compliance with safety standards, internal quality requirements, and relevant industry regulations
Collaborate with vendors to improve parts availability, diagnostic capabilities, and technical support