Entry Level Automation Travel Engineer
The Entry Level Automation Travel Engineer at Confidential Client is a hands-on role focused on extensive travel to customer sites to troubleshoot and implement complex electrical and mechanical automation systems. This position involves programming controls and developing automated test systems across various industries, while collaborating with project teams and clients. It offers a unique opportunity for early-career engineers to gain broad field experience and develop leadership skills in a hybrid work environment with a high travel requirement.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Engineering consulting and custom software solutions for manufacturing, testing, and product development.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
Position Overview
Confidential Client is hiring an Entry Level Automation Travel Engineer based in Chicago, IL. This is a travel-heavy, field-facing engineering role (90%–100% travel initially) focused on commissioning, troubleshooting, and delivering automated systems across manufacturing and test environments. This role is designed for entry-level engineers (0–3 years) and includes a structured onboarding and training program.
- Employment type: FULL_TIME
- Travel: 90%–100% initially (option to transition after 18 months to ~30%–40% travel)
- Salary range: $89,000—$101,000 USD (range provided by the source)
What You’ll Do
- Understand and troubleshoot complex electrical and mechanical system designs onsite at customer facilities.
- Program and develop software-based automation and controls solutions for production and test systems (examples: food & beverage processing, packaging machinery, automotive assembly controls).
- Build automated test systems (examples: EV battery test systems, aerospace and rocket test rigs, turnkey and cloud-enabled test & measurement systems).
- Collaborate with multi-discipline project teams and assist senior engineers with scoping, estimating, and proposals.
- Manage assigned tasks, identify risks and roadblocks, and communicate status to clients and internal stakeholders.
- Commission solutions at customer sites and perform in-field troubleshooting and system optimization.
- Develop leadership skills and grow technical ownership over projects.
Who You Are / Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum GPA: 3.4.
- Strong fundamentals in mechanical and/or electrical engineering.
- Interest in and ability to program in text-based languages; familiarity with object-oriented concepts preferred.
- Quick learner with a strong growth mindset and attention to quality.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills for internal and client-facing interactions.
- Ability and willingness to travel 90%–100% for the first 18 months. After 18 months you may choose to transition to a lower-travel role (~30%–40%).
- Access to a reliable vehicle for work-related travel.
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without employer sponsorship now or in the future.
ITAR requirement: To comply with U.S. Government export regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary range: $89,000—$101,000 USD (based on experience and location).
- Additional travel compensation and benefits aligned with a project-based, high-travel schedule.
- Enhanced vacation accrual for travel-focused roles.
- Structured training and onboarding program for entry-level engineers.
- Other benefits: medical, retirement, and additional perks (details provided by client during the process).
Why This Role
- Rapid real-world experience: spend most of your time commissioning and troubleshooting advanced systems at customer sites.
- Broad exposure across industries (manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, energy/testing).
- Accelerated career development through hands-on ownership and mentorship from experienced engineers.
- Option to transition to a more traditional engineering role after the initial travel period.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind.
To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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