
Field Equipment Operator at Terranova (Berkeley, CA)
Terranova· Berkeley, CA·
Role details
Summary
The Forward Deployed Operator deploys, operates, and improves robotic land elevation systems in the field. This hands-on role involves running machines, fixing equipment, working outside, and solving difficult problems in real time while collaborating with engineering teams to enhance system reliability and safety.
Job description
About Terranova
Backed by leading climate and American dynamism investors, Terranova builds intelligent robotic systems to terraform the Earth itself - lifting land, restoring wetlands, and protecting critical infrastructure from floods and sea-level rise. Our mission is to preserve the built environment, create new habitats, and usher in an era of abundance. Our work supports climate resilience, disaster recovery, and defense across the United States and beyond. We’re assembling a world-class team that wants to work on something real, physical, and civilization-scale. If you want your work to reshape the world (literally), this is the place to do it.
The Role
This is not an office, engineering, or equipment-design position. Most of your work will involve operating, transporting, setting up, maintaining, and repairing equipment in the field. We are looking for someone who has spent significant time working outdoors in environments such as oilfields, drilling sites, farms, construction sites, industrial facilities, or heavy-equipment operations. You should be comfortable getting dirty, performing physical work, working in difficult weather, and troubleshooting equipment when something breaks. Practical field experience is more important than a college degree.
Responsibilities
- Operate Terranova’s field equipment, pumps, injection systems, generators, sensors, and robots
- Load, secure, transport, unload, set up, and break down equipment
- Operate or support skid steers, loaders, forklifts, trailers, pumps, and similar machinery
- Connect and maintain hoses, valves, fittings, pumps, and pressurized systems
- Inspect equipment before and after each shift
- Perform routine maintenance and mechanical repairs in the field
- Troubleshoot hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, and equipment failures
- Move heavy tools, hoses, parts, and materials
- Support drilling, pumping, and injection operations
- Keep work areas, vehicles, trailers, and equipment clean and organized
- Follow field-safety procedures and identify unsafe conditions
Required Experience
- At least three years of hands-on field experience in oil and gas, drilling, farming, construction, utilities, industrial operations, heavy equipment, or a similar environment
- Experience operating, maintaining, or repairing physical equipment
- Strong mechanical aptitude and practical troubleshooting ability
- Familiarity with pumps, hoses, valves, engines, generators, or hydraulics
- Ability to safely use hand tools and power tools
- Ability to perform physically demanding work outdoors in changing conditions
- Valid driver’s license and safe driving record
- Willingness to work weekends, travel, and stay overnight when required
- U.S. permanent residency
Oilfield, drilling-rig, farm-equipment, pump-operation, diesel-mechanic, and heavy-equipment experience is strongly preferred. A college degree is not required.
Schedule This is a five-day-per-week position, but it is not a Monday–Friday schedule. Workweeks may include weekends, and schedules may change during field deployments. Occasional sixth days, travel, and overnight stays may be required.
Why work at Terranova
- Culture: Mission-driven climate tech startup tackling a massive global problem (flooding costs the U.S. economy over $180B/year)
- Work model: In-office, based in Berkeley, CA (HQ) with a secondary office in Miami Beach, FL
- Team size: ~22 employees (as of mid-2025); tight-knit, early-stage environment
- Engineering focus: Heavy emphasis on robotics, controls, embedded systems, and mechanical engineering — a hardware-heavy startup building physical robots
- Recent job openings: Robotics Controls Engineer, Embedded Systems Engineer, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Director of Business Development, and multiple intern positions
- Growth trajectory: Early-stage with strong investor backing and clear product-market fit; opportunity to shape the company’s technical direction and culture