--- title: 'Systems Engineer (Excavator Automation) at Gravis Robotics' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/systems-engineer-excavator-automation-gravis-robotics-zurich-qnk5z12ysf9f' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-09' --- # Systems Engineer (Excavator Automation) at Gravis Robotics - **Company:** Gravis Robotics - **Location:** Zurich, Switzerland - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-06-01 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-09 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/gravisrobotics/b992f865-ac8d-4a0d-9344-ca0a56e1e6b1 ## Job description Gravis Robotics is a high-growth Series A start-up backed by SoftBank, bringing Physical AI to the construction industry, turning heavy construction machines into autonomous robots. Gravis began as an ETH Zurich spin-out, and our unique combination of learning-based automation and augmented remote control lets one operator safely conduct a fleet of earthmoving machines in a gamified environment. Backed by deep robotics research and now deployed across multiple countries with leading construction and equipment partners, our team is rapidly growing to bring this technology to a trillion-dollar industry. The Gravis RACK is a machine-agnostic retrofit kit that adds autonomy to excavators and wheel loaders from 10 to 100+ tonnes: LiDAR and camera sensing, GNSS RTK, networking hardware and rugged edge compute that works offline. Paired with the Slate tablet and our Copilot software, it lets an operator run a machine manually, with AI assistance, or fully autonomously. ## About the Job The autonomy team at Gravis builds autonomous systems for excavators operating in real construction environments. This role is at the intersection of system engineering, integration, field deployments, and debugging. We are looking for an engineer with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Robotics or relevant fields and at least 2 years of practical, hands-on experience working with real systems - and if they fail, you can help us figure out why. This is not an entry-level or new-graduate role. You will help define and execute system-level test scenarios, support atypical and beta deployments, and act as a technical bridge between the field and the engineering team. You will help train our field engineers and keep them in touch with fast evolving autonomy capabilities. ## What you will do - Validate system behavior across machines, environments, and operating conditions - Identify edge cases, failure modes, and operational limits - Collaborate with engineering teams on making technical decisions on a system level - Investigate system failure during field testing or deployments - Apply hotfixes when appropriate - Support or conduct deployments if needed, especially pilots or beta customers - Support/conduct atypical deployments, pilots, and beta customers - Capture lessons learned from deployments and feed them back into system testing and design - Help prioritize fixes and improvements based on real-world impact ## What we're looking for - Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related field - 2+ years of hands-on experience working with complex systems (automation, robotics, vehicles, heavy machinery, industrial equipment, or similar) - Strong system-level troubleshooting and debugging skills - C++ and Python programming skills, proficiency in git systems - Proficiency in Linux systems - Comfortable working in field environments (construction sites, test yards, deployments) - Ability to travel abroad, according to needs of the business - Driver’s license B category Beneficial - Experience with excavators, heavy equipment, or off-road vehicles - Field testing experience - Familiarity with communication technologies such as DDS, Zenoh, LCM etc. - ## Experience in motion planning or control - ## Experience in robotic competitions Don't meet every requirement? If you're enthusiastic about this role but your experience doesn't match every qualification, we still encourage you to apply. You might be the perfect candidate for this or other positions. This is an opportunity to join a dynamic, multidisciplinary team and to be part of a company that is reshaping heavy construction. Gravis is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team, and do not discriminate based on race, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, gender expression, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. ## About Gravis Robotics ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Gravis Robotics retrofits earthmoving machines with plug-and-play autonomy to enable safer, more productive, and predictable construction sites. - **Entity Type**: Private – Series A-II - **Headquarters**: Zurich, Switzerland (also offices in Austin, Texas, USA and Oxford, UK) - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Ryan Luke Johns, Hanspeter Fässler, Simon Kerscher, Burak Çizmeci, Marco Hutter ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Automation Machinery Manufacturing / Construction Robotics - **Target customers**: B2B – heavy civil construction firms, earthwork contractors, and equipment rental companies - **Mission**: To turn any earthmoving machine into a robot, augmenting human crews with superhuman productivity, safety, and predictability. ## Products & Services - **[Gravis RACK]**: A hardware-and-software retrofit kit (sensors, control unit, intuitive touchscreen) that transforms standard excavators into autonomous or teleoperated machines. Includes features like terrain-aware excavation (30% throughput improvement), autonomous maneuvers, self-stabilization, and augmented vision. (Type: Hardware + SaaS) - **[Teleoperation Tools]**: Advanced remote control capabilities enabling operators to manage machines from outside the cab, reducing exposure to hazards. - **[Deployment & Integration]**: Full support for integrating the Gravis RACK onto existing fleet machines, with site‑setup and task management via a simple interface. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Funding**: Total funding of **$227.58M** as of August 2026, including a recent **$200M Series A** led by SoftBank Investment Advisers (announced August 20, 2026). Prior rounds included a seed round led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures. *Note: Some earlier profiles list $23M total funding – this appears to be outdated data before the Series A.* - **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue not publicly disclosed; headcount of **57 employees** (51-200 range) with **+43.5% YoY growth**. - **Notable Investors / Partners**: SoftBank Group, Armada Investment Group, Sunna Ventures, Imad Ventures, IQ Capital, Zacua Ventures. Deployment partnerships include DEVELON Europe, AG für Baumaschinen Schmerikon, and KIBAG. - **Growth Signals**: Handed over first commercial autonomous excavator to KIBAG in April 2026; expanding from Zurich hub into Austin and Oxford; active jobsite deployments; Inc. Magazine feature on Series A. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep tech moat**: Core technology spun out from ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab, with over a decade of research in legged and autonomous systems applied to heavy machinery. - **Plug‑and‑play retrofit**: Works on existing machine brands (e.g., Develon) without requiring OEM redesign, enabling rapid fleet conversion. - **Field‑proven reliability**: Operates in extreme, unstructured outdoor environments (dirt, mud, slopes) where other autonomous systems struggle. - **Full‑stack approach**: Integrates hardware (RACK), perception, planning, teleoperation, and fleet management into a single cohesive product. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale deployment**: Use the $200M Series A to accelerate production of the Gravis RACK, expand into new geographic markets (US, UK), and grow the engineering and field operations teams. - **Product roadmap**: Improve autonomy level (e.g., full excavation without human input), expand to other earthmoving machine types (dozers, loaders), and deepen machine learning for terrain modeling. - **Talent acquisition**: Aggressively hiring across autonomy, SLAM, systems engineering, field robotics, and infrastructure roles (8 open positions as of September 2026). ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Rated **4.6/5.0** on employer reviews (5 reviews) with strong scores in Work-Life Balance (4.3), Culture (4.5), and Career Growth (4.5). Described as a team of “great engineers, creative minds, and awesome people.” - **Work Policy**: Hybrid and on-site roles depending on location: Zurich (mostly on-site/hybrid), Austin (on-site), Oxford (hybrid). Internships are on-site in Zurich. - **Engineering culture**: Heavy emphasis on robotics, simulation, ML, and real‑world systems. Tech stack includes ROS, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Unreal Engine, SolidWorks, C++, Python, and more. Team includes alumni from ETH Zurich, NASA JPL, ANYbotics, and other top robotics groups. - **Perks**: Work on physical AI that has a tangible impact on global infrastructure; see your code move dirt on real construction sites; small, fast‑moving team with direct access to founders. ## Sources 1. [gravisrobotics.com](https://www.gravisrobotics.com/) 2. [jobs.lever.co/gravisrobotics](https://jobs.lever.co/gravisrobotics) 3. [linkedin.com/company/gravisrobotics](https://linkedin.com/company/gravisrobotics) 4. [cbinsights.com/company/gravis-robotics](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/gravis-robotics) ## Other roles at Gravis Robotics - [Staff Software Engineer - Robotics Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-robotics-platform-gravis-robotics-zurich-mz9bxcy5n3h3) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Field Robotics Team Lead - UK](https://feeny.ai/job/field-robotics-team-lead-uk-gravis-robotics-oxford-yr7t24atgmj1) — Oxford, United Kingdom - [General Application Inquiry](https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-inquiry-gravis-robotics-zurich-zkm9ns5bj6na) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Senior Reinforcement Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-reinforcement-learning-engineer-gravis-robotics-zurich-dg38zww2vz24) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Field Robotics Engineer - US](https://feeny.ai/job/field-robotics-engineer-us-gravis-robotics-austin-t1m3yv52dsgj) — Austin, TX