About Iris Dynamics
Iris Dynamics is the industry leader in force-controlled magnetic linear motors, with applications across industrial automation, robotics, aerospace, defence, test and measurement, packaging systems, and more. We design and build our motors in-house in Victoria, and we run our production floor on Lean principles: flow, pull, and standard work. 

Job Description

The Applications Engineer is the technical point of contact for customers integrating ORCA™ motors into their machines. The role covers the full customer engineering cycle: sizing and selecting the motor for an application, advising on mechanical and electrical integration, supporting commissioning and tuning, troubleshooting fielded systems, and feeding what customers need back into product development and documentation.

ORCA motors are software-enabled hardware. Most customer integrations involve both the mechanism the motor drives and the controller and software that command it, so the role requires working knowledge of mechanical design, closed-loop motion control, and industrial communications.

The position works daily with Sales, Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, and Support. Success is measured by technical validations and design-ins (customer applications proven on ORCA motors and carried through to purchase), by how quickly customers reach a working integration, and by the quality of support and technical documentation.

Key Responsibilities
 Application Engineering & Motor Selection

- Lead technical discovery with prospective customers: understand the mechanism, load, stroke, speed, cycle rate, operating environment, and control architecture, and determine whether and how an ORCA motor fits.

- Size and select motors from force, speed, duty cycle, and thermal requirements, including supply voltage and power budget, and document the recommendation for the customer and the sales team.

- Recommend the control approach for each application (position, kinematic, haptic, or force control) and the communication interface (Modbus RTU over RS-485/RS-422, EtherNet/IP, digital I/O, or SDK).

- Advise on mechanical integration: mounting and orientation, shaft length and material, bushings and side loading, linear guidance, hard stops, gravity compensation, end fittings and clevis mounts, cable routing, and connectors.

- Evaluate pneumatic and hydraulic cylinder replacement applications and specify the equivalent ORCA configuration.

- Scope configured and custom options (shaft lengths and ends, end tubes, cabling, connectorization, force calibration) with Engineering and Manufacturing, and define the requirements, cost drivers, and lead times needed to quote them.

 Integration & Commissioning Support

- Run engineering calls with customer teams through integration, covering PID tuning, filter and limit settings, zeroing and homing behavior, multi-motor coordination, and firmware updates.

- Support integration with customer controllers and software, including PLCs over EtherNet/IP, embedded controllers over serial, and the Python and C++ SDKs, and reproduce customer issues on in-house hardware when needed.

- Perform application calculations and simulations (motion profiles, power and thermal duty cycles, force and position accuracy) to confirm feasibility before hardware ships.

- Build and run demonstrations and proof-of-concept setups that reproduce the customer's motion profile and validate performance.

Customer Support & Troubleshooting
- Act as the technical escalation point for fielded systems: diagnose motion, communication, thermal, and mechanical wear issues, separate electrical, mechanical, firmware, and software causes, and lead the customer to a resolution.
- Determine root cause on returned units with Engineering and Manufacturing, and communicate findings and corrective actions to the customer.
- Hold standing technical reviews with key accounts through their development and production ramp, and keep each account's technical context, decisions, and open items current in the CRM.

Cross-Functional Responsibilities
- Convert recurring questions and integration issues into application notes, technical notes, FAQs, and documentation updates.
- Collect customer feature requests, limitations, and failure modes, document them, and represent them to Product Management and Engineering.
- Support Sales with technical presentations, customer site visits, and trade shows, and support Marketing with technical content and application stories.
- Perform other duties as required in a growing company.

Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or related fields.
- Working knowledge of electromechanical systems, including servo and linear motor fundamentals, and PID tuning.
- Ability to discuss and analyze customer mechanical designs (CAD models and drawings) and to perform load, force, speed, duty-cycle, and thermal calculations.
- Familiarity with industrial communications and controllers such as: RS-485/422, Modbus RTU, industrial Ethernet (EtherNet/IP or similar), CAN, PLCs, or embedded controllers.
- Clear written and spoken technical communication with engineers and non-engineers. 

Preferred
- Hands-on experience designing, building, commissioning, or maintaining industrial automation, robotics, or similar equipment.
- Hands-on experience with linear or rotary actuators, linear encoders, load cells, or similar equipment.
- Experience with pneumatic or hydraulic actuators. 
- Ability to read and write scripts in Python, C/C++, or similar to exercise an SDK, log data, or reproduce a customer issue.
- Exposure to Linux-based development environments, single-board computers, and tools such as Node-RED, ROS/ROS2, or MATLAB.
- Experience supporting customers in regulated or harsh-environment sectors.
- Previous experience in any of the following fields would be considered an asset: maritime, industrial automation, aerospace, defense, robotics.

Skills
- Structured technical troubleshooting under time pressure.
- CAD & FEA proficiency for reviewing customer designs and producing mounting and fixture concepts.
- Technical writing: application notes, test reports, and customer-facing documentation.
- Confident presenting and demonstrating hardware to customers in person and online.
- Organized: manages several concurrent customer integrations and keeps the CRM (HubSpot) current.
- Understands how technical decisions affect cost, lead time, and manufacturability, and can discuss customization fees, non-recurring engineering, and NDAs with a customer.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit a resume and a cover letter outlining their suitability for the role to careers@irisdynamics.com
Please include Logistics Coordinator in the subject line.

We are unable to sponsor foreign applicants and are therefore only accepting applications from candidates who are already legally able to work in Canada.