Remote Tractor Operator

Ornata; City of Melbourne; Remote; AUD 55,000 - 83,000; Part time

Job summary

Ornata in Melbourne is seeking a Remote Tractor Operator for our Operations Centre in Richmond. This casual role bridges planning and real-time execution, ensuring safe, efficient remote control of agricultural machinery.

You will monitor live telemetry, coordinate with on-site staff, and have the authority to halt operations to protect safety and integrity. The position offers seasonal hours with a competitive hourly rate.

Qualifications

• Curious, capable and motivated to shape a rapidly changing industry.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Safety-first mindset for remote machine operation.

Responsibilities

• Execute the daily operational plan as defined by the Works Orders.
• Input data and route plans into the Tractor control system.
• Conduct verbal handovers and manage remote activation/deactivation with on-site staff.
• Monitor real-time data, including machine status, video feeds, GNSS accuracy, and environmental conditions.
• Identify, report, and elevate system anomalies, safety risks, or unexpected operational conditions.
• Maintain accurate digital records of operations for compliance, traceability, and customer reporting.
• Follow established operating procedures while contributing feedback to improve safety, efficiency, and user experience.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Safety-first mindset

Calm under pressure

Curiosity about tech

Team collaboration

Job description

Ornata is building the remote operations platform for agriculture.

We help farms operate machinery without a human in the cab, using the equipment they already own. Our service combines retrofit autonomy hardware, remote operators, AI, and operational systems to unlock the benefits of autonomy for every farm.

We are working with some of Australia’s leading broadacre farming businesses and are now building the operational foundations required to scale safely, reliably, and repeatably.

About Ornata

Ornata is building the remote operations platform for agriculture.

We help farms operate machinery without a human in the cab, using the equipment they already own. Our service combines retrofit autonomy hardware, remote operators, AI, and operational systems to unlock the benefits of autonomy for every farm.

We are working with some of Australia’s leading broadacre farming businesses and are now building the operational foundations required to scale safely, reliably, and repeatably.

About the role

The Remote Tractor Operator serves as the tactical lead for active operations, bridging the gap between high-level planning and real-time execution. Working from defined operational plans, you are responsible for the safe, efficient, and compliant management of remote systems. You will monitor live telemetry, coordinate with on-site personnel, and maintain the authority to halt operations to ensure safety and integrity.

The role is a casual position based at our Operations Centre in Richmond.

Responsibilities

• Execute the daily operational plan as defined by the Works Orders.
• Input operational data and route plans into the Tractor control system.
• Conduct formal verbal handovers and manage remote activation/deactivation procedures with on-site staff.
• Monitor real-time data, including machine status, video feeds, GNSS accuracy, and environmental conditions, and take appropriate action when required.
• Identify, report, and elevate system anomalies, safety risks, or unexpected operational conditions.
• Maintain accurate digital records of operations for compliance, traceability, and customer reporting.
• Follow established operating procedures while contributing feedback to improve safety, efficiency, and user experience.

Requirements

We’re looking for someone who’s curious, capable, and motivated to help shape a rapidly changing industry.

You’ll thrive in this role if you have:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• A methodical, process-driven mindset
• A safety-first attitude and awareness of the risks involved in remote machine operation
• The ability to remain calm and analytical under pressure
• A genuine interest in technology and broadacre agriculture
• A desire to grow with a high-performance team in a fast-moving company

Experience in any of these areas is highly valued:

• Broadacre agricultural machinery operation or farm management
• Precision agriculture or ag-tech systems
• Remote operations (e.g. mining, energy, logistics, or control room environments)
• Automation, robotics, or industrial systems

Benefits

• Be part of an early-stage team where your work will directly shape how the company scales.
• Exposure to work across operations, product, engineering, safety, and customer delivery.
• Be part of an inner city Melbourne-based team building technology for one of Australia’s most important industries.

What success looks like

Success in this role means running remote operations safely, confidently, staying calm and methodical when alerts and interventions come up and building strong relationships with on-farm teams.

Remuneration

This is a casual position with a competitive hourly rate. Hours are rostered according to seasonal demand, with our peak period falling during Harvest in October and November.