Senior Project Engineer - FurrowMate

Loam Bio; Orange City Council; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal Learning Budget

Flexible Work Environment

Remote work options

Training and Development

Job summary

Loam Bio is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to own FurrowMate across its hardware lifecycle, collaborating with Product Development, Sales, and external partners. You will ensure reliability, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness while advancing on-farm installation and safety compliance in Australian standards.

You will lead mechanical design, manage manufacturing, installation, and field support, and drive improvements through design revisions, documentation, and cross-functional

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project engineering or product design experience in manufacturing or hardware.
• Hands-on experience with agricultural machinery; air seeder operations preferred.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and design-for-manufacture with a production-ready portfolio.
• Experience managing external fabricators and suppliers from spec to QA.
• Strong safety-in-design practices and certification awareness.
• Clear technical communication through reports and docs.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical design of FurrowMate units from concept to production.
• Manage unit manufacturing with external partners including specs, quotes, QA, and delivery timelines.
• Lead installation and commissioning on grower seeding equipment across models.
• Apply safety-in-design across all work and ensure compliance with Australian standards.
• Run product improvement loop: triage issues and implement design changes.
• Produce and maintain engineering documentation (requirements, BOMs, drawings, manuals).
• Support Sales and Customer Operations with pre-sale fitments and post-sale support.
• Manage engineering work packages to budget and schedule.
• Perform other duties up to 10% of time.

Skills

5+ years experience

Air seeder operations

Technical communication

Willingness to travel

Driver's license

Education

Degree in mechanical/mechatronic/agricultural engineering

Mechanical trade qualification

Tools

3D CAD

Design-for-manufacture

Job description

Loam's mission is to help farmers build stable soil carbon with microbial technology. FurrowMate is how that technology reaches the soil at scale - and this role makes the hardware dependable, manufacturable, and practical for growers, so CarbonBuilder can reach millions of hectares.

As a team of scientists, farmers, and entrepreneurs, we are on a mission to revolutionise agriculture and address climate change. Through our cutting-edge microbial technology, we are enhancing soil health, boosting crop yields, and sequestering carbon to create a sustainable future for farming. We are committed to empowering farmers and promoting regenerative practices that benefit both the environment and their bottom line.

As a fast-growing agricultural startup, Loam offers a dynamic and collaborative work environment where innovation and passion thrive. We embrace diversity and believe that our collective expertise and shared commitment can make a significant impact on the global agricultural landscape.

About the Role

The Senior Project Engineer owns FurrowMate, Loam's air-injection delivery system for seeding-time microbial application, across its full hardware lifecycle: design, manufacturing, and on-farm installation. The role works closely with Product Development, Sales, external fabrication and installation partners. The role exists because FurrowMate's reliability, unit cost, and ease of installation directly drive CarbonBuilder adoption.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical design of FurrowMate units - concept, detailed design, tolerances, materials selection, and design-for-manufacture - so each unit generation is more reliable, manufacturable, and cost-effective than the last.
• Manage unit manufacturing with external fabrication partners, including technical specifications, quotations, quality inspection, and delivery timelines, so units arrive on schedule and to spec.
• Lead installation and commissioning on grower seeding equipment across makes and models, ensuring safe fitment, correct operation, and clean handover to operators.
• Apply safety-in-design across all work: hazard identification, risk assessment, guarding, and compliance with relevant Australian machinery and electrical standards.
• Run the product improvement loop: triage field issues, identify root cause, and translate findings into design revisions and manufacturing changes.
• Produce and maintain engineering documentation - functional requirements, BOMs, assembly drawings, operator manuals, and installation guides - so FurrowMate knowledge is institutional, not personal.
• Support Sales and Customer Operations with pre-sale fitment assessments and post-sale technical support.
• Manage engineering work packages to budget and schedule, including procurement, contractor coordination, and reporting to leadership.
• Other duties as assigned, capped at under 10% of the role's time.

Requirements

• Degree in mechanical, mechatronic, or agricultural engineering - or a mechanical trade qualification with demonstrated design and project delivery experience.
• 5+ years of project engineering or product design experience in a manufacturing or hardware environment.
• Hands-on experience with agricultural machinery; air seeder operations experience strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD and design-for-manufacture, with a portfolio of designs that reached production.
• Demonstrated management of external fabricators and suppliers, from specification through quality acceptance.
• Working command of safety-in-design principles and a genuine safety-first track record.
• Clear technical communication: reports, specifications, and documentation that others can build from.
• Australian driver's licence and willingness to travel to grower sites, including interstate travel.
• Experience with bulk-solids or powder handling, metering, or pneumatic conveying systems.
• Exposure to sensors, instrumentation, or control systems on mobile machinery.
• Trade background (fitting, machining, welding) alongside engineering experience.
• Familiarity with Australian agricultural machinery standards and on-farm work health and safety.
• Personal Learning Budget: Support for professional development and continuous growth.
• Flexible Work Environment: Options for remote work to support work-life balance.
• Impactful Work: Contribute to global efforts in environmental sustainability and agriculture.
• Training and Development: Access to a personal development plan with ongoing training opportunities.

Why You Should Join Us

At Loam, we’re tackling some of the most pressing challenges of our time with a passionate team dedicated to making a real difference. If you’re eager to apply your skills to a mission that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

Loam Bio is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic.