Robotics & Controls Engineer

Location: Zurich or Europe

Employment type: Full-time 100%

About PREEN

PREEN Technologies is a Swiss robotics company pioneering the world’s first AI-powered, touchless car wash system. Our technology is already deployed with real customers, validating both the demand and the impact of our solution.

We are building the platform that will enable global rollout: combining computer vision, robotics, distributed systems, and cloud services into a robust, scalable system. Beyond technology, we are driven by sustainability, enabling car care that uses less water, fewer chemicals, and smarter energy consumption.

Our mission is to deliver a car wash experience that is faster, smarter, and truly touchless, setting a new standard for both vehicle care and environmental responsibility.

As we scale, we are growing our core engineering team to meet the demands of our clients.

Role overview

We are looking for a Robotics & Controls Engineer to own the industrial automation core of our washbay: the 7-axis robot system and the PLC. You will work across the full automation stack of the machine:

  • Setting up, calibrating and configuring our 7-axis robot system

  • Optimising robot motion for speed, smoothness and collision avoidance around vehicles

  • Programming the PLC that sequences and safeguards the washbay

This is a highly hands-on role. A commissioning team executes installations in the field and our software team builds on top of your work, but you are the engineering authority who hands them a safe, well-characterised machine.

Key responsibilities

  • Set up and configure our 7-axis robot system: user and tool frame calibration, TCP and payload definition, joint, workspace and zone limits

  • Define and maintain the safe operating envelope handed to the software team: software limits, speed and acceleration constraints, allowed motion regions

  • Optimise robot motion for a confined washbay around vehicles: acceleration and speed profiles, cycle time, smoothness, collision avoidance

  • Own PLC programming for the washbay: sequencing, I/O, interlocks, fault handling, and the interface to our higher-level software stack

  • Contribute to the machine’s safety concept and its CE certification, working alongside external safety expertise

  • Support the commissioning team remotely and on site for first-of-kind installations, and feed what you learn back into the standard machine configuration

  • Collaborate closely with the software team on the robot/PLC interface: state machines, handshakes, fault recovery, telemetry and logging

Responsibilities

Must-have

  • 5+ years professional experience in industrial automation, covering both industrial robots and PLC programming

  • Hands-on experience with at least one major robot vendor (ABB, FANUC, KUKA, …): frames, calibration, configuration, motion tuning

  • Solid IEC 61131-3 PLC programming and industrial communication experience: OPC UA and fieldbuses (POWERLINK, EtherCAT, PROFINET, etc.)

  • Working knowledge of machine safety: safety PLCs, interlocks, safe speed and zone monitoring, e-stop circuits

  • Comfortable working directly on the machine: you measure, test and tune at the robot, not just offline

  • Hands-on, problem-solving mindset, proactive and autonomous

  • Fluent English

Nice-to-have

  • Experience with CE marking of machinery, including work with notified bodies or safety consultants

  • Exposure to URDF or other robot description formats, simulation or digital twins; ROS welcome

  • Experience with Siemens and/or B&R ecosystems

  • Experience with 3D CAD software (e.g. FUSION 360)

  • Experience integrating industrial sensors into machine control, from standard I/O sensors to laser and 3D vision systems

  • Experience with machinery in wet or harsh environments

What we offer

  • Direct impact: the motion you tune and the logic you write will run on real robots washing real cars, you’ll see your work in the physical world, not just in dashboards

  • Breadth of challenges: from robot kinematics and motion optimisation to PLC programming to machine safety, you’ll touch the whole machine, not just one corner of it

  • Ownership & influence: in a small team, your decisions will directly shape the machine, its safety concept, and our engineering practices

  • Young, motivated team: work side by side with passionate engineers who care about building, not politics. Everyone rolls up their sleeves and contributes

Apply