Senior Electrical Engineer, Controls

Senior Electrical Engineer, ControlsWe are seeking Senior Electrical Engineer, Controls to own the design, development, and deployment of the instrumentation and controls of our heat-to-electricity ORC products. You will collaborate closely with the systems and turbomachinery teams to translate CONOPS, safety, and system performance requirements into instrumentation hardware procurement decisions and software control schemes. This role will also be part of the commissioning team, including factory acceptance testing and onsite deployments at customer sites.

This is a full-time, on-site position located in our Hawthorne, CA facility.Responsibilities:Architect, develop, and commission PLC-based control systems for ORC power plant processes including working fluid pumps, air-cooled condensers, heat exchangers, and auxiliary systemsDesign and implement HMI and SCADA applications providing operators with clear process visibility, alarm management, and control functionalityDevelop control strategies for key process loops including pressure control, working fluid flow regulation, heat source management, and startup/shutdown sequencingSpecify, select, and integrate field instrumentation including pressure transmitters, flow meters, temperature transmitters, and level devicesDesign and lay out industrial electrical control panels compliant with NEC, NFPA 79, and UL 508A, manage panel builds, field wiring, and loop checkoutImplement and maintain safety instrumented functions per IEC 61511 principles including SIL verification, cause and effect matrix development, and SIS logic implementationIntegrate plant devices across industrial communication protocols including EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, DNP3, and OPC-UADevelop and maintain controls documentation including I/O lists, network architecture diagrams, functional descriptions, cause and effect matrices, and FAT/SAT proceduresSupport factory acceptance testing and field commissioning of control systems for future plant deploymentsCollaborate with electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering teams to ensure controls architecture supports plant performance, safety, and reliability requirementsContribute to development of controls standards, templates, and reusable code libraries to drive consistency across future plant designsRequired Qualifications:Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field5+ years of hands-on experience designing, programming, and commissioning industrial control systemsDemonstrated PLC programming experience: Beckhoff, Allen-Bradley or Siemens acceptableExperience with Structured Text (ST) or similar IEC 61131-3 standard languageExperience developing HMI and SCADA applications from scratch with emphasis on operator usability and alarm rationalizationProficiency reading and producing electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and P&IDsExperience with industrial fieldbus and communication protocols (EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, OPC-UA, or equivalent)Familiarity with NEC, NFPA 79, and UL 508A for industrial control panel designStrong first-principles analytical and troubleshooting skills, able to debug complex system interactions across mechanical, electrical, and software domainsHighly self-motivated with demonstrated ability to drive tasks to completion with minimal supervision in a fast-paced startup environmentPreferred Qualifications:Experience with ORC, geothermal, Rankine-cycle, or other power generation systemsExperience with VFD-driven motor systems including tuning, commissioning, and integration with PLC control loopsFamiliarity with IEC 61511 safety instrumented systems and SIL classificationExperience with data historian platforms and process data infrastructurePython experience for data acquisition, analysis, or PLC/SCADA integrationExperience with AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN for controls documentationExposure to API 670 machinery protection systemsExperience supporting hardware bring-up, FAT, SAT, and commissioning in field environmentsNFPA 70E electrical safety certificationCompensation:Base salary ranges from $140-200k per annumEquity options100% company-covered Platinum or HD/HSA (with company contribution) medical100% company-covered dental and visionFlexible Spending Account (FSA)401k retirement optionsDaily catered lunchFree EV chargingSeveral annual social and team building outings