Automation & Controls Engineer, Functional Safety

General Matter enriches uranium, designing, building, and operating the world’s lowest-cost enrichment services in the US. We are restoring America’s ability to produce nuclear fuel to power AI, advanced manufacturing, and critical industries. Our mission is to make nuclear energy the cleanest, safest, and most affordable source of baseload power, driving a nuclear Renaissance and enabling a post-scarcity society. Backed by top venture capital firms and incubated inside Founders Fund, we are a lean, world-class team applying a first-principles approach to nuclear fuel production with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency.

About the role

We’re looking for an Automation & Controls Engineer focused on Functional Safety to own the safety-critical controls systems that support our industrial operations. In this role, you will serve as the functional safety expert for electrical panels, PLC deployments, instrumentation, interlocks, and safety instrumented systems, ensuring each system is designed, documented, tested, and commissioned in accordance with applicable safety standards and regulatory requirements. You will collaborate with electrical, mechanical, process, nuclear, operations, and safety teams to translate hazardous-process requirements into reliable controls architectures, validated shutdown logic, and field-ready systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, specify, and commission PLC, HMI, SCADA, instrumentation, and safety instrumented systems for hazardous industrial equipment.
• Lead functional safety lifecycle activities, including hazard analysis, SIL determination, SRS development, verification, validation, and proof testing.
• Develop controls architecture, interlocks, permissives, shutdown logic, cause-and-effect matrices, and alarm strategies.
• Support design reviews, HAZOPs, LOPAs, FAT/SAT, commissioning, troubleshooting, and operational readiness.
• Produce clear engineering documentation for regulated, safety-critical systems, including requirements, test plans, drawings, and change records.
• Work cross-functionally with mechanical, electrical, process, nuclear, operations, and safety teams to deliver reliable facility systems.

Requirements

• Working knowledge of functional safety standards such as IEC 61508, IEC 61511, ISA 84, or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Controls, Chemical, Mechanical, Nuclear Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience designing, commissioning, or maintaining industrial automation and control systems.
• Hands-on experience with PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, industrial networks, instrumentation, and control panels.
• Experience developing and validating interlocks, safety functions, trip logic, and shutdown systems for hazardous processes.
• Ability to work on-site with high-hazard equipment and controlled facility environments.
• Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary.

Skills

• TÜV Functional Safety Engineer certification or equivalent functional safety credential.
• Experience with uranium processing, nuclear facilities, chemical plants, test stands, or other high-consequence industrial systems.
• Familiarity with NFPA 70 / NEC, UL 508A industrial control panel requirements, panel listing practices, SCCR, grounding, overcurrent protection, and field installation code compliance.
• Familiarity with HAZOP, LOPA, SIL verification, FMEA, fault tree analysis, and management of change.
• Knowledge of electrical codes, hazardous locations, machine safety, pressure systems, and facility safety practices.
• Strong bias toward rigorous engineering, field execution, documentation, and operational ownership.

Pay

The base salary range for this role is $100,000–$200,000 annually. Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities, and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options.

Benefits

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• Access to a 401(k) retirement plan.