Instrumentation and Controls Engineer - PLC Focus

About the role

In this role you would serve as an Instrumentation & Control Engineer working closely with engineers and technical staff and researchers to design, deploy and operate systems used for control and protection of engineering systems for plasma experiments at PPPL as well as both international and national collaborations. This position will support the design, development, testing and operational phases of projects undertaken at PPPL. It will require the successful candidate to work closely with scientific and other engineering and technical staff to develop novel solutions in support of such projects. A U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory managed by Princeton University, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is tackling the world’s toughest science and technology challenges using plasma, the fourth state of matter. With more than 70 years of history, PPPL is a leader in the science and engineering behind the development of fusion energy, a potentially limitless energy source. PPPL is also using its expertise to advance research in the areas of microelectronics, quantum sensors and devices, and sustainability sciences. Whether it be through science, engineering, technology or professional services, every team member has an opportunity to contribute to our mission and vision. Come join us!

Requisition # 2026-22277 • Posted 3 days ago (9/22/2026 9:56 AM)

Responsibilities

• Design, Maintain and Support instrumentation and control systems: 60%
• Daily operation and maintenance of Control and Monitoring Systems: 15%
• Develop Diagrams, Drawings and Documentation for systems developed: 10%
• Apply controls theory to refine and improve the design of legacy and new systems: 15%
• Hands‑on work to test systems, diagnose failures and render repairs if needed.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: BS or above in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related discipline.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Diversified knowledge of principles and practices in engineering instrumentation & control systems.
  • Familiarity with technology commonplace in the instrumentation and control space, including software, design tools and underlying operating systems like MS Windows and Linux.
  • Team player with the ability to communicate ideas effectively to others with varying levels of technical skills and work with a diverse set of scientists, engineers and technical staff.
  • Communicate designs through presentations and comfortable providing material for reviews.
  • Experience with hardware interfacing and control, including signal conditioning.
  • Experience with PLC device families including Allen‑Bradley, Siemens in new and legacy systems.
  • Creation and interpretation of PLC programs in Limited‑Variability‑Language (LVL), e.g. ladder logic, function block diagram, and sequential function chart.
  • Development of operator HMIs including screens, alarm servers, and data historians.
  • Application of controls theory on the design and tuning of fast and slow systems.
  • Software version control and configuration management.
  • Knowledge of communication protocols such as TCP, UDP, Modbus, OPC.
  • Requirements definition, creation of hardware and software design documents, test design and system integration.
  • Experience with Safety Systems design, programming, and maintenance per IEC‑61511/61508.
  • Experience with SCADA programs such as EPICS.
  • Ability to derive novel control solutions from customer requirements or system documentation.
  • HMI design per guidance in ISA‑101 “Human‑Machine Interfaces.”
  • Experience migrating legacy control systems to modern hardware and software.
  • Electrically safe work