Senior Controls Engineer, Electrical & Instrumentation

About the role

We are looking for a senior-level controls engineer to join the Manufacturing Control and Execution Systems - Electrical & Instrumentation team. In this role, you will be responsible for the design, development, and deployment of novel equipment used to manufacture Form Energy’s Iron-Air battery. This role offers an exciting opportunity to be part of a mission-critical team that owns control and execution systems throughout their lifecycle, including design, development, deployment, and sustaining.

Reporting to our Senior Controls Engineering Manager, Manufacturing Control and Execution Systems, you will be part of a quickly-growing team. You will lead efforts to design and develop innovative solutions as we deploy manufacturing equipment control and execution systems and make continuous improvements to our equipment, processes, and systems.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for design, development, and deployment of industrial control and execution systems under the direction of staff-level electrical & instrumentation controls engineers.
• Serve as a technical lead on Electrical & Instrumentation projects, coordinating with controls engineers for Automation, Robotics & Vision, and SCADA to assure all technical requirements are met on budget and on schedule.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less experienced electrical & instrumentation controls engineers.
• After escalation from our sustaining team, provide electrical & instrumentation support for the production operations and maintenance departments, including troubleshooting controls, electrical issues, and problem resolution as they relate to equipment and process downtime, throughput improvement, and/or any safety concerns.
• Rotating on-call responsibilities for off-hour escalations from our sustaining team.
• Work directly with equipment vendors to assure they are following Form Energy Equipment Standards to deliver quality control systems, including executing FATs at vendor sites and SATs at Form Factory 1.
• Execution of internal projects, as directed by staff controls engineers, including development of electrical schematics, instrumentation selection, and functional safety design and integration with PLCs, Robotics, Vision, SCADA, and MES.
• Utilize input from production, maintenance supervisors, operators, vendors, and service providers to provide troubleshooting assistance and make improvements.
• Responsible for following and assuring team members comply with all Safety and Environmental policies and procedures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Significant Electrical & Instrumentation experience in a Manufacturing Environment.
• 6+ years of applied experience designing and troubleshooting industrial control systems in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Advanced PLC proficiency in Siemens TIA-Portal and Rockwell Studio 5000, with the ability to program and execute independently.
• Practical experience with SCADA and HMI platforms, specifically Ignition Perspective, Siemens WinCC, or Rockwell FTView.
• Strong technical foundation in functional safety programming, including ProfiSafe and CIP Safety protocols.
• Expertise in reading, interpreting, and redlining complex electrical schematics and using data tools like iba or Octoplant for system analysis.
• Familiarity with integrating vision systems and barcode scanners, such as Keyence or Cognex, into automated workflows.
• Excellent technical communication skills and the ability to translate complex controls concepts for diverse audiences.
• Pragmatic problem-solving skills and a commitment to intellectual rigor when tackling first-of-a-kind automation challenges.
• Thriving on complexity and maintaining a low-ego, collaborative approach within a fast-paced, mission-driven team.
• Intellectual curiosity and a drive to stay at the forefront of industrial automation and control technology.

Where You'll Work

This role is based at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, WV—an easy commute from the city of Pittsburgh, PA. This 550,000-square-foot facility is our hub for high-volume battery production and a leader in the new era of American energy manufacturing. Relocation assistance is available.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and stock options.
• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees, and 80% coverage for dependents starting from day one.
• At least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents).
• Generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge.