Controls and Automation Engineer

Phoenix Tailings • Rochester, NY

1d

About The Position

Phoenix Tailings is seeking controls and automation professionals interested in future opportunities at its Rochester Freedom Facility, a commercial-scale rare earth separation facility being developed to expand U.S. processing capacity. As the facility progresses toward operations in 2027 and 2028, the Controls and Automation team will help keep plant measurement and control systems accurate, available, and useful to operations. The work supports PLCs, HMIs, alarms, sensors, and instrumentation, solving control logic and communications problems and helping operators rely on the information and systems used to run the plant. This posting is intended to connect with potential candidates; hiring timelines, responsibilities, qualifications, and organizational needs may evolve as the facility develops.

Requirements

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field, or relevant technical training with equivalent industrial automation experience.
• Hands-on experience programming or troubleshooting PLCs and supporting HMI or SCADA applications, including alarms, trends, and operator interfaces.
• Working knowledge of process instrumentation, sensor calibration, field wiring, and industrial communications used to monitor and control plant equipment.
• Ability to perform equipment checkout and commissioning tests, read electrical or control drawings, and document faults and system changes clearly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and support PLC logic, HMI displays, alarms, and operating trends that give operators reliable visibility and control of the separations process.
• Verify sensors, instrumentation, field wiring, and process signals through calibration checks, input/output checkout, and commissioning tests.
• Troubleshoot control logic, industrial communications, and instrument problems by comparing system data with field conditions to identify underlying faults.
• Support equipment checkout and startup with operations and IT, testing automated responses and clarifying ownership of plant-network and control-system issues.
• Maintain control narratives, instrument records, input/output lists, and as-built documentation so changes can be understood, maintained, and safely supported.

Benefits

• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employee.
• Stock options and ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
• Unlimited PTO.
• Learning and development opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time