Industrial PLC and Safety Controls Engineer

AMAX•Fremont, CA

22d

About The Position

AMAX is seeking an Industrial PLC & Safety Controls Engineer to design, build, program, and validate industrial electrical control and safety systems, including PLCs, safety relays, contactors, and power distribution components. The role includes implementing SIL 3 safety functions and developing, programming, and testing microcontroller-based printed circuit boards (PCBs). The engineer will develop and document industrial control systems and embedded electronics, build and commission electrical control panels, and conduct functional, fault-response, and safety validation testing. The position requires documenting designs, test procedures, and results and ensuring compliance with applicable industrial safety standards. AMAX describes itself as a global provider of GPU-accelerated IT infrastructure, serving industries including AI, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, and high-performance computing. The company has a global footprint across North America, Europe, and Asia and provides services from design and manufacturing to deployment.

Requirements

Degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
Hands-on experience with industrial PLC programming, electrical control panel design, assembly, and commissioning.
Demonstrated knowledge and implementation experience with SIL 3 safety requirements, including safety architectures, diagnostics, verification, and validation.
Strong understanding of electrical safety circuits, power switching, contactor monitoring, interlocks, and emergency-stop systems.
Experience with industrial automation platforms such as Siemens, Allen-Bradley, or Beckhoff.
Proficiency in electrical CAD tools such as EPLAN or AutoCAD Electrical, and familiarity with PCB design tools such as Altium Designer or KiCad.
Practical experience with microcontroller-based circuit design, PCB prototyping, embedded programming in C/C++, and I²C and SPI communication.
Proficiency with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and other electrical test equipment.
Ability to independently design, assemble, program, troubleshoot, and validate industrial control systems and embedded electronics.

Responsibilities

Design industrial PLC-based control and functional safety circuits, including safety functions that meet SIL 3 requirements.
Develop electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and control panel layouts.
Select and integrate electrical components, including contactors, relays, circuit breakers, power supplies, and safety devices.
Program and configure PLCs and safety PLCs, including interlocks, emergency-stop functions, diagnostics, and fault handling.
Build, wire, troubleshoot, and commission electrical control panels.
Develop schematics and PCB layouts for microcontroller-based control, monitoring, and interface applications.
Assemble and bring up PCB prototypes, perform hardware debugging, and verify circuit performance.
Develop and test embedded firmware and communication interfaces, including I²C and SPI.
Perform functional testing, fault-response testing, and safety validation; document designs, test procedures, and results.
Ensure compliance with applicable standards, including IEC 60204-1, ISO 13849, IEC 62061, and NFPA 79.