Senior Controls Engineer
About The Position
Oxylus Energy is a climate-tech company developing electrochemical technology that converts carbon dioxide into carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals. The Senior Controls Engineer will lead the electronics, sensing, controls, and automation strategy for the company’s electrolyzer test stations and balance-of-stack systems. This role defines the controls architecture and standards and owns integration of the electrolyzer stack with surrounding unit operations, including CO₂ supply and conditioning, gas separation, and water and thermal management, as the company scales from laboratory test stations to pilot-scale systems. The position is hands-on and includes designing, building, commissioning, and troubleshooting systems in the lab, while also setting technical direction, leading safety reviews, and mentoring engineers. Since the systems conduct long-duration experiments with pressurized and hazardous gases, including CO, reliable automation and robust safety design are central to the work. The engineer collaborates with electrochemists, materials scientists, mechanical engineers, and company leadership to ensure controls infrastructure supports the company’s technology.
Requirements
- Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field, with one of the following experience combinations: B.S. and 7+ years of relevant experience; M.S. and 5+ years; or Ph.D. and 2+ years.
- Track record of leading control and automation systems through design, build, commissioning, and operation.
- Deep hands-on experience with electrical design, panel building, and wiring.
- Strong programming experience with PLCs, microcontrollers, Python, or similar control and data acquisition platforms.
- Experience with industrial instrumentation and communication protocols such as Modbus, OPC UA, or Ethernet/IP.
- Experience designing safety systems for pressurized, flammable, or toxic gas processes.
- Ability to create and review electrical schematics and P&IDs.
- Experience mentoring engineers or leading small technical teams.
- Strong attention to detail, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
- Must be willing to relocate to the Bridgeport/Stamford area within one year of the start date.
Nice To Haves
- Experience automating electrolyzer, fuel cell, or battery test systems, or scaling them to pilot plants.
- Experience integrating potentiostats or high-current DC power supplies.
- Familiarity with electrical and safety standards such as NFPA 70 (NEC), NFPA 79, UL 508A, or IEC 61511 (functional safety).
- Experience with SCADA or HMI development and cloud data pipelines.
- Experience with process control in chemical or gas-handling plants.
Responsibilities
- Define and own controls architecture, hardware standards, and software practices across test stations and balance-of-stack systems.
- Lead the design, build, and commissioning of electronics, instrumentation, control panels, and automation from laboratory stations to pilot-scale systems.
- Lead electrolyzer-stack integration with upstream and downstream unit operations, including control strategy, process interlocks, and system-level data acquisition.
- Specify and integrate instrumentation such as mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, back-pressure regulators, thermocouples, gas detectors, pumps, valves, and high-current DC power supplies.
- Develop and review control software and logic using PLCs, microcontrollers, Python, or similar platforms, including flow, pressure, temperature, and current control loops.
- Own safety-system design, including interlocks, alarms, emergency shutdowns, and gas detection, and lead hazard analyses such as HAZOP or What-If reviews.
- Build scalable data acquisition and logging systems that produce consistent, high-quality data and integrate with cloud data infrastructure.
- Enable unattended, long-duration operation through automated test sequences, fault handling, and remote monitoring.
- Manage vendors, integrators, and electrical contractors, and ensure compliance with applicable electrical and safety codes.
- Mentor junior engineers and technicians, review their designs and code, and help grow the controls function.
- Present technical plans, risks, and results to the engineering team and leadership.
Benefits
- Competitive salary.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Paid sick days and vacation.
- 401k match.
- A diverse and inclusive work environment.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
