Senior Instrumentation and Controls Test Engineer

Aalo Atomics•Austin, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Aalo Atomics is hiring a Senior Instrumentation and Controls Test Engineer to develop measurement, control, and automation systems supporting experimental hardware, software, and reactor development. The role turns test requirements into reliable instrumentation and repeatable control behavior that produce trustworthy engineering data. This is a hands-on position owning instrumentation and controls for component, subsystem, and integrated-system testing, from benchtop setups to automated test stands. The engineer collaborates with test, electrical, software, mechanical, and systems engineers, as well as manufacturing, operations, and EHS, to commission and support test equipment. The role is based on-site in Austin, Texas. Candidates must be based in the United States and willing to work on-site. Work takes place in laboratories and development facilities and includes installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and test support under applicable safety procedures and controls. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Requirements

Degree in an engineering discipline, such as electrical, nuclear, or control systems engineering, or a related field.
At least five years of relevant, hands-on engineering experience with instrumentation, controls, automation, or integrated test systems.
Practical experience selecting and integrating sensors, signal conditioning, and data acquisition for physical experiments or industrial equipment.
Experience developing and troubleshooting PLC-based or comparable industrial controls, including I/O, HMIs, control-loop behavior, and equipment dynamics.
Demonstrated experience authoring and executing formal test protocols and preparing technical reports within a controlled documentation process, including requirements traceability, revision control, deviation documentation, and evidence-based acceptance decisions.
Ability to interpret and produce wiring diagrams and instrumentation documentation, work hands-on with integrated hardware, and troubleshoot industrial networks and communications between instruments, controllers, and data systems.
Understanding of calibration, measurement accuracy, sampling, uncertainty, and how operating conditions and failure modes affect recorded data.
Background in design of experiments, root-cause analysis, uncertainty analysis, or reliability-focused testing.
Ability to turn incomplete test requirements into functioning, documented systems and diagnose hardware, software, and interface problems during commissioning and operation.
Ability to implement and verify controls and interlocks from defined requirements and work safely with electrical hardware, moving equipment, and other test-system hazards.
Clear technical documentation, effective collaboration with engineers and technicians, and ownership through procurement constraints, integration failures, and changing priorities.
Must be based in the United States and willing to work on-site in Austin, Texas.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Person in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.

Nice To Haves

Experience with LabVIEW, Python-based test automation, or custom instrumentation software.
Experience with simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or dynamic models used to validate test controls before integrated operation.
Experience with distributed control systems (DCS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), or integration of these systems with test equipment.
Experience developing instrumentation and automation for performance, endurance, environmental, or fault-response testing of components and integrated systems.
Experience producing controlled test evidence in nuclear or other high-reliability environments, including qualification testing, nuclear quality assurance, or commercial grade dedication (CGD).
Familiarity with industrial control-system cybersecurity practices for connected test equipment.
Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE), advanced control algorithms, or smart sensor integration.

Responsibilities

Translate test objectives and operating conditions into measurement and control requirements, including sensor ranges, accuracy, response time, sampling, and data-recording needs.
Develop test methods and procedures that map engineering requirements to measurable acceptance criteria, defining prerequisites, equipment configurations, instrumentation and calibration needs, and required data.
Develop and maintain testing procedures for consistent execution and audit readiness.
Select and integrate sensors, signal conditioning, embedded instrumentation, and data acquisition for required physical parameters.
Design and document instrument layouts, I/O assignments, wiring, and interfaces; coordinate enclosures, installation, grounding, shielding, and instrument access with engineering and fabrication teams.
Develop PLC logic, HMIs, control sequences, and test automation; configure and tune control loops for stable operation across test conditions while accounting for equipment dynamics and response.
Implement alarms, permissives, interlocks, and shutdown behavior defined by operating requirements and hazard reviews, and verify behavior during commissioning and after relevant changes.
Plan and execute commissioning and, where applicable, factory and site acceptance testing of test-system hardware and software; perform calibration, loop, I/O, and functional checks against documented requirements and acceptance criteria.
Use simulation, modeled inputs, or hardware-in-the-loop methods as appropriate to verify control sequences, interlocks, and abnormal-condition responses before operating integrated hardware; record results and resolve discrepancies.
Build reliable data-acquisition and logging workflows, including timestamps, channel identification, units, and configuration records that trace test results to operating conditions.
Troubleshoot sensors, wiring, signal noise, industrial networks, communications, control behavior, and acquisition problems; distinguish instrumentation errors and control-system faults from behavior of the equipment under test.
Support test execution and data interpretation, evaluate measurement uncertainty, and recommend improvements to instrumentation, controls, or follow-on experiments.
Maintain requirements, schematics, I/O lists, software revisions, calibration records, and test results; trace control-system changes to verification evidence and define and resolve technical interfaces with vendors and system integrators.
Develop reusable instrumentation and automation approaches that improve test throughput and support later validation, qualification, and production-support testing.