Sr. Controls Engineer - OT SCADA Projects

Terabase Energy•Berkeley, CA

4d•$150,000 - $190,000•Remote

About The Position

At Terabase Energy, we believe that digitalization and automation will drive the next wave of innovation and cost reduction in large scale solar. To fully unlock the potential of this opportunity, Terabase is developing an interconnected software and construction automation platform. We work alongside project developers, owners, and engineering & construction firms to support the design, optimization, and construction of huge solar projects around the world. Our team is a blend of solar-industry veterans and newbies, thought-leaders, dreamers, software, electrical and mechanical engineers, coders, product managers, project managers, and sales and marketing professionals. We are based in Northern California, with several other offices in the United States and around the world. If all of this piques your interest, we’d love to hear from you! The Sr. Controls Engineer – OT SCADA Projects leads the design, configuration, commissioning, and support of plant control systems for utility-scale solar, storage, and hybrid renewable energy projects. This engineer works with minimal oversight, applies expert knowledge of grid functionality and Utility/ISO standards, mentors junior engineers, and contributes to product standards. Approximately 80% of this role is project execution, while up to 20% is continuous improvement and product development.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Control Systems, Computer Science, or related field
5+ years of IEC 61131-3/PLC programming experience, preferably in Codesys or AcSELerator environment
3+ years of utility-scale renewable power plant controls experience (solar, BESS, or hybrid), including project-specific development work, Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), commissioning and Site Acceptance Test (SAT)
Expert IEC 61131-3 programming; primary tooling is AcSELerator (SEL controllers) and Codesys, including Diagram Builder, traces, breakpoints, and watch lists
Extensive knowledge of industrial protocols: Modbus-TCP, DNP3, OPC-UA, C37.118, etc.
Expert knowledge of grid functionality: Primary Frequency Response (PFR), Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), Active/Reactive power closed loop control, and capacitor bank functionality – including the underlying grid rationale, not just controller behavior
Proficiency with Utility/ISO testing and interconnection requirements (ERCOT, PJM, BPA, IEEE 2800, NERC, etc.)
Experience with Power Plant Controller (PPC) design, configuration, and commissioning
Familiarity with PSCAD, PSSE, and/or TSAT modeling processes for utility-scale sites
Experience with hardware in the loop (HIL) hardware, such as RTDS, OPAL-RT, Speedgoat, Typhoon, etc.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end controls design for utility-scale solar, BESS, and hybrid projects, including review of the project scope to identify project-specific requirements and deviations from the standard Terabase controls product offering.
Program and commission SEL controllers using AcSELerator; develop control logic in Codesys using IEC 61131-3 structured text and continuous function charts
Follow the controls development process for any project-specific development work, including documentation of requirements, logic development, testing in a simulated/lab environment and documentation of test results.
Implement and validate closed-loop Active Power and Reactive Power, AVR and PFR Algorithms
Maintain version control for all code artifacts according to established version control procedure (Bitbucket)
Efficiently troubleshoot complex SCADA and controls issues using Wireshark, breakpoints, cross-reference, and watch list tools
Produce project deliverables: System Architecture Diagrams, Control Narratives, Logic Diagrams, commissioning documents, and operator manuals
Contribute to new feature development and bug fixes in collaboration with the Product Engineering team
Review documentation prepared by junior controls engineers (technical and non-technical)
Lead the Continuous Improvement and Lessons Learned program, feed field insights back into product standards and templates
Coach junior engineers through FAT preparation and customer-facing presentation
Serve as primary controls technical contact for EPCs, asset owners, and grid operators through project execution, FAT, and commissioning
Lead FATs as formal presentations; communicate to non-technical audiences with supporting materials prepared in advance
Flag technical risks and schedule pressures to project management team with context and proposed solutions
Maintain Jira tickets daily with thorough detail; enforce Jira best practices with junior engineers