Staff Control Systems Engineer, Safety & Interlock Systems

Thea Energy•Kearny, NJ

2d•$180,000 - $230,000

About The Position

Thea Energy is developing a commercial fusion energy approach based on computer-controlled arrays of planar coils, with the goal of creating a zero-emission energy source. The Staff Control Systems Engineer will develop PLC-based and hardwired controls for personnel access, equipment permissives, interlocks, and protective shutdown functions. The work spans requirements definition, electrical and software design, hardware integration, testing, commissioning, and operational support, in collaboration with controls engineers, subsystem owners, physics, operations, and safety specialists. As Eos progresses through design and construction, the engineer will help develop reusable PLC software, electrical designs, interface specifications, and test methods for consistent implementation across plant systems. This is a hands-on role requiring controls development and troubleshooting skills, practical experience with safety-rated hardware, and sound judgment in applying functional safety requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, controls engineering, automation, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
Typically 8 or more years of relevant controls or electrical engineering experience, including hands-on design, programming, integration, and commissioning of PLC-based control systems with safety or interlock functions.
Demonstrated experience delivering controls for personnel access, interlocks, or protective shutdown systems in fusion facilities, particle accelerators, synchrotrons, spallation sources, or comparable large scientific facilities.
Practical understanding of functional safety requirements and experience applying IEC 61508, IEC 61511, IEC 62061, or ISO 13849, as relevant, to control hardware, application software, and verification activities.
Hands-on experience programming, integrating, and validating safety PLCs, safety-rated I/O, interlock circuits, and field devices; experience with Rockwell Automation GuardLogix, Siemens SIMATIC F systems, or comparable platforms.
Ability to translate functional and safety requirements into electrical designs, PLC logic, and measurable acceptance criteria, with documented traceability and configuration control.
Experience designing personnel access controls, emergency shutdown functions, and safe interfaces to hazardous equipment or processes.
Strong electrical design and troubleshooting skills, including schematic development, control panel integration, instrumentation, and testing of complete safety loops.
Experience with system integration, commissioning, functional testing, and maintenance or proof testing of safety systems in an operating facility.
Ability to resolve control system interface issues across disciplines, explain design tradeoffs clearly, and produce electrical, software, and test documentation suitable for engineering reviews.
Ability to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
Ability to perform activities such as typing, standing, or sitting for extended periods.
Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights, weekends, or on-call.
Ability to work in a facility containing industrial hazards, including heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with fusion plant safety controls, superconducting magnets, high-energy power systems, RF heating, neutral beam systems, or radiation-generating equipment.
Experience integrating radiation protection, oxygen deficiency monitoring, gas detection, laser safety, or cryogenic safety systems into a facility safety architecture.
Experience supporting reliability or safety integrity assessments through hardware failure analysis, diagnostic implementation, response-time evaluation, and proof-test design.
Familiarity with applicable US electrical and machinery safety practices and standards, such as NFPA 70, NFPA 70E, and NFPA 79, and experience working with safety and compliance specialists to define project requirements.
Experience with EPLAN or comparable electrical design software, PLC development environments, requirements and configuration management tools, and interfaces to SCADA or scientific control environments such as EPICS.
Functional safety training or certification, such as CFSE, CFSP, or a recognized functional safety engineer qualification, particularly as applied to PLC-based control system implementation.

Responsibilities

Develop safety and interlock control architectures for personnel access, emergency shutdown, and interfaces with subsystem controls and machine protection; define signal interfaces and the required independence between safety functions, normal plant control, and equipment protection.
Translate approved safety and operational requirements into control specifications, functional descriptions, cause-and-effect matrices, I/O lists, and interface control documents; maintain traceability through implementation and testing.
Participate in hazard and design reviews, identify failure modes, evaluate protective actions, and translate risk assessment findings into control functions.
Work with safety specialists to establish control-function integrity and performance requirements; design and document safe states, response times, diagnostics, fault handling, reset conditions, and proof-testing provisions.
Select and integrate safety PLCs, safety-rated I/O, hardwired circuits, and communications, considering fault behavior, common-cause vulnerabilities, maintainability, and availability.
Design personnel access and exclusion systems, including controlled zones, search-and-secure sequences, trapped-key interlocks, door monitoring, emergency stops, warning systems, and prevention of unexpected restart.
Implement interlock and shutdown controls for high-voltage, high-current and stored-energy systems, superconducting magnets, RF and neutral beam heating, radiation-generating equipment, cryogenics, oxygen deficiency monitoring, and hazardous gases, in coordination with technical and safety specialists.
Define coordinated trip, inhibit, isolation, and shutdown sequences across plant systems, accounting for stored energy and services needed to reach and maintain a safe state.
Coordinate interfaces with magnet quench protection, power supply protection, radiation monitoring, gas detection, and facility emergency systems; define ownership, signal integrity, response timing, and fault behavior.
Specify behavior across operating modes and transitions, and establish controlled commissioning overrides, bypasses, and inhibited functions.
Produce and review electrical schematics, safety loop diagrams, panel designs, I/O schedules, cable and grounding requirements, equipment specifications, and installation work packages using EPLAN or comparable tools.
Develop, document, and test safety PLC application software and configuration using approved tools and IEC 61131-3 languages; establish reusable function blocks, coding practices, version control, and controlled release processes.
Specify and integrate safety-rated sensors, switches, relays, final elements, power supplies, and communications; evaluate the complete sensor-to-final-element chain and component failure modes.
Integrate status, alarms, first-out trip information, and diagnostics with the supervisory control system while preserving safety-function integrity and independence; design operator interactions that support clear decisions and safe recovery.
Develop and execute hardware and software verification plans, factory and site acceptance tests, integration tests, and commissioning procedures; maintain test results and configuration records for validation and safety reviews.
Define technical work packages and acceptance criteria, review supplier designs and test evidence, and coordinate implementation with vendors, integrators, and internal system owners.