Controls Engineer

Searchability®; Oxford; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EMI share options

Annual bonus up to 10%

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Pension

Job summary

Searchability is a venture-backed engineering technology company based at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire, building an AI platform to accelerate hardware engineering while ensuring traceability and sign-off in regulated environments. As a Controls Engineer you will bridge product development and real-world commissioning, delivering bespoke control systems and integrating AI into engineering workflows.

The role spans client projects and development of the company platform, with a strong

Qualifications

• PLC programming and controls engineering experience.
• Electrical and field device integration experience.
• Motors and motor drives experience.
• Experience with machinery or complex engineering systems.
• Experience with functional safety standards is a plus.
• Experience taking projects from design through commissioning or site.
• Some programming experience (Python, C++, C#, Java or similar).
• Understanding of object-oriented programming concepts.

Responsibilities

• Design bespoke, low-level control systems for custom machinery and facilities.
• PLC programming and field device integration.
• Work with platforms such as Siemens, Rockwell, Beckhoff or CODESYS.
• Integrate and commission motors and motor drives.
• Develop systems involving robotics, drones, cranes, ROS 2 or similar technologies.
• Implement functional safety in real machinery and control systems.
• Support projects from design through build, integration and site delivery.
• Collaborate with engineers and software specialists to improve AI-assisted workflows.

Skills

PLC programming

Controls engineering

Electrical integration

Motors and drives

Functional safety

Design through commissioning

Programming (Python/C/C#/Java)

OOP concepts

Tools

Siemens

Rockwell

Beckhoff

CODESYS

Job description

Working pattern: 4 days per week onsite, with some flexibility

Graduate opportunities from: £25,000+

Benefits: EMI share options, up to 10% annual bonus, 25 days holiday + bank holidays, pension

The Opportunity

Searchability is working with a rapidly growing, venture-backed engineering technology company based at Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire.

Founded in 2024 as a UKAEA spinout, the business has grown from two to ten people in the space of a year and plans to approximately double again over the next 12 months.

The company is developing an innovative AI platform designed to accelerate complex hardware engineering while maintaining the traceability and professional sign-off required within regulated environments.

Rather than separating product development from engineering, the team delivers real engineering projects across bespoke machinery and complex scientific facilities, using that experience to develop and improve its AI platform.

This means you'll remain a hands-on Controls Engineer while also helping shape how AI can transform engineering workflows.

The Role

We're looking for a Controls Engineer who enjoys taking engineering projects beyond the design stage and seeing systems commissioned and operating in the real world.

You’ll work across both client engineering projects and the development of the company's engineering platform, with responsibilities including:

• Designing bespoke, low-level control systems for custom machinery and complex facilities
• PLC programming and field device integration
• Working with platforms such as Siemens, Rockwell, Beckhoff or CODESYS
• Integrating and commissioning motors and motor drives
• Developing systems involving robotics, drones, cranes, ROS 2 or similar technologies
• Implementing functional safety within real machinery and control systems
• Supporting projects from initial design through build, integration and site delivery
• Working across the controls and electrical engineering boundary
• Using software and coding alongside traditional controls engineering
• Collaborating with engineers and software specialists to improve AI-assisted engineering workflows

What We're Looking For

We're particularly interested in practical, design-led engineers with broad technical experience.

You’ll ideally have experience with:

• PLC programming and controls engineering
• Electrical and field device integration
• Motors and motor drives
• Machinery or complex engineering systems
• Functional safety
• Taking projects from design through to commissioning or site
• Some programming experience in Python, C++, C#, Java or similar
• Object-oriented programming principles

Experience with ISO 13849, IEC 62061 or IEC 61508 would be particularly valuable, especially where you've implemented Performance Levels or SIL requirements yourself.

Additional desirable experience includes MATLAB/Simulink, ROS 2, nuclear, data centres or other regulated facilities, and Chartership or progress towards it.

You don't need to be a software developer. The team currently works heavily with C# and can teach this.

Who Could Fit?

The business is open-minded on seniority, from talented graduates through to engineers with approximately 15 years' experience.

The sweet spot is around 5-10 years, but attitude, breadth and practical engineering ability are more important than years on a CV.

Package

Salary will depend on experience, with indicative levels of:

There may be flexibility beyond these ranges for exceptional candidates.

You’ll also receive EMI share options, an annual bonus of up to 10%, 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays and a NEST pension.

Interview Process

The process typically consists of an initial 30-minute screening call followed by approximately two hours onsite at Culham Science Centre.

The onsite stage includes an informal discussion, a demonstration of current engineering work and a formal interview. In some cases, a technical task may be provided beforehand.