Control Systems Lead — Lab Test Stands & Automation

Xcimer Energy; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 127,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) with company match

Equity

Job summary

Xcimer Energy is seeking a Control Systems Project Lead – Applied Science to own and advance the controls, data acquisition, and interlock systems for a major laser test facility. You will design, implement, verify, and commission control software and hardware, collaborating with optics, pulsed power, mechanical, software, and operations teams.

You will lead sprint planning, coordinate with stakeholders, and ensure on-time software releases while mentoring team members and handling test

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in control systems engineering for test and measurement or validation environments.
• Experience designing and commissioning test stands, automated test equipment (ATE), or experimental systems.
• Experience owning a controls system on a multi-disciplinary project, including sprint or release planning, task assignment, and on-time delivery of software releases.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience coordinating across engineering teams and presenting status, risks, and design decisions to stakeholders.
• Proficiency in LabVIEW, including development of maintainable, version-controlled code.
• Strong working knowledge of verification and validation methodologies, including test planning and execution and requirements tracking such as with a Requirements Traceability Matrix.
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git) and modern software development workflows.
• Working knowledge of unit testing, automated testing, or test-driven development concepts.
• Familiarity with industrial and laboratory communication protocols (e.g., RS-232, TCP/IP, Ethernet-based protocols).
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Responsibilities

• Own the controls system for a major development program as a hands-on individual contributor, including requirements, architecture, and delivery of its control, data acquisition, and interlock systems across multiple subsystems.
• Lead sprint planning for the program's controls work, assign and track tasks, review contributions, and ensure software releases are delivered on time.
• Coordinate controls work with other engineering stakeholders, such as optics, pulsed power, mechanical, software, and operations teams.
• Gather feedback from system operators and other users, prioritize improvements, and respond to and resolve bug reports.
• Apply diagnostic and systems-level troubleshooting methodologies to identify root causes of system, software, or hardware issues.
• Plan and lead controls support for test campaigns, including readiness reviews, functional checkout, system integration testing, and on-the-floor support during experiments.
• Design, develop, and commission control systems for test and measurement applications, including laboratory and industrial test stands.
• Lead verification and validation (V&V) activities for the controls system, including test planning, test procedure development, execution, and reporting.
• Develop control, automation, and data acquisition software using Python, LabVIEW, and related tools.
• Integrate hardware and software for test systems, including instrumentation, DAQ hardware, off-the-shelf benchtop equipment, and custom hardware.
• Implement and maintain automated test frameworks, unit tests, and regression tests to support reliable system evolution.
• Interface with and integrate a wide range of communication protocols and interfaces such as RS-232/422/485, TCP/IP, Ethernet-based fieldbuses such as EtherCAT, and instrument control protocols.
• Own controls requirements development, interface definition, requirements traceability (RTM), and change control to support structured V&V and quality processes.
• Design hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test systems, and collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to ensure test systems accurately represent real-world operating conditions.
• Support commissioning activities, acceptance testing, and ongoing lifecycle support for test infrastructure.

Skills

LabVIEW

Python

System integration

Diagnostic troubleshooting

Sprint planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Git

Jira

DAQ systems

Job description

Xcimer Energy is seeking a Control Systems Project Lead – Applied Science to own and advance the controls, data acquisition, and interlock systems for a major laser test facility. You will design, implement, verify, and commission control software and hardware, collaborating with optics, pulsed power, mechanical, software, and operations teams.

You will lead sprint planning, coordinate with stakeholders, and ensure on-time software releases while mentoring team members and handling test