Controls Engineer

OptiCool; Town of Webster (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

OptiCool designs and manufactures high performance, energy efficient cooling systems for modern data centers. The Controls Engineer will design and develop control systems, write software, and produce detailed electrical schematics and BOMs for R&D and commercial products.

You will collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure safety, regulatory compliance, and manufacturability while supporting field deployments and service activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience in system design and PLC programming.
• Proficient in CAD software for electrical design (SolidWorks Electrical preferred).
• Experience with Allen-Bradley and Carel platforms.
• Proficiency in ladder logic and structured text.
• Familiar with Modbus, BACnet, SNMP.
• Strong focus on manufacturability and serviceability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with attention to detail.
• Knowledge of refrigerants or cooling systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop new products and electrical components in a hands-on collaborative environment, ensuring alignment with project goals and technical requirements.
• Create and maintain accurate and detailed electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Develop and implement control software for both R&D and commercialized products, ensuring functionality, safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with project managers, mechanical engineers, software engineers to create project requirements and specifications
• Develop advanced PID, fault tolerant, redundant, and self-learning control systems.
• Develop detailed control narratives, process shutdown keys, process flow charts and interface control documentation to provide a comprehensive overview of the system functionality and interactions.
• Conduct thorough testing and validation of PLC systems to ensure reliability and performance.
• Maintain the controls hardware and software library to support all phases of the product lifecycle - from R&D through obsolescence.
• Enhance existing product designs to improve performance, reliability, serviceability, and manufacturability.
• Provide technical assistance and troubleshooting to Service, Installation, and Applications teams.
• Travel occasionally to supplier and customer sites to support development, testing, or deployment activities.

Skills

PLC programming

Ladder logic

Structured text

Industrial protocols

Problem-solving

Technical documentation

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field

Tools

SolidWorks Electrical

Allen-Bradley

Carel

Job description

OptiCool designs and manufactures high performance, energy efficient cooling systems for modern data centers. We specialize in two phase cooling, applied at the rear door, that enables higher rack densities, lowers energy consumption, and enables scalable deployments.

Join our collaborative engineering team as a Controls Engineer , where you will play a key role in the design and development of control systems for innovative cooling systems. From concept to post-sale support, you will contribute to the design, programming, documentation, and continuous improvement of products and components. You will also provide cross-functional support and be a key contributor to OptiCool's quality-first mantra.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and develop new products and electrical components in a hands-on collaborative environment, ensuring alignment with project goals and technical requirements.
• Create and maintain accurate and detailed electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Develop and implement control software for both R&D and commercialized products, ensuring functionality, safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with project managers, mechanical engineers, software engineers to create project requirements and specifications
• Develop advanced PID, fault tolerant, redundant, and self-learning control systems.
• Develop detailed control narratives, process shutdown keys, process flow charts and interface control documentation to provide a comprehensive overview of the system functionality and interactions.
• Conduct thorough testing and validation of PLC systems to ensure reliability and performance.
• Maintain the controls hardware and software library to support all phases of the product lifecycle - from R&D through obsolescence.
• Enhance existing product designs to improve performance, reliability, serviceability, and manufacturability.
• Provide technical assistance and troubleshooting to Service, Installation, and Applications teams.
• Travel occasionally to supplier and customer sites to support development, testing, or deployment activities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS (Education, Experience, Knowledge, & Skills)

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or related field
• 5+ years of industry experience in system design, and development of PLC programming
• Proficient in developing control system design packages using CAD software (SolidWorks Electrical preferred)
• Experienced in programming control systems; Allen-Bradley and Carel platforms highly desired.
• Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in PLC systems (e.g., ladder logic, structured text).
• Familiar with industrial communication protocols such as Modbus, BACnet, and SNMP
• Strong focus on designing for manufacturability and serviceability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail
• Skilled in problem-solving, technical documentation, and data analysis
• Knowledge of refrigerants, refrigeration components, or equipment-based cooling systems is a strong plus.