Controls Engineer - Chillers

ESP Enterprises Inc.; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

ESP Enterprises Inc. is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer to own the controls side of centrifugal chillers and modular chiller plants in a growing North American division. You will take designs from concept through startup and commissioning, interfacing with customers, suppliers, and engineering teams in the U.S.

and Japan. The role combines mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering and requires travel within the U.S. and internationally.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, controls, or mechanical engineering.
• 7+ years of U.S.-based controls engineering experience on centrifugal chillers, HVAC, or cooling infrastructure.
• Ownership of control system design from concept through commissioning, including hardware selection, control narratives, network architecture, and functional specifications.
• Solid grounding in control logic, PLC/DDC platforms, and industrial automation.
• Ability to create and interpret control diagrams, sequences of operation, and functional specifications.
• Clear, confident communication with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop, review, and refine control logic for centrifugal chillers and modular chiller plant systems.
• Establish control architectures and strategies that optimize temperature, flow, and energy performance.
• Specify control hardware and lay out the control network architecture.
• Engineer and verify interfaces between chillers, pumps, valves, and supervisory platforms such as BMS and DCIM.
• Write control narratives, sequences of operation, and functional specifications.
• Own supporting electrical calculations (load flow, short circuit, protection coordination, arc flash, harmonics) and tie them to project requirements.
• Set clear interface requirements and responsibility boundaries with customers and suppliers.
• Serve as a technical point of contact for customers and suppliers during bidding and after award.
• Contribute to proposals by defining controls scope, assumptions, and recommended solutions.
• Take part in testing, commissioning, and site validation, and diagnose and resolve control performance issues.
• Run vendor design reviews and follow corrective actions through to closure.
• Help develop next-generation modular cooling products and advanced control capabilities.

Skills

Control system design

PLC/DDC platforms

Industrial automation

Cross-functional collaboration

Client communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical, controls, or mechanical engineering

Tools

BACnet

Modbus

BMS/BAS integration

Job description

A global industrial and energy technology leader is launching a new North American division dedicated to data center cooling. You would help shape a growing business that has long-term backing. The Senior Controls Engineer will own the controls side of centrifugal chillers and modular chiller plants, taking designs from first concept through startup and commissioning. The role sits where mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering meet, and it works directly with customers, suppliers, and engineering teams in the U.S. and Japan.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, review, and refine control logic for centrifugal chillers and modular chiller plant systems.
• Establish control architectures and strategies that optimize temperature, flow, and energy performance.
• Specify control hardware and lay out the control network architecture.
• Engineer and verify interfaces between chillers, pumps, valves, and supervisory platforms such as BMS and DCIM.
• Write control narratives, sequences of operation, and functional specifications.
• Own supporting electrical calculations (load flow, short circuit, protection coordination, arc flash, harmonics) and keep them tied to project requirements.
• Set clear interface requirements and responsibility boundaries with customers and suppliers.
• Serve as a technical point of contact for customers and suppliers during bidding and after award.
• Contribute to proposals by defining controls scope, assumptions, and recommended solutions.
• Take part in testing, commissioning, and site validation, and diagnose and resolve control performance issues.
• Run vendor design reviews and follow corrective actions through to closure.
• Help develop next-generation modular cooling products and advanced control capabilities.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, controls, or mechanical engineering, or a closely related field.
• 7+ years of U.S.-based controls engineering experience on centrifugal chillers, HVAC, or cooling infrastructure. Experience with a major chiller manufacturer such as Trane or Johnson Controls/York is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated ownership of control system design from concept through commissioning, including hardware selection, control narratives, network architecture, and functional specifications.
• Solid grounding in control logic, PLC/DDC platforms, and industrial automation.
• Experience integrating multi-discipline systems and defining interfaces between them.
• Ability to create and interpret control diagrams, sequences of operation, and functional specifications.
• Clear, confident communication with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional partners.
• Willingness to travel within the U.S. and internationally.

Nice to Have

• Master's degree in electrical, controls, or mechanical engineering.
• 10+ years of controls engineering on chillers, HVAC, or industrial systems.
• A track record of bringing new control products or solutions to market.
• Hands-on BMS/BAS integration using BACnet, Modbus, or similar protocols.
• Background in project management, customer support, and testing/commissioning.