Controls Engineer – R&D

Jobtailor; California (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a Senior Control Systems Engineer to own the control architecture for equipment including compressors, motor drives, and expansion turbines used in production chillers.

You will design safety interlocks, validate with hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, tune control loops, and transfer controls from test cells to production sites, ensuring BMS integration and fault resilience.

Qualifications

• Experience writing control logic for rotating machinery.
• Experience designing safety interlocks where faults could destroy hardware or injure people.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Experience tuning control loops on live machinery.
• Experience diagnosing discrepancies between models and plants.
• Experience documenting control systems for users who did not write them.

Responsibilities

• Own the control architecture for the machine and test rigs, spanning the compressor, motor drive, expansion turbine, and surrounding loop.
• Write safety interlocks and fault handling for machinery whose working fluid can cross its critical point during normal operation.
• Deliver capacity control through motor and turbine speed instead of throttling valves.
• Validate the control system with hardware-in-the-loop before deployment to the real machine.
• Prove that safety interlocks function correctly.
• Transfer controls from the test cell into the production chiller.
• Integrate the production chiller with site BMS and the wider plant.

Skills

Control Logic Development

Safety Interlock Design

Hardware-In-The-Loop Testing

Control Loop Tuning

Industrial Control Platforms

Tools

Beckhoff

Siemens

Allen-Bradley

CODESYS

Simulink

DSPACE

NI VeriStand

Job description

• Own the control architecture for the machine and test rigs, spanning the compressor, motor drive, expansion turbine, and surrounding loop
• Write safety interlocks and fault handling for machinery whose working fluid can cross its critical point during normal operation
• Deliver capacity control through motor and turbine speed instead of throttling valves
• Validate the control system with hardware-in-the-loop before deployment to the real machine
• Prove that safety interlocks function correctly
• Transfer controls from the test cell into the production chiller
• Integrate the production chiller with site BMS and the wider plant

Requirements

• Experience writing control logic for rotating machinery
• Experience designing safety interlocks where faults could destroy hardware or injure people
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Experience tuning control loops on live machinery
• Experience diagnosing discrepancies between models and plants
• Experience documenting control systems for users who did not write them
• Propulsion or vehicle test controls experience is a bonus
• Variable-speed drives and high-speed motor control experience is a bonus
• Refrigeration and chiller control experience is a bonus
• Familiarity with industrial control platforms such as Beckhoff, Siemens, Allen-Bradley, or CODESYS is a bonus
• Model-based development and HIL experience with Simulink, dSPACE, or NI VeriStand is a bonus
• Authorization to work in the United States is required by the application form

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in control architecture for machinery, including safety interlocks and fault handling, with a strong focus on hardware-in-the-loop testing and control loop tuning. Proficient in documenting control systems and integrating production chillers with building management systems.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Control Logic Development
• Safety Interlock Design
• Hardware-In-The-Loop Testing
• Control Loop Tuning
• Industrial Control Platforms

Hard Skills

• Control Logic
• Safety Interlocks
• Control Loop Tuning
• Hardware-In-The-Loop Testing
• Model-Based Development
• Variable-Speed Drives
• High-Speed Motor Control
• Refrigeration Control
• Chiller Control
• Fault Diagnosis

Soft Skills

• Documentation Skills

Industry Keywords

• Rotating Machinery
• Propulsion Controls
• Vehicle Test Controls
• Building Management Systems

Tools & Technologies

• Beckhoff
• Siemens
• Allen-Bradley
• CODESYS
• Simulink
• DSPACE
• NI VeriStand