Controls Software Engineer

Focused Energy; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Competitive salary

Unlimited PTO

Medical, dental, vision

Career development

Office snacks

Job summary

Focused Energy is seeking a Software Engineer to help calibrate hardware, process images, manage machine data, and provide operators with reliable supervisory controls. You will independently deliver well-scoped, production-quality software features from design through deployment, collaborating with controls, hardware, and software teams to create robust workflows.

The role emphasizes clean code, automated testing, and responsible use of AI-assisted tooling to maintain high quality across

Qualifications

• Experience building production software in a team environment.
• Ability to own moderately complex features from design through deployment.
• Writes clean, documented code and uses source control and code review practices.
• Understands automated testing, debugging, logging, and common software failure modes.
• Ability to translate engineering needs into practical software.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, and deploy well-scoped features.
• Implement automated calibration software for hardware and workflows.
• Build image processing software for target tracking and calibration.
• Implement reliable data handling and storage for machine and image data.
• Help implement supervisory control system and its human-machine interface (HMI).
• Work with software, controls, systems, and other engineers to define interfaces, review code, document decisions, and address common failure modes.
• Align software interfaces and test plans with key stakeholders, and communicate progress, technical trade-offs, risks, and timelines clearly.

Skills

Production software

Autonomous feature ownership

Code reviews

Testing and debugging

Documentation

Collaboration with hardware

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Focused Energy is building the future of clean energy through laser-driven inertial fusion. Backed by our $240M Series A — the largest fully secured Series A in the global fusion industry — we are scaling rapidly across multiple geographies. Based in Germany and the US, we have brought together the top scientific and engineering minds using proven technologies to unlock fusion power at commercial scale. Focused Energy is working to realize game-changing scientific innovation that promises to deliver a clean, sustainable and abundant source of power globally.

Your Role

Our TTE efforts depend on software to calibrate hardware automatically, process images, manage and store machine data, and give operators clear supervisory controls. As a Software Engineer, you will add the software engineering capacity needed to integrate these functions into reliable workflows.

You will independently deliver well-scoped, production-quality software features from design through deployment. Your primary mission is to create reliable automated calibration, image processing, data handling, data storage, supervisory control, and HMI capabilities that let engineers and operators configure, monitor, and run effectively.

What You'll Do

• Design, implement, test, and deploy well-scoped features.
• Implement automated calibration software for hardware and machine workflows.
• Build image processing software used for target tracking, calibration, and engagement.
• Implement reliable data handling and data storage for machine and image data, including logging and basic monitoring.
• Help implement supervisory control system and its human-machine interface (HMI).
• Work with software, controls, systems, and other engineers to define interfaces, review code, document decisions, and address common failure modes.
• Align software interfaces and test plans with key stakeholders, and communicate progress, technical trade-offs, risks, and timelines clearly.

Who You Are

Must-haves

• Experience building and testing production software in a team environment.
• You can independently own moderately complex, well-scoped features from design through deployment.
• You write clean, readable, documented code and use source control and code review practices.
• You understand automated testing, debugging, logging, and common software failure modes.
• You can work with technical partners to turn machine or engineering needs into practical software.
• You are willing to use approved AI-assisted development tools responsibly and review all generated work to the same quality standard.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with computer vision or image processing.
• Experience with automated calibration, robotics, motion systems, or precision hardware.
• Experience with data pipelines, machine data formats, databases, or high-volume data storage.
• Experience with supervisory control systems, HMI development, or controls-adjacent software.
• You have worked with hardware, experimental systems, scientific equipment, or real-time systems.

What we offer

• Innovative Technology & Mission: Be part of a cutting-edge company working on groundbreaking research in clean energy and scientific discovery.
• Career Development: We invest in our people. This is an opportunity to join an early, growing company at the forefront of new technology, where you'll have the opportunity to develop and grow your career.
• Collaborative Culture: Work with great people in a dynamic, international environment with top-tier scientists, engineers and professionals passionate about solving global challenges.
• Ownership: Take ownership from day 1 and drive impact by making decisions, solving challenges and shaping the future of our company.
• Your Success is our Success: We offer a competitive salary and company ownership in the form of stock options, giving you a direct stake in our success and ownership in what we build together.
• Medical, Dental, Vision: Multiple great plans to pick from that are active come the 1st Day of employment for you and any enrolled dependents.
• Vacation Days: We support your work-life-balance by granting you Unlimited PTO.
• Snacks and Drinks: Our office fridges are never empty. Enjoy our healthy snacks and drinks.

Focused Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Focused Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, benefits.