Director of Controls Engineering

Oishii; Phillipsburg (NJ); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Oishii in New Jersey seeks a Director of Controls Engineering to lead all aspects of the controls function, designing and overseeing scalable automation systems for cutting-edge indoor vertical farming technologies. The role involves building and managing a team, coordinating cross-functionally, and shaping the controls strategy across geographies to support Oishii’s ambitious farming platform.

You will drive vendor partnerships, oversee commissioning and maintenance, and ensure safety and

Qualifications

• Design and implement scalable automation systems for indoor vertical farming.
• Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, and plant science.
• Manage budgets and project timelines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, implement and manage scalable automation systems for complex indoor vertical farming technologies including robotics, HVAC/R, sensors, irrigation, lighting, AS/RS, conveyors.
• Lead the international deployment of controls/electrical systems from design through commissioning and maintenance support.
• Coordinate cross-functional with key stakeholders to plan and execute large-scale automation projects on time and within budget.
• Develop and implement a controls strategy aligned with farm rollout plans and technology roadmap.
• Identify and onboard vendor partners and contractors; manage contractors and installers to standardize installations and de-risk supply chains.

Skills

Automation design

Team leadership

Cross-functional coordination

Budget management

Vendor management

Safety compliance

Tools

HVAC/R Systems

Sensors/Automation

Robotics hardware

Job description

We are seeking a Director of Controls Engineering who drives some of the most cutting-edge engineering projects Oishii has to offer.

As Director of Controls Engineering, you will be charged with leading all aspects of Oishii’s controls function, responsible for designing, developing, commissioning, and overseeing controls technologies, building and managing a team, coordinating cross functionally, charting controls strategy, and identifying external partnerships to support controls engineering.

At Oishii, the Director of Controls Engineering has the opportunity to drive the future of an industry. We are developing advanced farm systems that leverage robotic harvesting, artificial intelligence, forecasting, and automation technologies to grow and harvest the world’s best strawberries. We are studying every aspect of strawberry production and finding ways to beat the status quo. On the plant science front, we are creating smarter farms that can automatically harvest fruit, measure and analyze plant health, monitor environmental conditions, fine-tune nutrient levels, understand and control the micro-organism ecosystems, and much more. This role will be heavily involved in coordinating cross functionally with other engineering functions, operations, maintenance, and plant science teams across geographies to make Oishii’s farms work.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

• Design, develop, implement and manage scalable automation systems for complex indoor vertical farming technologies which include robotics, HVAC/R, sensors, irrigation lighting, AS/RS, conveyors, and more
• Lead the international deployment of controls/electrical systems from design through commissioning and maintenance support
• Lead cross functional coordination with key stakeholders to understand and codify requirements in order to plan and execute large scale automation projects on time and within budget
• Develop and implement a controls strategy that meets company’s strategic farm rollout plans and aligns with company’s technology roadmap
• Identify and onboard best in class vendor partners and contractors; Manage contractors, manufacturers, electricians and designers to ensure all requirements are met, standardize installations, and de-risk supply chains for critical equipment
• Integrate next generation automation and controls technologies, robotics and hardware, and sensors
• Build farm commissioning SOPs and manage commissioning of farm and research facilities to ensure that all controls are functioning properly; oversee maintenance and troubleshooting activities following commissioning
• Ensure that all safety, code, and compliance standards are met in all jurisdictions of operation
• Manage documentation of systems and code base
• Manage budgets and timelines within a very fast paced, high ownership environment
• Hire and manage team of automation controls engineers as the company expands
• Develop and share executive level controls engineering roadmaps with engineering functional leaders and the broader executive team
• Build and execute resource allocation plans for the controls function to ensure emergency coverage and redundancy for indoor farms that operate 24/7/365