Principal Controls Engineer

AM Batteries; Billerica (MA); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Job summary

AM Batteries, a venture-backed startup, seeks a Principal Controls Engineer to lead architecture, development, and deployment of advanced automation for lithium-ion battery manufacturing equipment. You will act as a company-level technical authority for controls, guiding standards and direction across complex platforms and partner teams.

You will mentor engineers, set programming conventions, and drive scalable, reliable control solutions from R&D to production, including safety, validation, and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in industrial controls, automation, or manufacturing equipment engineering.
• Technical lead or SME for complex automation and controls systems.
• Breadth across PLCs, drives, actuators, sensors, and data acquisition software.
• Expert-level PLC programming with two major platforms; AMB currently runs Siemens.
• Deep motion control experience with servo systems and multi-axis machines.
• Experience designing and architecting SCADA systems; Ignition preferred.
• Advanced HMI development, architecture, and operator interface design.
• Strong knowledge of electrical controls architecture and safety standards.
• Experience with SQL databases and manufacturing data integration.
• Strong communication, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the overall controls and automation architecture for complex manufacturing equipment and future lines.
• Establish and maintain controls engineering standards, design practices, and documentation requirements.
• Lead design, development, and optimization of PLC-based automation and control systems.
• Own the motion and drive architecture including servo sizing and tuning.
• Architect and standardize SCADA and HMI architectures for R&D and production.
• Partner with mechanical, electrical, process, software, and manufacturing engineers to translate requirements into scalable controls.
• Develop and implement advanced control strategies to improve performance, reliability, and uptime.
• Size and specify electrical packages and protection coordination for multiple destinations.
• Lead controls integration with equipment manufacturers and system integrators.
• Mentor Controls Engineers and drive engineering rigor and knowledge sharing.

Skills

PLC programming

Industrial automation

Electrical controls

SCADA systems

Python

HMI development

SQL databases

Vendor liaison

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

Siemens PLCs

Ignition

Job description

AM Batteries is seeking a Principal Controls Engineer to provide technical leadership in the architecture, development, and deployment of advanced automation and control systems for next-generation lithium-ion battery manufacturing equipment. This role will play a critical part in the industrialization and scale-up of AMB’s proprietary technologies and the development of robust, scalable, high-performance manufacturing platforms. AMB is a venture-backed startup moving this technology from R&D into commercial production.

The Principal Controls Engineer will serve as a company-level technical authority for controls and automation, establishing system architecture, engineering standards, and technical direction across complex equipment and manufacturing platforms. This individual will work closely with mechanical engineering, process development, manufacturing, operations, and external equipment partners to ensure controls systems are designed for performance, reliability, scalability, and long-term maintainability.

This is a highly technical individual-contributor role requiring deep hands-on expertise combined with the ability to lead complex engineering initiatives, influence technical decisions across teams and mentor engineers. This role recommends and sets standards in controls architecture, platform and hardware selection, programming standards, and documentation approach.

Primary Roles & Responsibilities

Convert the heuristics operators and process engineers rely on today into defined, tested automation that scales, and free those people for the next technical problem.

Define and lead the overall controls and automation architecture for complex manufacturing equipment, pilot lines, and future production systems.

Establish and maintain AMB controls engineering standards, design practices, programming conventions to IEC 61131 practice, documentation requirements, and reusable architectures.

Lead the design, development, and optimization of advanced PLC-based automation and control systems.

Own the motion and drive architecture: servo sizing and tuning, multi-zone web tension control, line speed synchronization, and registration.

Architect and standardize SCADA systems supporting R&D, process development, equipment commissioning, and manufacturing operations.

Provide technical leadership for HMI architecture and development to ensure consistent, intuitive, and effective equipment operation and diagnostics.

Partner with mechanical, electrical, process, software, and manufacturing engineers to translate complex process requirements into scalable controls solutions.

Develop and implement advanced control strategies that improve equipment performance, process capability, reliability, uptime, and repeatability.

Size and specify the electrical package for each machine, including transformers, protection, grounding, and distribution, correct for the destination country's voltage, frequency, and code practice.

Compare competing brands of drives, actuators, sensors, safety devices, and data acquisition software through manufacturer and distributor channels on capability, lead time, lifecycle, and support. Build controls cost models and provide quote input.

Serve as the technical lead for controls integration with equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and other external engineering partners.

Review and provide technical direction on controls designs developed internally and by external vendors.

Lead controls strategy for system testing, validation, commissioning, startup, and production readiness of new equipment and manufacturing lines.

Lead machine and electrical safety: risk assessment, safety-rated control architecture, arc flash study and labeling, NFPA 79, NFPA 70E, UL 508A, and CE marking for equipment shipped outside the United States.

Diagnose and resolve highly complex controls, automation, and equipment integration issues.

Identify systemic technical risks and drive long-term solutions rather than short-term equipment fixes.

Define strategies for manufacturing data acquisition, equipment connectivity, SQL database integration, and controls-related data architecture.

Build secure remote access for diagnosing equipment at customer sites, and work with IT on OT network segmentation.

Utilize Python and similar programming languages to develop engineering tools, automate workflows, analyze equipment/process data, and accelerate troubleshooting.

Evaluate and introduce new controls, automation, sensing, data acquisition, and manufacturing technologies where they can improve AMB's technical capabilities.

Provide technical mentorship and guidance to Controls Engineers, Senior Controls Engineers, and other engineering team members.

Lead technical design reviews and promote engineering rigor, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across the organization.

Maintain engineering records and invention disclosures that support AMB's patent program.

Serve as a trusted technical advisor to engineering and operations leadership on controls architecture, automation strategy, equipment selection, and manufacturing scale-up.

Basic Qualifications

15+ years of progressively responsible experience in industrial controls, automation, or manufacturing equipment engineering, including full lifecycle ownership: concept, specification, build, commissioning, ramp, and years of production support.

Demonstrated experience serving as a technical lead or subject matter expert for complex automation and controls systems.

Breadth across competing brands of PLCs, drives, actuators, sensors, safety devices, and data acquisition software, ideally spanning more than one engineered-to-order machinery industry such as converting, printing, packaging, plastics, automotive, semiconductor, or medical device.

Expert-level proficiency in PLC programming and industrial automation hardware, with working depth on at least two major platforms. AMB equipment currently runs Siemens, and the installed base will broaden to follow customers.

Deep motion control experience: servo systems, drives, coordinated multi-axis machines, and closed-loop web tension control.

Significant experience designing and architecting SCADA systems; Ignition experience strongly preferred.

Advanced experience with HMI development, architecture, and operator interface design.

Deep understanding of industrial communication protocols, including Ethernet/IP, Modbus, Profibus, OPC-UA, or similar technologies.

Strong knowledge of electrical controls architecture, electrical schematics, control panels, instrumentation, sensors, and industrial equipment integration.

Electrical design command including control panel layout, power distribution and transformer sizing, and protection coordination.

Machine and electrical safety practice against ISO 13849, IEC 62061, NFPA 79, NFPA 70E, and UL 508A, including arc flash study.

Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex, multidisciplinary manufacturing equipment and automation problems.

Extensive experience working directly with equipment manufacturers, controls integrators, and external engineering partners.

Component sizing, sourcing, and cost estimating with vendors and distributors.

Strong working knowledge of SQL databases and manufacturing/process data integration.

Strong proficiency in Python or similar programming languages for automation, engineering tools, and data analysis.

Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and influence engineering decisions without requiring direct management authority.

Strong communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts across engineering disciplines and organizational levels.

Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop engineers while raising the technical capability of a broader engineering organization.

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or another relevant engineering discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience developing automation and controls systems for battery manufacturing, foil, paper, or plastic converting, advanced materials, semiconductor, chemical/process manufacturing, or other high-tech manufacturing environments.

Experience scaling equipment or processes from R&D and pilot environments into production manufacturing.

Experience with robotics, machine vision, in-line gauging, and advanced instrumentation.

Experience integrating manufacturing equipment with databases, historians, MES, ERP, or other enterprise manufacturing systems.

Experience establishing controls architecture and engineering standards across multiple equipment platforms or manufacturing lines.

Experience supporting equipment development from concept and specification through vendor design, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and production ramp.

Six Sigma, DFSS, or applied statistics training.

Named inventor on issued patents.

Compensation

• Annual base salary range: $155,000-$200,000
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance

This role is based in Billerica, MA.