Senior Controls Engineer: Megawatt Turbomachinery Power

Approach Venture; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Fully stocked kitchen

Job summary

Approach Venture in El Segundo, CA seeks a Senior Controls Engineer to own the controls architecture for a megawatt-scale power system. You will develop real-time software, protection logic, instrumentation, and data acquisition, from development through commissioning.

You’ll collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and test teams to integrate hardware and controls, run bench and hardware-in-the-loop tests, and ensure safe startup, operation, fault handling, and reliable shutdowns in a hands-on

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in relevant engineering or software field.
• Experience developing real-time controls for complex physical hardware and safety systems.
• Hands-on experience with sensors, signal conditioning, and data acquisition.

Responsibilities

• Own the controls architecture for a megawatt-scale power generation system.
• Develop closed-loop controls for startup, operation, transient conditions, and shutdown.
• Design machine protection and automated trip logic for faults.
• Write, integrate, and debug real-time control software.
• Develop bench and hardware-in-the-loop test environments.

Skills

Real-time control software

LabVIEW

Python

C/C++

Controls architecture

Sensor instrumentation

Data acquisition

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Controls Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

PLC / industrial controllers

cRIO/PXI

CAN / EtherCAT / Modbus

Hardware-in-the-loop

Job description

Approach Venture in El Segundo, CA seeks a Senior Controls Engineer to own the controls architecture for a megawatt-scale power system. You will develop real-time software, protection logic, instrumentation, and data acquisition, from development through commissioning.

You’ll collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and test teams to integrate hardware and controls, run bench and hardware-in-the-loop tests, and ensure safe startup, operation, fault handling, and reliable shutdowns in a hands-on