Senior Controls Engineer, Power Gen & Microgrid

OpenAI, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI, Inc. is seeking a senior Controls Engineer to design, program, integrate and commission on-site power generation and microgrid control systems for large AI data center campuses.

You will own control architecture across generation packages, protection, and data center monitoring, from concept through commissioning and operational improvement. The role requires hands-on experience with PLC and DCS programming, plant-level control sequences, and testing, with travel around 50% to project

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on experience designing, programming, integrating and commissioning industrial controls for power generation, utilities, or mission-critical infrastructure.
• Strong experience with PLC, DCS, SCADA, historian, industrial-networking, and control-system integration.
• Bachelor’s degree in controls, electrical, mechanical, chemical engineering, computer engineering, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Design, program and commission plant power controllers (PPCs) and microgrid control systems for gas turbine and reciprocating engine power plants.
• Develop control sequences for grid-connected, islanded and transition modes, including startup, shutdown, synchronization, load sharing, import/export control, load shedding, black start, restoration and resynchronization.
• Coordinate active power, reactive power, voltage and frequency controls across generators, energy storage, MV UPS and other distributed energy resources.
• Define how the plant responds to generator trips, loss of utility power, large load changes, equipment failures and loss of communication.
• Work with OEMs to define the boundaries between turbine or engine controls, generator controls, the PPC, protection systems and data center controls.

Skills

PLC programming

DCS experience

SCADA

Control systems

Electrical engineering

Education

Bachelor's in controls or electrical engineering

Tools

RTDS

RSCAD

PLC software

Job description

OpenAI, Inc. is seeking a senior Controls Engineer to design, program, integrate and commission on-site power generation and microgrid control systems for large AI data center campuses.

You will own control architecture across generation packages, protection, and data center monitoring, from concept through commissioning and operational improvement. The role requires hands-on experience with PLC and DCS programming, plant-level control sequences, and testing, with travel around 50% to project