Senior Electrical Engineer, Controls

Critical Energy

Hawthorne (CA)

On-site

USD 140,000 - 200,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Medical (100% company‑covered Platinum

Dental and vision (100% covered)

FSA

401k retirement options

Lunch served daily

EV charging on site

Team outings

Job summary

Critical Energy seeks a Senior Electrical Engineer, Controls to lead instrumentation and controls for our ORC power plants. You will translate CONOPS and safety requirements into hardware procurement decisions and control software, working with systems and turbomachinery teams.

You will join commissioning activities, FAT, and on‑site deployments at customer sites in Hawthorne, CA. As part of a fast-paced startup, you will design PLC-based control architectures, develop SCADA/HMI interfaces, and

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
5+ years of hands‑on experience designing, programming, and commissioning industrial control systems
Beckhoff, Allen‑Bradley or Siemens PLC programming experience
Experience with Structured Text (ST) or IEC 61131‑3
Experience developing HMI/SCADA applications from scratch with emphasis on usability
Proficiency reading electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and P&IDs
Experience with EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, OPC‑UA or equivalent
Familiarity with NEC, NFPA 79, and UL 508A for panel design
Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills across mechanical/electrical/software domains
Self‑motivated with startup environment discipline

Responsibilities

Architect, develop, and commission PLC-based control systems for ORC power plant processes
Design and implement HMI and SCADA applications for operator visibility and alarms
Develop control strategies for process loops: pressure, flow, heat source, startup/shutdown
Specify, select, and integrate field instrumentation (pressure, flow, temperature, level)
Design and lay out industrial control panels compliant with NEC/NFPA/UL 508A
Implement safety instrumented functions per IEC 61511 including SIL verification
Integrate plant devices across EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, OPC‑UA
Maintain controls docs: I/O lists, network diagrams, C&E matrices, FAT/SAT
Support factory acceptance testing and field commissioning
Collaborate across electrical, mechanical, and systems teams for reliability
Contribute to standards, templates, reusable code libraries

Skills

PLC programming

HMI/SCADA development

Electrical schematics

Industrial control systems

IEC 61131-3 (ST)

EtherCAT Modbus OPC-UA

Panel design NEC NFPA UL508A

SIL safety knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Mechatronics or related field

Tools

AutoCAD Electrical

EPLAN

Job description

Company Description

Critical Energy is an innovative, early-stage, venture-backed cleantech company on a mission to accelerate the global energy transition through abundant, low-cost clean energy. Founded by an ex-SpaceX engineer, Critical Energy designs and manufactures factory-built, modular power plants. These rapidly deployable systems convert heat into electricity using a closed-loop thermodynamic cycle and can be installed in just weeks.

Critical Energy’s technology delivers high-efficiency, 24/7 power for geothermal applications and waste heat recovery (including from data center gas turbines), making clean energy practical and cost-effective for demanding sectors like AI hyperscalers and data centers. Backed by top climate and technology investors, Critical Energy is scaling rapidly.

Our Mission

To build an abundant, low-cost, 100% clean energy future through groundbreaking geothermal innovation.

We are a team of passionate engineers, designers, and visionaries building cutting-edge solutions to meet the world’s energy needs with 100% clean energy. We are in the initial stages of development and building our team. This is your chance to join on the ground floor of something big! If you are ready to work at a fun, fast-paced, groundbreaking organization that is positioned to revolutionize geothermal energy, apply today!

About the Role

We are seeking Senior Electrical Engineer, Controls to own the design, development, and deployment of the instrumentation and controls of our heat-to-electricity ORC products. You will collaborate closely with the systems and turbomachinery teams to translate CONOPS, safety, and system performance requirements into instrumentation hardware procurement decisions and software control schemes. This role will also be part of the commissioning team, including factory acceptance testing and onsite deployments at customer sites. This is a full-time, on-site position located in our Hawthorne, CA facility.

Responsibilities

Architect, develop, and commission PLC-based control systems for ORC power plant processes including working fluid pumps, air-cooled condensers, heat exchangers, and auxiliary systems
Design and implement HMI and SCADA applications providing operators with clear process visibility, alarm management, and control functionality
Develop control strategies for key process loops including pressure control, working fluid flow regulation, heat source management, and startup/shutdown sequencing
Specify, select, and integrate field instrumentation including pressure transmitters, flow meters, temperature transmitters, and level devices
Design and lay out industrial electrical control panels compliant with NEC, NFPA 79, and UL 508A, manage panel builds, field wiring, and loop checkout
Implement and maintain safety instrumented functions per IEC 61511 principles including SIL verification, cause and effect matrix development, and SIS logic implementation
Integrate plant devices across industrial communication protocols including EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, DNP3, and OPC-UA
Develop and maintain controls documentation including I/O lists, network architecture diagrams, functional descriptions, cause and effect matrices, and FAT/SAT procedures
Support factory acceptance testing and field commissioning of control systems for future plant deployments
Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering teams to ensure controls architecture supports plant performance, safety, and reliability requirements
Contribute to development of controls standards, templates, and reusable code libraries to drive consistency across future plant designs

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field
5+ years of hands‑on experience designing, programming, and commissioning industrial control systems
Demonstrated PLC programming experience: Beckhoff, Allen‑Bradley or Siemens acceptable
Experience with Structured Text (ST) or similar IEC 61131‑3 standard language
Experience developing HMI and SCADA applications from scratch with emphasis on operator usability and alarm rationalization
Proficiency reading and producing electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and P&IDs
Experience with industrial fieldbus and communication protocols (EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, OPC‑UA, or equivalent)
Familiarity with NEC, NFPA 79, and UL 508A for industrial control panel design
Strong first‑principles analytical and troubleshooting skills, able to debug complex system interactions across mechanical, electrical, and software domains
Highly self‑motivated with demonstrated ability to drive tasks to completion with minimal supervision in a fast‑paced startup environment

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with ORC, geothermal, Rankine‑cycle, or other power generation systems
Experience with VFD‑driven motor systems including tuning, commissioning, and integration with PLC control loops
Familiarity with IEC 61511 safety instrumented systems and SIL classification
Experience with data historian platforms and process data infrastructure
Python experience for data acquisition, analysis, or PLC/SCADA integration
Experience with AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN for controls documentation
Exposure to API 670 machinery protection systems
Experience supporting hardware bring‑up, FAT, SAT, and commissioning in field environments
NFPA 70E electrical safety certification

Compensation