Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer

Karman Industries; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Karman Industries is seeking a Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and validation of control systems for the Karman HPU and future products. You will own hardware, software, instrumentation, and test, driving end-to-end development in a fast-paced, cross‑functional environment.

This role requires deep ownership across software and hardware, working with sensors, actuators, and high‑temperature/high‑pressure equipment, and close coordination with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline and 3+ years in industrial, manufacturing, or embedded control systems.
• Experience driving all aspects of control system development across software and hardware.
• Experience with sensors and transmitters including pressure, temperature, and flow.
• Expertise with control platforms such as Allen-Bradley, Beckhoff, Siemens, ABB or Mitsubishi.

Responsibilities

• Own design, implementation, and validation of control systems from concept to field operation.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define intended operation of machinery.
• Develop state machines, cause-and-effect diagrams, control narratives, and instrument lists.

Skills

Controls engineering

PLC programming

Instrumentation

HMI/SCADA

Hardware design

System integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, computer science, chemical engineering, physics or related discipline

Master's degree in related field

Tools

Allen Bradley

Beckhoff

Siemens

ABB

Mitsubishi

Job description

Karman Industries is a Torrance-based thermal technology company building the backbone for giga-scale AI infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and GE, Karman is moving beyond legacy cooling with the launch of the HPU (Heat Processing Unit) — a new category of thermal architecture designed for the 100kW+ rack era. The HPU shrinks the exterior mechanical yard by up to 80% while reducing peak energy consumption by 10%+. Unlike traditional systems, the Karman HPU provides zero-water (WUE 0) cooling that ensures high‑TDP GPUs and HBM4 memory stay at optimal thermal setpoints without throttling.

Founded in 2024, we’re a fast‑growing team of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of humanity. We design, build, and test real hardware, and we lead with ownership: you’ll own your work from concept to hardware and help shape how we scale. Our values are Ownership, Performance Excellence, Radical Transparency, and Customer‑Centricity. Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer

Karman Industries is seeking a highly motivated Senior Instrumentation and Controls Engineer (higher-level roles also open based on candidate experience) to help develop automation and control systems for the next generation of electric turbomachinery for thermal energy systems. The successful candidate will own the design, implementation, and validation of control systems for the Karman HPU and future product lines.

This role requires broad technical ownership spanning software, hardware, process design, instrumentation, and test. This role will be responsible for all aspects of control system design from conception, through to successful product integration and operation in the field. We are a team that values first-principles thinking, hands‑on problem solving, and close cross‑functional collaboration to deliver cohesive, high-performance systems.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of critical hardware, software, components, and responsibility for every aspect of the design. Demonstrate ownership including manufacturing and assembly of early prototypes.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to understand the intended operation of Karman machinery.
• Develop state machines, cause & effect diagrams, control narratives, and instrument lists.
• Generate control panel wiring and panel layout schematics.
• Size and select instruments for use in high pressure and high temperature turbomachinery systems.
• Program, test, and troubleshoot PLC/IPC software.
• Develop HMI dashboards for internal and customer use.
• Lead Factory Acceptance Testing.
• Design the network architecture required to integrate Karman machinery with customer sites.
• Analyze and implement compliance and certification requirements for industrial deployment.
• Closely partner with internal manufacturing team and external partners to rapidly iterate and ensure efficient build of systems and components.
• Ensure designs meet performance targets, cost objectives, and program schedules.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, computer science, chemical engineering, physics or related discipline.
• 3+ years of experience in the development of complex industrial, manufacturing, or embedded control systems.
• Demonstrated capacity to drive all aspects of control system development covering both software and hardware implementation.
• Experienced with a range of sensors and transmitters including, pressure, temperature, and flow.
• Expertise in one or more control system platforms, including, but not limited to: Allen Bradley, Beckhoff, Siemens, ABB, Mitsubishi, etc.
• Highly self‑motivated, detail‑oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities with excellent communication skills.

Desired Skills And Experience

• Master's or higher degree in a related field.
• Experience with high-speed motor applications, including instrumentation and control systems.
• Demonstrated ability to take products or projects from conception through to manufacturing and final operation.
• Competency with Ignition or other similar SCADA systems.
• Knowledge of multiple different field buses: ModBus, Ethernet/IP, ProfiNet, EtherCAT, CANBus, etc.
• Familiarity with turbomachinery design, analysis, and testing.
• Experienced with structured text PLC programming language.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing environments, including hands‑on assembly, process development, and design for manufacturability.

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay are determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full‑time hires, you may also be eligible for long‑term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.