Senior Instrumentation and Controls Test Engineer

Aalo Atomics; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Aalo Atomics in Austin, TX is hiring a Senior Instrumentation and Controls Test Engineer to lead the measurement, control, and automation systems for experimental hardware and reactor development. You will craft test requirements, select sensors, and develop automated test stands from benchtop to FAT/SAT.

The role spans PLC logic, HMIs, control loops, data logging, and instrumentation layout, with on-site work in our Austin facilities.

Qualifications

• At least five years of hands-on instrumentation, controls, automation, or test systems experience.
• Experience selecting/integrating sensors, conditioning, and data acquisition for experiments or equipment.
• Experience developing PLC-based controls, HMIs, and control-loop behavior.
• Proven ability to author and execute formal test protocols with traceability and revision control.
• Ability to read wiring diagrams and diagnose instrumentation/network issues in complex systems.
• Understanding of calibration, measurement accuracy, sampling, and uncertainty in test data.
• Ability to translate incomplete test requirements into working, documented systems.
• Ability to implement and verify interlocks and alarms; work safely with electrical hardware.

Responsibilities

• Translate test objectives into measurement and control requirements, sensor ranges, and data needs.
• Develop test methods and procedures mapping requirements to acceptance criteria.
• Develop/maintain testing procedures for consistent execution and audit readiness.
• Select/integrate sensors, conditioning, instrumentation, and data acquisition for multiple parameters.
• Design instrument layouts, I/O, wiring, and interfaces; coordinate with fabrication teams.
• Develop PLC logic, HMIs, and control sequences; tune control loops for stability.
• Implement alarms, interlocks, and shutdown behavior; verify during commissioning.
• Plan/execute FAT/SAT; perform calibration and functional checks against criteria.
• Use simulation or HIL methods to verify control sequences and responses before operation.
• Build data-acquisition workflows with traceability; document results and configuration.
• Troubleshoot sensors, wiring, noise, networks, and data integrity; diagnose issues.

Skills

Instrumentation

Controls

Test automation

PLC programming

HMI development

Data acquisition

Sensor integration

Electrical wiring

Signal conditioning

HIL

Education

Engineering degree (electrical / nuclear / control systems)

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

SCADA

MBSE

Job description

Senior Instrumentation and Controls Test Engineer

About this position

About Aalo Atomics

Aalo Atomics is pioneering a new era in clean energy with factory-fabricated microreactors designed to deliver affordable, scalable, and reliable nuclear power. Our mission is to make nuclear energy globally accessible, starting with the Aalo-1, a 10 MWe reactor leveraging cutting-edge safety, modularity, and efficiency. Based in Austin, TX, we’re rapidly growing as we work to deploy the world’s first fleet of advanced microreactors. Join us and help revolutionize energy for a sustainable future.

About the role

We are hiring a Senior Instrumentation and Controls Test Engineer to develop the measurement, control, and automation systems that support Aalo's experimental hardware, software and reactor development. You will turn test requirements into reliable instrumentation and repeatable control behavior that produce trustworthy engineering data.

This hands-on role owns I&C for component, subsystem, and integrated-system testing, from benchtop setups to automated test stands. You will work with test, electrical, software, mechanical, and systems engineers, manufacturing, operations, and EHS to commission and support a broad range of test equipment.

What you’ll do

• Translate test objectives and operating conditions into measurement and control requirements, including sensor ranges, accuracy, response time, sampling, and data-recording needs.
• Develop test methods and write test procedures that map engineering requirements to measurable acceptance criteria. Define prerequisites, equipment configurations, instrumentation and calibration needs and required data.
• Develop and maintain testing procedures to support consistent execution and audit readiness
• Select and integrate sensors, signal conditioning, embedded instrumentation, and data acquisition for temperature, pressure, flow, strain, vibration, position, voltage, current, and other required parameters.
• Design and document instrument layouts, I/O assignments, wiring, and interfaces. Coordinate enclosures, installation, grounding, shielding, and instrument access with engineering and fabrication teams.
• Develop PLC logic, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), control sequences, and test automation. Configure and tune control loops for stable operation across test conditions, accounting for the dynamics and response of the equipment under test.
• Implement alarms, permissives, interlocks, and shutdown behavior defined through operating requirements and hazard reviews. Verify their behavior during commissioning and after relevant changes.
• Plan and execute commissioning and, where applicable, factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) of test-system hardware and software. Perform calibration, loop, I/O, and functional checks against documented requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Use simulation, modeled inputs, or hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) methods as appropriate to verify control sequences, interlocks, and responses to abnormal conditions before operating integrated hardware. Record results and resolve discrepancies.
• Build reliable data-acquisition and logging workflows, including timestamps, channel identification, units, and configuration records so test results can be traced to operating conditions.
• Troubleshoot sensors, wiring, signal noise, industrial networks, communications, control behavior, and acquisition problems. Determine whether unexpected test results are caused by instrumentation errors, control-system faults, or the behavior of the equipment being tested.
• Support test execution and data interpretation; evaluate measurement uncertainty and recommend improvements to instrumentation, controls, or follow-on experiments.
• Maintain requirements, schematics, I/O lists, software revisions, calibration records, and test results. Trace control-system changes to verification evidence; define and resolve technical interfaces with equipment vendors and system integrators.
• Develop reusable instrumentation and automation approaches that improve test throughput and support later validation, qualification, and production-support testing.

Required qualifications

Education: Degree in an engineering discipline, such as electrical, nuclear, control systems engineering, or a related field.

• At least five years of relevant, hands-on engineering experience with instrumentation, controls, automation, or integrated test systems.
• Practical experience selecting and integrating sensors, signal conditioning, and data acquisition for physical experiments or industrial equipment.
• Experience developing and troubleshooting PLC-based or comparable industrial controls, including I/O, HMIs, control-loop behavior, and the effects of equipment dynamics.
• Demonstrated experience authoring and executing formal test protocols and preparing technical reports within a controlled documentation process, including requirements traceability, revision control, deviation documentation, and evidence-based acceptance decisions.
• Ability to interpret and produce wiring diagrams and instrumentation documentation, work hands-on with integrated hardware, and troubleshoot industrial networks and communications between instruments, controllers, and data systems.
• Understanding of calibration, measurement accuracy, sampling, uncertainty, and how operating conditions and failure modes affect recorded data; background in design of experiments, root-cause analysis, uncertainty analysis, or reliability-focused testing.
• Ability to turn incomplete test requirements into functioning, documented systems and diagnose hardware, software, and interface problems during commissioning and operation.
• Ability to implement and verify controls and interlocks from defined requirements and work safely with electrical hardware, moving equipment, and other test-system hazards.
• Clear technical documentation, effective collaboration with engineers and technicians, and ownership through procurement constraints, integration failures, and changing priorities.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with LabVIEW, Python-based test automation, or custom instrumentation software.
• Experience with simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or dynamic models used to validate test controls before integrated operation.
• Experience with distributed control systems (DCS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), or their integration with test equipment.
• Experience developing instrumentation and automation for performance, endurance, environmental, or fault-response testing of components and integrated systems.
• Experience producing controlled test evidence in nuclear or other high-reliability environments, including qualification testing, nuclear quality assurance, or commercial grade dedication (CGD).
• Familiarity with industrial control-system cybersecurity practices for connected test equipment.
• Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE), advanced control algorithms, or smart sensor integration.

Work location and environment

Candidates must be based in the United States and willing to work on-site in Austin, Texas. This role involves hands-on installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and test support in laboratories and development facilities, following applicable safety procedures and controls.
Requirements:

• Based in the United States
• Willing to work on-sitein Austin, TX

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary based on technical level
• Paid Time Off

Additional Information:

Aalo Atomics provides a collaborative and supportive work environment, opportunities for professional growth, intellectually challenging careers, and competitive compensation. Aalo Atomics is an equal opportunity employer and considers all employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.