Senior / Staff Controls Engineer – End-to-End Project Owner

Deterrence Defense, Inc.; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Deterrence Defense, Inc. seeks a Senior/Staff Controls Engineer to own the controls scope for an entire automated manufacturing system from concept to production handoff.

Based in Fremont, you will lead architecture, PLC/HMI development, safety validation, FAT/SAT, and site commissioning as the single controls owner for a program. The role requires completing a full project end-to-end, coordinating with integrators and OEMs, and traveling about 25–40% to sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant engineering field.
• 6+ years (Senior) or 8+ years (Staff) in industrial controls with end-to-end project ownership.
• Strong experience with safety systems and FAT/SAT processes.
• Travel about 25–40% to vendor and production sites.

Responsibilities

• Own controls architecture, specification, and delivery for a complete line or program.
• Define PLC, HMI/SCADA, safety, motion, and network architecture; select hardware.
• Develop Siemens TIA Portal and Ignition applications; set coding standards.
• Design and validate safety systems per ISO 13849/IEC 61508/ISO 10218; risk assessments.
• Lead FAT/SAT, coordinate with integrators and OEMs; drive production handoff.
• Mentor controls engineers and engineers; build reusable templates.

Skills

Siemens TIA Portal

Ignition SCADA

Industrial networks

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Controls/Mechatronics

Tools

Siemens TIA Portal

Ignition

Job description

Senior / Staff Controls Engineer – End-to-End Project Owner

Summary
The Senior / Staff Controls Engineer owns the controls scope of an entire automated manufacturing system from concept through production handoff. Based in Fremont, this engineer is the single controls point of accountability for a program: architecture, specification, panel and network design, PLC/HMI development, safety, integrator management, FAT/SAT, and site commissioning. We are hiring multiple engineers, one per program. The ideal candidate has carried a complete line or major cell through to production as the responsible controls engineer and is ready to do it again with more ownership.

Key Responsibilities

• Own controls architecture, specification, and delivery for a complete equipment line or program.
• Define PLC, HMI/SCADA, safety, motion, and network architecture; select hardware and standards.
• Develop and review Siemens TIA Portal and Ignition applications; set coding standards and revision-control practices.
• Design and validate safety systems to ISO 13849, IEC 61508, and ISO 10218; author risk assessments and validation plans.
• Specify and manage controls scope with integrators and OEMs; lead design reviews and acceptance.
• Integrate FANUC robotics, vision, and instrumentation into the control system.
• Lead FAT at vendor sites and SAT/commissioning at production sites; drive to stable production.
• Build project plans, schedules, and risk registers for the controls scope; report to program leadership.
• Mentor controls engineers and technicians; establish reusable templates and libraries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or related engineering field, or equivalent experience.
• Senior: 6+ years · Staff: 8+ years in industrial controls, including at least one full project owned end to end.
• Expert with Siemens TIA Portal; strong Ignition or comparable SCADA.
• Demonstrated safety-system design and validation experience.
• Experience managing integrators and OEMs and leading FAT/SAT.
• Industrial networks: Profinet, OPC UA, Ethernet/IP, managed switching.
• Ability to travel to vendor and production sites (estimated 25–40%).

Level Expectations

Staff additionally sets controls standards across programs, owns the controls roadmap with the hardware and software leads, and is the escalation point for multi-program issues.

Preferred Skills

• FANUC programming; ROBOGUIDE or virtual commissioning.
• Ignition Core or Gold certification; TÜV Functional Safety.
• Hazardous-materials or energetics process controls experience.
• Siemens Project Server and GitHub-based controls workflows.
• Aerospace, munitions, battery, or automotive equipment background.