Sr. Automation Controls Specialist, Operations Team

Twelve; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 204,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Paid sick days

Equity compensation

Diverse environment

Job summary

Twelve is seeking a Senior Automation PLC Controls Specialist to lead hands-on Rockwell/PlantPAx/FactoryTalk control activities at the Moses Lake facility. The role focuses on configuration, updates, maintenance, and troubleshooting within a cross-functional team to ensure safe, reliable plant operations.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in process automation, OT/IT networking, and experience with cross-functional EPC collaborations.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in process automation or related field.
• Extensive OT/IT networking knowledge and practical experience.
• Experience with Rockwell PlantPAx and FactoryTalk configurations.

Responsibilities

• Lead automation and control activities for AirPlant One facility.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Construction, Project Management and Finance on control system work.
• Serve as OT interface to IT, ensuring secure networks and compliant cybersecurity practices.
• Collaborate with Rockwell resources and Main Automation Contractor teams on system design and configuration.
• Support learnings for future AirPlant2 facility and potential colocation with EPC.

Skills

Rockwell PLC

PlantPAx

FactoryTalk

OT systems

Cybersecurity

Industrial Ethernet

Education

Process Automation degree

Tools

Rockwell Automation Tools

Job description

Twelve is a next-generation industrial company advancing how everyday products are made from the molecule up. AirPlant™ is our Power-to-X hydrocarbon platform that harnesses CO2, water, and electricity to make essential fuels and chemicals that underpin the global economy. We are on a mission to advance industry for the next century and lead a new era of innovation where everyday products are made from air.Twelve is pioneering a new industrial era with carbon transformation. Using electrochemistry, we convert CO₂ into essential products—fuels, chemicals, and materials that traditionally rely on fossil resources. Our mission is to transform CO₂ from a liability into a valuable resource, build resilient fossil‑free supply chains, and accelerate the next generation of sustainable industry. Currently Twelve has constructed the AirPlant One facility in Moses Lake and has plans to expand the technology experience to the next AirPlant 2 facility.

The Senior Automation PLC Controls Specialist is a Senior experienced hands‑on PLC Controls Specialist with Rockwell, PlantPAx and FactoryTalk PLC/HMI experience. The candidate will execute configuration activities with the control system as well as system updates and system maintenance activities as part of the Moses Lake Operations and Maintenance team. The candidate will provide troubleshooting of developed control applications to align expected responses to actual responses and provide corrective configuration support to correct the system. The Automation PLC Controls Specialist shall have experience with OT (Operational Technologies) systems related to Rockwell systems and Third-Party Interface communication protocols that communicate in those systems. In addition, familiarity with field sensors and control elements would be an asset.

As a Sr. Automation PLC Controls Specialist, you will be part of a dynamic operations team that has responsibilities to produce a variety of energy‑related products to market and help the pilot plants different operational scenarios. The candidate will develop repour with suppliers of the control system elements to understand the Automation system’s technical growth direction and evaluate whether the opportunity is a fit for Moses Lake Operations.

The AirPlant One facility at Moses lake WA is a proving ground for this type of process and the candidate will be expected to participate in the learnings from this experience into the next AirPlant 2 facility. Experience with other control systems would be an asset here.

This position can be either as a permanent employee or a direct contract position.

This is an onsite role in Moses Lake, WA with periodic travel to Twelve HQ in Berkeley, CA. Twelve will offer relocation support for your move. The ideal candidate will also be open to future colocation with the EPC in Calgary, and to a third relocation to TX or ND after that.

What You Will Do

• Be a member of the Operations and Maintenance team at site and provide support as requested.
• Develop understanding of the Safety aspects of the Integrated Control and Safety System, (ICSS) and act as owner of that system as part of the operations team to ensure its inherent safety concepts are maintained and supported thru Technology developments.
• Lead all Automation and Control activities including hands on configuration and documentation updates related to the AirPlant One facility.
• Partner with Engineering, Construction, Project Management, Finance, and Legal to align Control System activities with capital project execution.
• Serve as the OT interface to IT teams by translating plant control‑system requirements into secure network, identity/access, patching, remote‑access, asset‑inventory, and cybersecurity practices that protect production uptime, safety, and data integrity.
• Interface with Rockwell resources, as supplier of the controls technology, and the Main Automation Contractor resources that provided design and configuration for the installed system.

Who You Are

• Degree in related faculty to Process Automation or Secondary education with extensive field experience in Process Automation with minimum 8+ years’ experience in this field.
• Extensive experience in an Operational environment and has some Project execution experience.
• Experience working with Engineering, Procurement & Construction environments would be an asset.
• Experience with integration of control systems from vendor packages into the plant control system.
• Experience with OT, (Operational Technologies), and related networking
• Working knowledge of IT/OT convergence practices, including industrial Ethernet networking, VLANs/firewalls, network segmentation, IDMZ concepts, role‑based access control, multi‑factor authentication, secure remote access, asset inventory, patch‑management coordination, and incident‑response coordination with IT/cybersecurity teams.
• Oil & Gas, energy, or heavy industrial experience preferred,
• Proven ability to participate in a cross‑functional collaboration across Operations, Engineering, Construction, Project Management, Finance, and HSE teams.

You are a local resource to the Moses Lake Facility or are willing to relocate to Moses Lake, WA to support the operational demands. This is a full‑time role with after‑hour support on an as needed basis.

Twelve Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid sick days and vacation
• Competitive salary and equity compensation commensurate with experience
• Diverse and inclusive work environment

At Twelve, it's important each employee is compensated competitively and fairly. In alignment with state legal requirements, Twelve conducts exhaustive research to understand compensation markets. A range for the included position is listed below. Be advised, actual offer details are determined by job category, job location, and candidate skill level.

United States Wage Range: $204,000 - $255,000

Please note that some pay bands may have wide ranges of compensation to accommodate candidate's diverse sets of skill levels.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe that the unique contributions of each individual is the driver of our success. To make sure that our products and culture continue to incorporate everyone's perspectives and experience we never discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status.

Twelve is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified applicants, and complies with federal and state disability laws. As part of this commitment, Twelve will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact our Talent team by email at

Compensation Range: $204K - $255K