Senior Controls Engineer

Overview

Tract Capital adopts a unique approach to digital infrastructure investment. Leveraging experience and strategic insights honed over three decades of creating successful companies in the space, we excel in nurturing and advancing leading-edge digital infrastructure enterprises. Our team of specialized experts are united by a singular purpose: to support the growth of digital infrastructure. Tract Capital goes beyond simple investment by acting as a strategic partner and catalyst for innovation within the sector.

We ensure our engagements not only generate strong financial results but also develop essential digital infrastructure to meet growing demands. Tract Capital has introduced two digital infrastructure strategies. The first is a horizontal powered land strategy focused on creating master planned data center campuses called Tract. The second is the mega-campus vertical development strategy called Fleet Data Centers.

Senior Controls Engineer owns controls discipline design for our behind-the-meter (BTM) generation solutions and integration into Tract’s monitoring and command center operations. This role develops controls standards and BOD, coordinates with vendors and product teams, and ensures OT systems meet reliability, cybersecurity, and operational requirements for mission-critical environments.

• Own controls discipline design and Basis of Design (BOD) for BTM generation systems, including PLC/RTU architecture, network design, telemetry points, alarms, and historian requirements.
• Coordinate with Power Generation equipment (Reciprocating Engines, Turbines, Fuel Cells, Batteries etc.) vendors on control panels, engine controllers, switch gear controls, and ancillary skids to ensure consistent interfaces and robust fault handling.
• Define integration requirements to our monitoring systems (dashboards, alarm priorities, escalation paths, and runbooks) and ensure clear demarcation of responsibilities during incidents.
• Partner with Product and Security to align cybersecurity requirements (segmentation, access control, logging, secure remote access) with customer and enterprise standards.
• Support commissioning, controls validation, and site acceptance testing; troubleshoot issues related to sequencing, protection interfaces, and communications.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), modes of operation (MOPs), and change-control practices for controls modifications and setpoint management.
• Establish KPIs for controls performance and reliability (nuisance alarm rate, comms uptime, MTTR) and drive continuous improvement.
• Support after-action reviews and root cause analysis for controls-related events; implement corrective actions and prevent recurrence.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.
• 7+ years in industrial controls/OT engineering, SCADA integration, or mission-critical controls for generation/power systems.

• Proven ownership of controls discipline design and Basis of Design (BOD) for complex industrial or mission-critical power systems (PLC/RTU architecture, networks, alarms, historian).
• Demonstrated experience integrating controls/OT systems with centralized monitoring or command center platforms
  , including alarm prioritization and runbook alignment.
• Hands-on experience supporting commissioning, controls validation, and site acceptance testing
  , including troubleshooting sequencing, protection interface, and communications issues.
• Track record establishing and maintaining SOPs, MOPs, and change-control practices for controls logic, setpoints, and configuration changes.
• Experience defining and tracking controls performance KPIs (e.g., nuisance alarm rate, communications uptime, MTTR) and driving corrective actions through post-incident reviews and root cause analysis.

• Experience with generation controls, paralleling/synchronizing systems, and integration with protection relays and switch gear.
• Experience implementing OT security best practices (IEC 62443 concepts, secure remote access, network hardening).
• Familiarity with common industrial protocols (Modbus, DNP3, OPC-UA) and time synchronization practices.
• Experience supporting 24/7 operations environments and incident response workflows.

• Integrity and Ethical Standards: Build trust, ensure fairness, and foster long-term, transparent relationships with suppliers.
• Effective Communication: The ability to clearly convey expectations and requirements to suppliers and negotiation parties, while understanding their needs and concerns. Comfortable delivering written and verbal presentations to internal leadership teams.
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Ability to understand the emotions, cultural nuances, and motivations of others, while effectively managing one's own emotions during high-pressure negotiations.
• Strategic Thinking: Recognize how supplier relationships and…