Senior Controls Engineer​/Automation Engineer

Acculon Energy designs and manufactures advanced battery modules and packs—specializing in sodium and lithium-ion—for commercial and industrial applications. Based in Columbus, OH, with manufacturing operations in Mason, Ohio. Acculon brings decades of energy storage expertise to deliver safe, scalable, and efficient solutions that go beyond UL safety standards: safety and quality are core pillars in everything we do. Acculon is helping lead the transition to next‑generation energy storage, powering smarter, safer, and more sustainable systems, from start to scale.

Acculon Energy is seeking an experienced and highly capable Senior Controls Engineer / Automation Engineer to support the launch and scaling of the company’s first advanced battery module manufacturing and battery pack assembly operation in Mason, Ohio.

This role will serve as one of the key technical leaders responsible for the development, integration, support, optimization, and long‑term scalability of automated manufacturing equipment and production systems. The Senior Controls Engineer / Automation Engineer will play a critical role in ensuring manufacturing systems operate safely, efficiently, reliably, and at the performance levels required to support advanced battery manufacturing operations.

Unlike a traditional controls engineering role within a mature manufacturing environment, this position will operate within a startup manufacturing organization where automation systems, manufacturing processes, operational standards, and infrastructure are actively being developed and refined.

The successful candidate will work closely with manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, quality, and operations teams to support equipment commissioning, process optimization, troubleshooting, continuous improvement, and future manufacturing expansion initiatives.

This role requires a strong combination of controls engineering expertise, hands‑on troubleshooting capability, automation integration experience, and practical manufacturing problem‑solving ability.

• Design, develop, program, and support automated manufacturing systems and equipment
• Develop and maintain PLC, HMI, motion control, and related automation programs
• Support integration of sensors, vision systems, robotics, test equipment, and automated manufacturing processes
• Assist with equipment startup, commissioning, debugging, and process validation activities

• Troubleshoot controls, electrical, automation, and system integration issues within manufacturing operations
• Support manufacturing uptime and operational reliability initiatives
• Work closely with maintenance and production teams to resolve equipment‑related issues quickly and effectively
• Support process optimization and cycle time improvement activities

• Collaborate with manufacturing and engineering teams to improve process capability, repeatability, and efficiency
• Support implementation of new manufacturing equipment and production technologies
• Assist in development of scalable manufacturing automation strategies
• Participate in process validation and manufacturing qualification activities

• Help establish automation standards, documentation practices, and system architecture guidelines
• Support long‑term manufacturing scalability and operational growth initiatives
• Participate in continuous improvement and lean manufacturing efforts
• Contribute to development of a highly automated and operationally disciplined manufacturing environment

The ideal candidate is technically strong, highly hands‑on, and comfortable operating in a fast‑paced advanced manufacturing startup environment where priorities evolve quickly and operational responsiveness is critical.

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• practical troubleshooting skills,
• operational problem‑solving ability,
• and strong collaboration with both technical and manufacturing personnel.

Candidates should be comfortable spending significant time on the manufacturing floor supporting production operations, equipment startup activities,…