Senior Controls Engineer

About Us

We’re automating homebuilding. Our Micro Factory produces full‑scale framing panels directly on the construction site – wall panels, floor panels, roof panels – manufactured on demand, in sync with the build. No factory. No trucking. No delays. We’ve proven our impact with early customers and are scaling fast across the UK, EU, and US. Backed by visionary leadership and a robust financial foundation, we’re not just building homes –we’re building a better future for people and the planet.

We’re hiring a Senior Controls Engineer to own the electrical, pneumatics and controls discipline for the AUAR Micro Factory: a containerised, robotically‑driven timber framing factory that we deploy with partners across Europe and North America to build low‑carbon homes.

You will own electrical, pneumatic and controls design across the entire Micro Factory. That means the cell‑wide power architecture, the Ether

CAT control network, drive and VFD selection, the hardwired safety system, and every sensor and device on the product. You will work hands‑on through commissioning, support deployments on partner sites, and drive continuous improvement on units already in the field.

This is a senior role with full ownership of the discipline. You set the standards, write the specs, pick the components, and sign off the system.

System design

• Electrical and controls architecture across all sub‑systems.
• Power architecture supporting a 380–480 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 3‑phase.
• Mixed protocol design (Ether
  
  CAT + Ether Net/IP + IO‑Link) connecting Beckhoff IPC, Festo servo drives, VFDs, Festo valve terminals, and the ABB Omni Core robot controller.
• Hardwired safety system including a light curtain perimeter system.
• Wiring schematics, harness designs, and BOMs that are buildable, modular, and transportable.

Multi‑region compliance

• Design and document for UK/EU machinery safety standards and US equivalents (UL 508A, NFPA 79, NEC) in a single panel build wherever practical.
• Run risk assessments and produce the technical files for CE/UKCA and the equivalent US conformity package where required.
• Familiar with Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC / Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU.

Build, commission, deploy

• Lead panel build coordination with suppliers, commissioning, and FAT.
• Support live Micro Factories with troubleshooting, root cause investigation, and engineering changes.

Documentation and lifecycle

• Own the electrical, pneumatics and controls hardware sections of the V3 Functional Design Specification.

Suppliers

• Select, qualify, and manage external panel builders, harness suppliers, and electrical sub‑contractors.

• Significant experience designing, building, and commissioning industrial electrical and control systems for automated machinery or robot cells.
• Strong experience designing and troubleshooting industrial pneumatics: valve terminals, cylinders, vacuum systems, pressure/flow control, and safe pneumatic dump circuits.
• Hands‑on expertise with 3‑phase 400/480 V power and industrial Ethernet (Ether
  
  CAT essential; experience with Ether Net/IP, IO‑Link useful).
• Strong working knowledge of servo drives and VFDs.
• Knowledge of machine safety and applicable standards and regulations.
• Fluent in producing wiring schematics, panel GAs, and BOMs to a buildable standard.
• Comfortable on the workshop floor and on customer sites: terminating panels, fault‑finding equipment safely, and running commissioning checklists.
• Strong written communication. You can produce a technical file, an FDS section, or a service manual that someone else can actually use.
• Values‑Driven: A strong alignment with AUAR’s mission and values; low‑ego, high‑energy, adaptable, and values‑driven. You live and breathe the product.
• Location:
  
  London‑based or able to work from our office at least 4 days a week. Occasional requirements to support deployments on customer sites.

• Demonstrable experience designing for UK/EU compliance (UKCA/CE, EN 60204‑1, IEC 61439) and US compliance (UL 508A, NFPA 79, NEC).
• Experience with EPLAN (or similar ECAD) for electrical schematic design.
• A…