Process Controls Engineer

• Cause & effect matrices

Team:
Technology

Employment type:

Full-time

Work Model:
Hybrid (Los Angeles-based; ~1 day/week remote)

Travel: 0‑25% per month

Mote is developing a first‑of‑a‑kind technology for woody waste biomass that removes CO2 from the air and produces clean hydrogen to help the world meet climate goals, improve air quality, and reduce wildfires. We are developing modular projects based on our innovative and groundbreaking biomass gasification process that also enables permanent carbon sequestration. We are looking for standout individuals who are driven by reversing climate change to join our growing team, to help build our company and to contribute to our culture.

The Technology Team enables decarbonization at scale by leading process development, R&D, and technology deployment. The team supports internal and external stakeholders by ensuring Mote’s technologies operate safely, efficiently, and reliably – from early testing through commercial deployment.

The Process Controls Engineer will own the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the control and safety systems for Mote’s modular gasification platform. This includes field instrumentation, distributed control systems (DCS), safety‑instrumented systems (SIS), human‑machine interfaces (HMI), data historians, and advanced analytics.

Reporting to the Director of Process Engineering, this role will also play a key part in developing, commissioning, and operating Mote’s Advanced Testing Center (ATC), where new process innovations and control strategies are validated at pilot scale.

This role is ideal for a hands‑on controls engineer who thrives in first‑of‑a‑kind systems, values safety and rigor, and is excited to apply modern control, data, and optimization techniques to climate‑critical industrial processes.

• Develop and maintain control system, safety system, and automation philosophies for modular gasification facilities.
• Design, configure, and implement Delta V DCS architectures, control strategies, and HMI standards.
• Support the full lifecycle of safety‑instrumented systems (SIS), including participation in HAZOP, LOPA, and functional safety activities (IEC 61511).
• Own alarm management strategy, including alarm rationalization, setpoint review, and ongoing performance monitoring.
• Specify and requisition control and safety systems, instrumentation, panels, and 3rd‑party scopes of work.
• Review vendor proposals and support technical evaluations and purchase order development.
• Develop and maintain detailed control system design documentation, including:
  • Control narratives and philosophies
  • Cause & effect matrices
  • Instrument and I/O lists
  • Loop diagrams, wiring, and termination drawings
  • Configuration databases and indices
• Support installation, commissioning, startup, and operations of pilot and commercial systems.
• Troubleshoot and resolve control system and instrumentation issues.
• Collaborate closely with process engineers, mechanical engineers, technicians, and contractors to ensure safe and compliant execution.
• Identify and pilot data‑driven optimization, machine learning, and AI opportunities, such as fault detection, process optimization, and predictive maintenance, using operational data.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation while maintaining strong safety, operability and reliability standards.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• 5 years (minimum) experience in process controls, automation, or instrumentation engineering in an industrial environment.
• Strong understanding of control theory, instrumentation, and industrial automation best practices.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety and operational excellence.
• Passion for climate solutions or carbon removal and an interest in practical AI applications.

• 10 years (minimum) experience in the energy, industrial processing or similar industry.
• Hands‑on wiring, panel checkout, or field commissioning experience.
• Hands‑on experience configuring and supporting Emerson Delta
  
  V DCS systems.
• Experience with systems handling…