Senior Controls Engineer

Join AES, the largest US‑based global power company, as a Senior Controls Engineer in our renewable energy division. AES has been recognized as the #1 renewable energy sales provider to corporations in the US and Americas.

Apply by July 11, 2026.

The Senior Controls Engineer will lead the design, testing, commissioning, and continuous improvement of control systems for utility‑scale solar and battery energy storage projects.

• Design, develop, and maintain plant‑level control logic for utility‑scale solar PV and BESS facilities, including PPC, EMS, and supervisory control systems.
• Develop control strategies for active power control, reactive power control, frequency response, voltage regulation, ramp‑rate limiting, and state‑of‑charge management for hybrid solar and storage facilities.
• Develop control logic in IEC‑61131‑3 environments such as Codesys, AcSELerator, Beckhoff TwinCAT, or equivalent.
• Review OEM and EPC‑supplied control strategies, identify gaps and risks, and provide recommendations to support commissioning and long‑term operation.
• Define and support control interfaces for inverter OEMs and BESS vendors, including Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 61850.
• Develop and review dynamic controller models in PSS/E to support interconnection and controls validation activities.
• Support EMT modeling and validation activities in PSCAD/EMTDC to identify and resolve control design issues before field implementation.
• Support NERC MOD‑026 and MOD‑027 submissions and respond to ISO/RTO model review comments alongside the power systems team.
• Develop structured test plans for new control features and product releases, with clear acceptance criteria and documented pass/fail expectations.
• Support HIL testing environments (RTDS, OPAL‑RT, or equivalent) for controller validation before hardware ever touches a real plant.
• Lead or support factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), including setpoint verification, alarm and trip logic validation, and SCADA communications checkout.
• Support root‑cause analysis and corrective action development for post‑commercial‑operation issues, ensuring lessons learned are incorporated into future designs and processes.
• Ensure control designs comply with applicable standards, including IEEE 1547, IEEE 2800, relevant NERC requirements, and project interconnection obligations.
• Develop clear and complete documentation, including functional specifications, logic descriptions, I/O lists, test procedures, and commissioning reports.
• Stay current on evolving inverter‑based resource grid code requirements and apply those insights to engineering standards and project delivery.

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a closely related field.
  • Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience:
  • 5+ years of controls engineering experience with utility‑scale solar PV and/or BESS facilities.
  • Experience developing control strategies for grid‑connected renewable energy assets.
  • Experience reviewing OEM or EPC control submissions and providing substantive technical feedback.
  • Working knowledge of PSS/E or PSCAD.
  • Hands‑on experience with PPC or EMS commissioning and acceptance testing for utility‑scale renewable projects.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  
  • IEC‑61131‑3 control logic development in Codesys, AcSELerator, Beckhoff TwinCAT, or equivalent PLC‑based environments.
  • Strong troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis skills.
  • Knowledge of Modbus TCP/RTU, DNP3, IEC 61850 (GOOSE/MMS), and Sun Spec.
  • Familiarity with SCADA/historian (PI Historian, OSIsoft, or equivalent).
  • Python or MATLAB/Simulink for control analysis, test automation, or data evaluation.
• Standards Knowledge:
  • IEEE 1547‑2018 and IEEE 2800‑2022 interconnection requirements for inverter‑based resources.
  • NERC MOD‑026, MOD‑027, and PRC‑024 familiarity.
  • General awareness of UL 9540 / UL 9540A for BESS systems.

• HIL testing experience with RTDS/RSCAD, OPAL‑RT, or Speedgoat.
• MATLAB/Simulink for control modeling or algorithm prototyping.
• Experience in BESS dispatch optimization, degradation‑aware SOC management, or demand‑response…