Senior Controls & Automation Engineer, Manufacturing Controls Team

About Mainspring Energy

Mainspring Energy is revolutionizing power generation with the world’s most flexible and adaptable local power generation technology, the Mainspring Linear Generator. Commercial, industrial, and utility leaders are choosing Mainspring over traditional options like engines, turbines, and fuel cells to quickly and reliably deliver local power for EV charging, commercial facilities, data centers, and grid‑scale operations. The Mainspring Linear Generator is fuel flexible, ramps up and down to meet demand, and utilizes a flameless reaction with near‑zero NOx emissions.

Backed by top‑tier investors including Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, American Electric Power, Lightrock, and General Catalyst, Mainspring designs, manufactures and delivers its products to customers across the U.S. today, and we’re quickly scaling for international expansion.

Inspired by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net‑zero carbon grid, Mainspring is rapidly expanding within the $816B global electricity equipment market, and we’re hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand around the globe. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring fresh perspectives and ongoing innovation to our customers.

Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world‑class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.

Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world‑class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.

Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross‑disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.

We are seeking a Senior Automation & Controls Engineer who applies sound software engineering practices to design and deliver industrial automation systems using the Beckhoff Platform. This role focuses on building reliable, maintainable, and scalable control systems in a real‑world manufacturing environment.

You will develop automation solutions that balance deterministic control requirements with modern engineering practices such as modular design, version control, code reviews, and disciplined change management. While the work is rooted in traditional industrial automation, there is an increasing emphasis on improving the development, testing, and deployment of control software.

In this role, you will work across the full lifecycle of automation systems—from electrical design and hardware selection to controls software development, deployment, commissioning, and long‑term support. A significant portion of your time, approximately 20‑25%, will also be dedicated to the maintenance, improvement, and upgrading of existing equipment. You will collaborate closely with manufacturing, electrical, mechanical, and software teams to ensure systems are safe, reliable, and adaptable to evolving production needs.

The role is based at Mainspring Headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and is primarily on‑site with some travel within North America.

• System Design & Architecture:
  Lead the design of complex automation systems, including PLCs, HMIs, and robotics. Create and maintain electrical schematics, control enclosure layouts, and wiring diagrams using CAD software.
• Programming & Implementation:
  Program and debug control systems using platforms mainly in Beckhoff products with some possible use of Rockwell, Siemens TIA Portal and Schneider Electric products. Develop and implement closed‑loop control systems and novel data structures.
• Project Execution:
  Own specific engineering projects from conception to completion, ensuring timelines, budgets, and…