Controls Engineer

Position Title: (Sr.) Controls Engineer

Location: Menlo Park, CA

Employment Type: Full-time, On-site

About the Company

Our client is a plastic circularity startup operating at the intersection of chemistry, material science, and engineering. We are seeking a seasoned and highly competent (Sr.) Controls Engineer to lead the development and execution of automation strategies across all project phases. This role is critical in ensuring process reliability, safety, and efficiency as we transition from pilot operations to full-scale commercial deployment. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in process automation, instrumentation, and control systems, with experience in developing and executing control strategies for capital projects.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Design & Implementation

• Design, implement, and validate instrumented process control schemes to ensure efficiency, reliability, and safety at lab, pilot, and commercial scales.
• Develop and maintain key controls deliverables, including Control Philosophy, Functional Design Specs (FDS), Cause & Effect Diagrams, P&IDs, Loop Drawings, and Alarm Rationalization.
• Select and design instrumented safeguards in compliance with ISA/IEC safety standards.
• Work with EPC firms and third-party vendors to troubleshoot control-related issues, enhance system performance, and ensure seamless scale-up from pilot to demonstration and commercial operations.
• Project Execution & Scale-up Support
• Implement pilot and lab-scale control schemes to validate reliability before implementation at commercial scale.
• Support HAZOP, LOPA, and safety system reviews, contributing to risk assessments and safeguard implementation.
• Lead or support commissioning and startup of new control systems and control logic at pilot/commercial scales.

Other Key Responsibilities:

• Support and/or lead technology de-risking studies with external vendors or internal scale-up teams.
• Interface with multidisciplinary teams, including process engineers, scale-up scientists, operations personnel, and external EPCs, to achieve project objectives.
• Maintain strong communication with internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure project timelines, quality, and budget targets are met.
• Travel up to 10% to support project execution, commissioning, and scale-up activities in international locations.

Qualifications:

Required

• B.S./M.S. in Chemical Engineering or related field.
• 5 years of experience in controls engineering within a chemical facility.
• Demonstrated experience designing control schemes for industrial chemical processes.
• Demonstrated experience developing controls deliverables for capital projects, either within an engineering design firm or an in-house engineering team.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities for effective collaboration with diverse teams and external stakeholders.

Preferred

• Professional Engineering License is considered an asset.
• Experience with at least one major DCS platform (DeltaV, Siemens PCS7, Honeywell, ABB, etc.).
• Experience implementing and maintaining control logic changes within operating chemical facilities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of safety requirements for operations with high-hazard chemicals.
• Strong knowledge of safety instrumented systems (SIS) design in compliance with ISA/IEC 61511.
• Experience supporting risk-based design processes (HAZOP, LOPA, QRA).
• Programming experience for lab-scale automation (Python, C , LabVIEW, PLCs).
• Previous exposure to technology development and scale-up is an asset.