Software Controls Engineer

Software/Controls Engineer

Location: Wilmington, NC, USA

Duration: 18 Months

Schedule: Monday - Friday

Project: Manufacturing Support

Role Summary:

We are recruiting for a Software/ Controls Engineer to join our client who specialize globally in power generation, renewable energy, and grid solutions. This is a long-term contract opportunity for 18 months.

In this position, you will be accountable for reliability and quality of factory developed software. You will be part of the technical team responsible for the Fuel Manufacturing Operation in the Nuclear business. As the Engineer, you will ensure factory critical software is reliable, adequate, and meets business security requirements.

Responsibilities include:

• Audit the performance, security, and reliability of internally developed software by:
• Interacting with operators, process engineers, technicians, and management
• Interacting with technical personnel from Digital Technology (IT & Security)
• Interacting with manufacturing equipment and processes
• Performing code reviews
• Utilizing code scanning services/applications
• Documenting bugs, outages, faults, etc.
• First line of engineering escalation for software reliability or feature issues
• Document issues, changes, and releases using a Version Control Management application (GitHub Enterprise, GitLab, Subversion)
• Add features to existing software such as I/O with manufacturing equipment and local data management
• Upgrade and port legacy software written in FORTRAN, VB6, C to modern platforms such as .NET, Node.js, Python
• Port prototype and legacy software from OpenVMS to Windows/Linux (or others)
• Develop automated tests, diagnostic tools, and application deployment routines
• Package and archive existing 3rd party libraries and dependencies (Artifactory, NuGet, NPM, pip)
• Use and maintain a CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Enterprise and Propel
• Develop web-based and embedded systems HMIs (Human Machine Interface)
• Develop interfaces between manufacturing equipment and software applications using industrial protocols such as GE SRTP, OPC-UA, MQTT, etc.
• Review, design, generate, update, and monitor manufacturing equipment, devices, systems,
• and processes in the fuel components area, including both mechanical and electrical/instrumentation aspects of equipment.
• Embrace Global Nuclear Fuel’s nuclear safety culture, where work is performed with an
• overriding priority on integrity, safety, security, and quality.
• Responsible for understanding safety controls for equipment and able to design, implement, execute, and review Function Test Instructions (FTIs) to ensure operability.
• Ensure compliance with all safety and quality regulations and metrics through use of compliance calendars, databases, and tracking systems.
• Develop and/or improve process automation of existing or new manufacturing processes.
• Maintain, review, update and create area operating procedures (OPS), method sheets (MS),
• temporary operating instructions (TOIs) and job hazards analyses (JHA)
• Responsible for supporting planned and unplanned maintenance activities.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) initiatives in the fuel components operation, including
• process development and design of experiments (DOE)’s.
• Identify and implement proactive solutions for incremental and step change process improvements related to safety, quality, and output through use of Lean and Six Sigma tools.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Qualifications and experience includes:

• 4 Year Technical Degree in Engineering or Computer Science with a minimum of 2 years experience with software development and maintenance.
• Ability to wear personal protective equipment, i.e. safety shoes, safety glasses, ear plugs
• Walk up and down stairs multiple times during the day. Occasionally climb ladders.
• Crawling, kneeling, crouching, reaching around manufacturing equipment on a weekly basis.

Core Technical Skills include:

• Programming Languages- Experience with legacy languages: FORTRAN, VB6, C. Modern languages: C#, Python, Node.js, or similar
• Software Modernization- Porting/upgrading legacy codebases to modern architectures (.NET, Node.js, Python) Migrating applications across platforms (e.g., OpenVMS to Windows/Linux)
• Version Control Systems- Proficiency with tools like GitHub Enterprise, GitLab, Subversion
• CI/CD & Automation- Experience with continuous integration and deployment pipelines (GitHub Actions, Propel, etc.). Scripting automated tests and deployment routines
• Package & Dependency Management- Familiarity with Artifactory, NuGet, NPM, pip for managing and archiving dependencies
• Code Quality & Security- Code reviews and audits. Use of code scanning and static analysis tools.
• HMI & Web-Based Systems- Developing Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) for embedded or web-based systems
• Industrial Communication Protocols- Practical experience with GE SRTP, OPC-UA, MQTT, or similar manufacturing protocols

Manufacturing & Systems Experience:

• Process Understanding- Ability to interact with operators, technicians, engineers, and manufacturing processes. Understanding of industrial automation and control systems
• System Reliability & Issue Tracking- Documenting bugs, outages, and performance issues. Acting as first line engineering support/escalation
• Platform Knowledge- Experience with Windows and Linux environments. Familiarity with OpenVMS a plus (for legacy migrations)
• Soft Skills & Cross-Functional Experience
• Collaboration & Communication- Comfortable working with cross-functional teams: operations, engineering, IT/security
• Documentation & Change Management- Strong attention to detail in tracking issues, changes, and software versions
• Problem Solving & Troubleshooting- Analytical mindset to debug, optimize, and improve systems under real-world constraints

Preferred/Bonus Skills

• Experience in regulated or safety-critical environments (e.g., aerospace, energy, manufacturing)
• Familiarity with DevSecOps concepts and secure software development
• Knowledge of digital twins or edge computing in industrial settings