Control Systems Project Lead – Applied Science

Location: Denver, CO. Full-time, onsite at the headquarters. Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident with a current Green Card, or lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Salary: $127,000–$150,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global develops inertial fusion energy technology and laser architecture to deploy fusion power plants for global decarbonization.

What you will do

• Own the controls system for a major development program, including requirements, architecture, delivery, and lifecycle support across multiple subsystems.
• Design, develop, integrate, verify, validate, and commission control, automation, data acquisition, and interlock systems for laboratory and industrial test stands.
• Lead sprint planning, task assignment, contribution reviews, software release delivery, and coordination with optics, pulsed power, mechanical, software, and operations teams.
• Plan and support test campaigns, readiness reviews, functional checkout, system integration testing, acceptance testing, and on-the-floor experimental support.
• Diagnose system, software, and hardware issues; gather operator feedback; prioritize improvements; and resolve bug reports.
• Integrate instrumentation, DAQ hardware, benchtop equipment, custom hardware, communication protocols, automated tests, unit tests, regression tests, and hardware-in-the-loop systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in control systems engineering, with strong emphasis on test and measurement or validation environments.
• Experience designing and commissioning test stands, automated test equipment, or experimental systems.
• Experience owning a controls system on a multidisciplinary project, including sprint or release planning, task assignment, and on-time software release delivery.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including coordination across engineering teams and presentation of status, risks, and design decisions.
• Proficiency in LabVIEW, including maintainable, version-controlled code; experience with version control systems such as Git and modern software development workflows.
• Strong knowledge of verification and validation methodologies, including test planning, execution, reporting, and requirements tracking with a Requirements Traceability Matrix.
• Working knowledge of unit testing, automated testing, or test-driven development concepts.
• Familiarity with industrial and laboratory communication protocols, including RS-232, TCP/IP, and Ethernet-based protocols.

Nice to have

• Experience in large experimental or test facilities such as laser, accelerator, pulsed power, aerospace, or national laboratory environments.
• Experience supporting system operators, triaging bug reports, and incorporating user feedback into releases.
• Experience with agile or sprint-based planning tools such as Jira.
• Experience with advanced architectural concepts such as an Actor framework and with Python.
• Familiarity with instrumentation standards and interfaces such as SCPI, GPIB, and USB instruments.
• Experience with DAQ systems, high-speed data capture, or synchronization and timing systems.
• Exposure to control-system integration practices including lifecycle documentation, change control, and structured testing.
• Knowledge of safety-related controls, interlocks, or fail-safe system design.
• Experience supporting testing in R&D, prototype, or experimental environments.
• Familiarity with test plans, test procedures, verification matrices, commissioning reports, and collaboration with scientists on experimental objectives.

Culture & Benefits

• Onsite engineering environment focused on inertial fusion energy, advanced laser architecture, tough technology, fusion science, and manufacturing.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage; basic and supplemental life insurance; and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Paid parental leave, paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown.
• Flexible paid time off through an ATO approach.
• 401(k) with company match of up to 6% and employee equity eligibility.