Senior Automation Controls Engineer

TL;DR

Senior Automation Controls Engineer (Industrial Controls/Automation): Designing, building, and deploying custom automation equipment and control systems for scalable, repeatable manufacturing with an accent on control system architecture, industrial safety, and end-to-end commissioning from offline simulation to production ramp-up. Focus on integrating PLC/HMI/robot controls, validating behavior via virtual commissioning, and delivering documentation and factory/site acceptance testing for real-world automated manufacturing.

Location: Central Texas

Base Pay Range: $181,626.00 - $254,275.35 (CO applicants; other site ranges may differ)

Company

hirify.global develops reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems.

What you will do

• Collaborate on conceptual automated manufacturing equipment, providing controls architecture input from concept through detailed design.
• Design control system architectures (network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, and communication protocols) and lead industrial controls/electrical design for bespoke automation systems.
• Develop offline simulations and virtual commissioning to validate control logic, robot paths, cycle times, and system behavior before hardware availability.
• Transition to online debugging and commissioning of PLC, HMI, robot, and related industrial controls programs; integrate auxiliary equipment into unified control systems.
• Support panel fabrication and field installation teams, lead factory and site acceptance testing, and drive build/installation/commissioning/start-up of automated manufacturing systems.
• Create and deliver controls documentation packages (sequence of operations, I/O lists, network diagrams, and program documentation).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Controls, or a related engineering field.
• Minimum 6 years of hands-on experience developing and integrating industrial controls/automation systems from scratch, including core PLC and HMI programming and control system architecture design (network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, multi-platform communication protocols).
• Experience with industrial safety system design, including functional safety devices, safety PLCs, and safety-rated circuits.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and review electrical and mechanical drawings.
• U.S. citizenship or national status, U.S. permanent residency (current Green Card holder), or lawful admission into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with industrial automation and machine safety standards (e.g., IEC 61131, ANSI B11, NFPA 79, RIA R15.06) and functional safety standards (IEC 62061 / ISO 13849), including formal risk assessment experience.
• Experience with industrial automation simulation software (e.g., Plant Simulate, Process Simulate, Visual Components, KUKA.Sim, RobotStudio).
• Experience with industrial machine vision systems (e.g., Cognex) including ML-based inspection and guidance solutions.
• Experience building/modifying/troubleshooting electrical control panels and using AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN for electrical CAD.
• Proven delivery of custom automated manufacturing systems from concept through production ramp-up.

Culture & Benefits

• Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid parental leave, short- and long-term disability, and a 401(k) with company match up to 5%.
• Education Support Program and stock options for regular employees working at least 20 hours/week.
• Paid time off up to four (4) weeks per year and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
• Safety, collaboration, and inclusion-focused culture within Operations (including Manufacturing and Supply Chain support).

Hiring process

• Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.
• Background check required for all positions (and additional checks for certain job profiles).