Senior Applications Engineer - Control and Automation

Senior Applications Engineer – Control and Automation

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Base pay: $/yr - $/yr

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. and is scaling rapidly for international expansion. The company’s vision is an affordable, reliable, net‑zero carbon grid, and we are hiring the best talent to meet growing customer demand worldwide.

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Job Overview

A key enabler of Mainspring’s mission is the ability of its team to deliver solutions based on our linear generator technology that solve customer problems in the cross‑section of resiliency and clean power generation. Mainspring is looking to hire a Senior Applications Engineer to join our Project Delivery team and focus on Linear Generator automation and controls implementation for our multi‑generator deployments.

• Design, configure, and maintain automation project files for complex energy projects, managing control implementation for customer‑specific applications such as grid‑parallel operation, islanding transitions, black start coordination, and peak shaving.
• Create and modify Sequence of Operations (SOO) procedures to meet project specifications and requirements.
• Author Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) procedures to demonstrate the proper implementation and function of the system after deployment.
• Partner with the field commissioning team to support startup and testing activities, serving as the escalation point for complex control, networking, and integration issues through Commercial Operation.
• Serve as a technical advisor for internal teams building out code base improvements and expanded generator controls functionality.
• Ensure comprehensive documentation of control designs, IP addressing schemes, and logic modifications to facilitate a smooth handover to the Fleet Operations team for long‑term maintenance.
• Anticipate and communicate project risks related to generator control deployment and contribute meaningful mitigation strategies.

• 5+ years of experience in industrial automation and controls, preferably within power generation, distributed energy resources, or utility‑scale facilities.
• Demonstrated experience in developing custom industrial automation logic, program deployment, and maintenance.
• Strong experience with Software‑Defined Automation or "Universal Automation" platforms; direct experience with the IEC 61499 standard highly preferred.
• Expert‑level knowledge of logic programming (Structured Text, Function Block, Ladder) on a major platform (Rockwell Studio 5000, Siemens TIA Portal, Beckhoff TwinCAT, Schneider EAE).
• Experience designing and troubleshooting industrial control networks (Modbus TCP, DNP3), including basic knowledge of VPNs, remote access, and cybersecurity best practices.
• Familiarity with electrical power systems, inverters, protection relays, and the physics of grid integration.
• Strong understanding of wiring diagrams, network diagrams, electrical schematics, one‑lines, and other standard electrical drawings.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, able to coordinate complex workflows and document key project activities.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to think critically to address customer challenges.
• Ownership mentality: proactively identify risks and advocate for the resources needed to solve them.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, a related field, or comparable…