Principal Controls Engineer

About General Flash

General Flash is re-inventing the process to convert metal oxides to metal. We are a dedicated team of builders - experts in materials, physics, chemistry, process and hardware engineering - united in our goal to re-shore metal production for critically important metals. We’re looking for exceptional candidates to join us!

Principal Controls Engineer

We are looking for a highly skilled, productive, and motivated Principal Controls Engineer to lead prototyping and development of critical controls systems and architectures for our metal production processes. In this position, you will work closely with design engineers, chemists, physicists, and company leaders to construct and test reactor controls with exquisite performance and fail-safe safety built-in. We iterate quickly, and you will be expected to rapidly implement controls solutions for development- and production-level systems that are reliable, cost-effective, and safe.

Primary Responsibilities

• Define and lead architecture development and implementation for all control systems at General Flash across hardware, firmware, and software.

• Translate bench-scale process intent to hardened prototype- and manufacturing-level control systems. Automate recurring workflows in the service of process repeatability and efficiency.

• Develop and deploy scalable controls systems to hit company goals and milestones.

• Serve as the internal subject-matter expert for controls algorithms, controls electronics & hardware, responsive to the technology development and operations teams.

• Develop, maintain, and meet schedules for product and process development of controls systems; Use your extensive knowledge of the controls ecosystem to select and procure necessary hardware, software, and firmware tools.

• Provide technical and professional mentorship to junior colleagues and grow the competency of the organization through your experience and positive example of engineering excellence.

• Demonstrate, every day, extreme competence and ownership of controls-related tasks up and down the organization via effective communication, design reviews, and generation of internal standards and processes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical, Controls, Computer, Mechanical or a related engineering discipline.

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in industrial controls or automation, covering the full lifecycle from concept through production support.

• Proven record as technical lead or architect on large, complex systems, with many interacting subsystems, high I/O counts and multiple disciplines.

• Expert-level PLC/firmware programming and architecture, with working depth on at least one major platform (e.g., Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Beckhoff).

• Experience integrating parallel, fail-safe safety systems/PLCs/interlocks in equipment within a manufacturing environment or production plant.

• Experience controlling process equipment, such as furnaces or reactors, gas handling systems, vacuum pumps, chillers, and valves, with closed-loop tuning (PID and beyond).

• Strong command of analog and digital electrical circuits: sensors and signal conditioning, ADC/DAC, filtering, grounding and shielding, and noise immunity.

• Familiarity with power electronics: topologies, power supplies and drives, their control loops, protection, supply-driven noise, and integration with a control system.

• Electrical design skills: schematics, panel layout, power distribution, transformer sizing and protection coordination.

• Deep familiarity with software and firmware systems, including when to use PLCs, embedded microcontrollers, FPGAs or PC-based control, and the limits of each in timing, reliability, safety certification and maintainability.

• Working knowledge of industrial protocols such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus, EtherCAT and OPC UA.

• Strong SQL, data integration and Python (or similar) skills.

• Exceptional attention to detail, including spoken, graphical, written, and other forms of communication.

• Ability to lead and influence without direct authority, communicate across disciplines and levels, and mentor engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing and deploying prototype systems in manufacturing environments.

• Demonstrated history of successful team leadership and mentorship.

• Familiarity with metallurgical, thermal processing, materials conversion, or similar systems.

• Familiarity with vacuum, semiconductor, and plasma systems (etching, thin films, etc…)

• Working knowledge of vendors providing power supplies used in the materials processing industry (high voltage, high current, high power, kHz, MHz, induction).

• AI-forward mindset and working knowledge of AI tools and how AI can be used to streamline workflows and improve engineering outcomes.

Work Environment and Safety

This is a 100% in person position, at our location in Cambridge, MA.

This position involves hands-on work in a laboratory with equipment that may operate at high temperatures, under vacuum, with high electrical power, and may utilize flammable compressed gases. Training and appropriate protective equipment will be provided.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary, commensurate with, and based on, skills and experience.

• Equity in General Flash.

• Mentorship and the opportunity to grow across engineering disciplines.

• Work in a small team, where your contributions directly shape our technology.

• Benefits: Employee health insurance and dental plan. Additional benefits as they are offered by General Flash.

• Highly collaborative, 100% in-person environment

• Paid holidays and flexible PTO

We do not work with recruiting or staffing agencies and will not pay fees for unsolicited referrals.

General Flash Corp. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.