Senior Manager, Manufacturing Controls Engineering

Are you ready to rise to the challenge of climate change with the team that will deliver? Form Energy is a U.S. technology and manufacturing company that is developing and commercializing pioneering energy storage technologies to enable the electric grid to run on 100% renewable energy, every day of the year.

Supported by leading investors such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, ArcelorMittal, TPG Rise, MIT’s The Engine, and others, we share a common belief that low-cost, multi-day energy storage is the key to enable tomorrow’s zero carbon electric grid. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, we are deeply motivated and inspired to create a better world. We need talented, hardworking individuals who share our goal of tackling the challenge of climate change. Do you want to work with us today to build a better tomorrow? 

Role Description

We are looking for an experienced Senior controls engineering manager to join a new and growing Advanced Manufacturing team. This team is responsible for building out controls and automation systems as well as standards for the novel equipment used to manufacture and assemble for Form Energy’s commercial product. Reporting to the director of Advanced Manufacturing, you will grow and lead a controls team while focusing on creating equipment for manufacturing products and its sub-assemblies.

In this role, you will build control systems for PLC driven robotic cells, servo actuated mechatronic systems, and high-volume automated process equipment, with an initial focus on subsystem development and system integration in a manufacturing environment. You and your team will be responsible for building out and integrating the MES system. You can expect your team to work at the intersection of critical functions including control system design, process engineering, and manufacturing operations as the team works toward a common goal of manufacturing high performance electrodes in high volume. This is an exciting opportunity to bring novel manufacturing equipment to life while doing your part to help combat climate change!

This opportunity is based out of Form Energy's Eighty Four, PA location (Greater Pittsburgh Area).

What You'll Do:

• Hire world class engineers to expand Form’s controls engineering capabilities. 

• Lead and manage the team that works closely with equipment and process development teams for electrodes and assembly. 

• Develop company level controls standards and specifications for application by the internal equipment development team and external partners.

• Create controls system architecture and logic for manufacturing equipment and production lines.

• Responsible for setting up and maintaining the MES system

• Participate in initial equipment conceptual development and carefully balance product specifications, process requirements, layout complexity, cost, and lead-time limits.

• Lay out new industrial electrical control panels which are NFPA79/NEC/UL508A compliant, and create electrical, pneumatic, and fluid schematics.

• Architect, write, and debug PLC controls logic with an emphasis on generating code that is organized, structured, documented, maintainable and reusable. 

• Characterize and validate new automated process equipment for deployment into production.

• Work with cross-functional teams throughout the entire lifecycle of the manufacturing equipment development.

What You'll Bring:

• A hands-on, lead-by-example leadership style

• 10+ years of experience as a hands-on Controls Engineer or Robotics Engineer working on automation and/or electromechanical systems.

• 5+ years of experience hiring and managing a team of engineers and technicians. 

• Proficiency with electromechanical / mechatronic system design and motion control as well as process automation. 

• Experience with Ignition MES system

• Advanced proficiency in programming industrial equipment in all IEC 61131-3 languages with a focus on structured text and ladder logic.

• Experience developing the controls system logic for industrial equipment including, Safety PLCs, Human Machine Interface, Field bus Networks, Serial and ethernet communication between PLCs and instruments, and database systems.

• Experience programming 6-Axis industrial robots (Fanuc, Kuka, ABB, etc).

• Proficiency selecting and integrating hardware for industrial automation and sensing, including but not limited to appropriate circuit protectors, wire and cabling, sensors, safety hardware, PLC hardware, motor controls elements.

• Proficiency creating detailed electrical and fluid schematics in CAD (