Senior Controls Software Engineer

JOB OVERVIEW

The Senior Controls Software Engineer reports to the Engineering department leader and is part of the Engineering department that designs and supports mobile battery energy storage products. You will lead controls engineering in the short term, then help build and manage the controls engineering team as needed. Work is primarily based in the Waterbury, Vermont office. Travel to production facilities and customer sites may be required 10% to 20% of the time. Working outdoors is sometimes required.

The following skills, experience, and credentials are what we think are necessary to succeed in this position. If you possess many but not all of these, you are encouraged to apply anyway because you may possess additional skills and experience that could provide value to NOMAD and our customers in ways we have not imagined.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with customers and stakeholders in Engineering and Product Management to develop a deep understanding of the product requirements.
• Develop control system software in C#.NET for Linux systems (or similar language).
• Support and troubleshoot PLC control systems written in Ladder, Function Block, and Structured Text.
• Migrate control algorithms from PLC languages to C#.NET (or similar language).
• Work with our Quality Manager and within our Quality Management System to develop and comply with processes to ensure efficient product development, high quality products, efficient manufacturing, and standards compliance.
• Collaborate with team members to select control system-related devices to meet product requirements.
• Develop processes and systems for managing software and device configuration, then comply with those processes.
• Collaborate with other engineering disciplines to design and implement mobile battery energy storage products.
• Ensure the control systems meet product requirements including network cyber security, and safety systems.
• Perform failure mode and effects (FMEA) analysis with other engineering disciplines and ensure the control system design implements the required mitigations.
• Develop processes, work instructions, and production jigs for device configuration to be carried out in production.
• Collaborate to develop test plans such as factory acceptance and on-site acceptance tests. Carry out those plans as needed.
• Support the Fleet Management team to troubleshoot issues as 2nd line support.
• Adhere to quality and safety standards.
• Carry out tasks as assigned by the Engineering department leader.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Excellent communication skill, both written and verbal. This starts with the ability to actively listen to others, consider their point of view with an open mind, and communicate your ideas respectfully. You will also be required to effectively write technical documents including test plans and reports, and user manuals, which will require mastery of MS Word or similar.
• Ability to advocate for design choices, negotiate with team members, compromise, and move forward with a positive attitude, knowing that the best solutions come from effective collaboration.
• Control system design for three-phase converter-based power systems. You will need to understand and work with sensor circuits and communication networks including Ethernet, serial and CAN. You will need to choose appropriate control algorithms and implement them. You will need to understand the operating principles of a power converter.
• Data acquisition and analysis. Work with existing data acquisition systems, and design new ones as needed. The designs will consider signal selection, storage options, storage locations, bandwidth usage, and cyber security. Analyze large data sets using typical tools such as Python, Matlab, and/or MS Excel to understand system behavior.
• Intermediate or better C#.NET development, ideally for Linux systems. Understanding and use of SOLID principles. Use of git source code version control, and GitHub for feature branching, pull requests, and code reviews. Development of unit testing, integration testing, and simulation.
• Ability to understand, troubleshoot, and modify PLC programs in Ladder, Function Block, and Structured Text.
• HMI design and development including excellent user experience and intuitive information organization.
• Control system network design. You understand the basics of networking including best practices to keep the control system cyber-secure including with support for remote access.
• Multi-discipline team design of products or projects. You've worked with other engineering disciplines such as electrical and mechanical engineering to effectively design systems that meet your customers' requirements.
• Ability to read technical documentation and learn new systems and devices effectively.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Developing and supporting production software systems in C#.NET (or similar language). DevOps experience is a plus.
• Developing or supporting complex PLC-based control systems.
• Developing HMI/SCADA systems.
• Working with and troubleshooting communication protocols, especially Modbus and CAN.
• Configuring devices in a control system and managing the configurations effectively.
• Experience with large-scale battery energy storage systems is a plus.
• Experience developing and executing test plans.

REQUIRED CREDENTIALS

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field, or associate's degree in a STEM field with significant relevant experience. Computer Science or Software Engineering a plus.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to communicate orally with customers, vendors, and co-workers.
• Hearing and vision within normal ranges, with or without corrective lenses or an assisted hearing device.
• Good manual dexterity is preferred for occasional wiring, assembly, and device installation.
• Some lifting is expected;
  occasional exertion of up to 25 lbs. of force may be required.
• Secondary job requirements include travel with fieldwork which can consist of hiking, construction work, moving heavy objects, and wearing PPE for specific tasks.