---
title: 'Senior Staff Controls Software Engineer at Mainspring Energy'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-controls-software-engineer-mainspring-energy-menlo-park-m8cgwkz3z7q5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Senior Staff Controls Software Engineer at Mainspring Energy

- **Company:** Mainspring Energy
- **Location:** Menlo Park, CA
- **Compensation:** $189k–$223k
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/mainspringenergy/20ab2bed-43d8-46bf-aa29-eb6c962b0b0a

## Job description

## Overview

Mainspring Energy is seeking a highly skilled Sr. Staff Controls Software Engineer to architect, develop, and deploy industrial-grade Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) and SCADA systems for our Linear Generator sites. As a senior individual contributor and technical lead, you will define the architecture for modernizing our operator interfaces using Ignition, building scalable, site-agnostic UI frameworks, and implementing robust industrial communication pipelines using OPC UA, Modbus, and related protocols. You will bridge hardware controls, site telemetry, and operator visualization to deliver intuitive, reliable, and secure control interfaces across commercial, microgrid, and utility-scale deployments.

## Responsibilities

- Ignition HMI Development: Lead the design, architecture, and deployment of commercial-grade operator interfaces standardized on the Ignition SCADA platform.
- Site-Agnostic UI Architecture: Build dynamic, site-agnostic HMI screens and tag structures that seamlessly scale across diverse power plant configurations, skids, and high generator counts.
- Protocol & Telemetry Integration: Implement robust communication interfaces and telemetry pipelines utilizing OPC-UA, Modbus, and SunSpec for real-time SCADA data exposure and third-party integration.
- Alarming & Diagnostics: Develop comprehensive alarm management, system of events logging, and diagnostic dashboards for deep visibility into site hardware and network status.
- Testing & Validation: Own the testing lifecycle for new features, including unit testing, integration testing, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation to ensure site safety logic and grid compliance.
- DER Integration: Implement strategies for integrating Mainspring technology into Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) and complex microgrid environments.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with Product, Controls and Hardware teams to translate utility requirements and interconnection standards into functional software specifications.

## Qualifications

- Industry Experience: 12+ years of hands-on experience in commercial power generation, industrial automation, manufacturing or utility-scale energy projects.
- HMI & SCADA Expertise: Deep hands-on experience building complex industrial HMI/SCADA systems, with demonstrated mastery of the Ignition platform (Perspective/Vision modules, UDTs, Tag Historian) and industrial communication protocols, specifically OPC-UA, Modbus TCP/RTU, and SunSpec, alongside relational database integration (e.g., PostgreSQL).
- Software Architecture & Scalability: Proven experience defining industrial software architecture, leading technical decisions, and delivering reusable, site-agnostic HMI/SCADA platforms from design through deployment.
- Grid Interconnection Standards: Experience with grid interconnection standards (e.g., IEEE 1547, UL 1741).
- Cybersecurity Frameworks: Knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks for industrial control systems (e.g., NERC CIP).
- Technical Communication: Ability to create clear technical documentation and system diagrams that bridge the gap between industrial hardware and modern software.

## About Mainspring Energy

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mainspring Energy designs and manufactures fuel-flexible linear generators that provide low-emission, dispatchable onsite power for utilities, data centers, and industrial customers.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series F)
- **Headquarters**: Menlo Park, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2010
- **Founders**: Shannon Miller

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Electric Power Generation
- Target customers: B2B – utilities, data center developers, enterprise, industrial
- Mission statement: "Redefining how local power is delivered to capacity constrained companies and communities" – enabling clean, reliable, and fuel-flexible power.

## Products & Services
- **[Linear Generator (LGen)]**: A flameless, fuel-flexible generator that converts gaseous fuels (natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, propane) into electricity with near-zero NOx emissions. Modular (0.25 MW per unit), fast-ramping (0-100% dispatchable), 46% electrical efficiency (LHV). Standardized 2.5 MW configuration (10 units). Suitable for grid-parallel or grid-independent operation, microgrids, and balancing renewables.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metrics**: Annual revenue $117M (latest fiscal year); total funding $813M; 407 employees
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: General Catalyst (led Series F, 2025, $258M), Lightrock (led Series E, 2022, $140M), BloombergNEF (grant), and others.
- **Growth Signals**: Powering the largest U.S. EV truck charging depot; >1 GW of capacity trusted by Fortune 500 companies and utilities; headcount growing +3.4% YoY; job postings up +121.4% YoY (62 active openings); recently expanded into data center market.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Fuel Flexibility**: Single generator can seamlessly switch between natural gas, RNG, hydrogen, and propane without hardware retrofits.
- **Near-Zero Emissions**: <1.5 ppm NOx (0.05 lb/MWh) – meets stringent air quality standards.
- **Dispatchability**: 0-100% load following, grid-independent operation, capable of firming renewables.
- **Low Maintenance**: Only two moving parts, no oil changes, modular design reduces downtime.
- **High Efficiency**: 46% electrical efficiency (LHV) across all scales.
- **Fast Deployment**: Factory-built, skid-mounted units enable rapid installation.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling manufacturing and deployment to meet growing demand from data centers and utilities.
- Advancing hydrogen and biogas compatibility to support long-term decarbonization.
- Expanding standardized 2.5 MW configurations to lower installed cost and accelerate timelines.
- Building a diverse, cross-disciplinary team to drive innovation in power generation.

## Why Work Here
- Culture of inclusion, respect, and collaboration across engineering, operations, and field teams.
- Emphasis on growth: "We invest in your growth because progress requires people who keep getting better."
- Hybrid/Remote options: headquarters in Menlo Park, manufacturing facilities, and remote field service roles.
- Active hiring across engineering (mechanical, electrical, software), operations, supply chain, and field service.
- Competitive salary ranges (e.g., Engineer ~$107k, Controls Engineer ~$109k, Manufacturing Engineer ~$91k) plus benefits.
- Diverse talent origins from Tesla, Stanford, Apple, SunPower, and other top clean energy companies.

## Sources
1. [mainspringenergy.com/company](https://www.mainspringenergy.com/company)
2. [mainspringenergy.com/careers](https://www.mainspringenergy.com/careers)
3. [jobs.lever.co/mainspringenergy](https://jobs.lever.co/mainspringenergy)
4. [linkedin.com/company/mainspringenergy](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mainspringenergy)
5. [mainspringenergy.com/product](https://www.mainspringenergy.com/product)

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