---
title: 'Senior Sustaining Controls Engineer at Mainspring Energy'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-sustaining-controls-engineer-mainspring-energy-menlo-park-aqsgt6apapva'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Senior Sustaining Controls Engineer at Mainspring Energy

- **Company:** Mainspring Energy
- **Location:** Menlo Park, CA
- **Compensation:** $139k–$163k
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/mainspringenergy/9a040c60-9161-466f-99c9-bbd182648bd4

## Job description

## Overview

The Senior Sustaining Controls Engineer will play a crucial role in the success of our product automatically and reliably fulfilling customers’ electricity demand. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to diagnose and resolve issues, differentiate between mechanical, electrical, and software-related problems, and document solutions to increase product reliability and reduce maintenance needs. This position is ideal for a multidisciplinary engineer who enjoys working on complex systems and has a keen eye for detail.

In this role, you will act as an electromechanical generalist, bridging the gap between hardware and software across our linear generator fleet, lab operations, and manufacturing processes. Following our rapid transition from R&D to full production, you will take a structured, methodical approach to untangling complex legacy issues and clearing the issue backlog. Applying a strong foundation in physics and systems engineering, you will trace root causes across C++ software, electrical circuits, and mechanical components, using these insights to develop targeted sustaining features that improve long-term product stability and fleet performance.

## Responsibilities

- Manage, document, and resolve fleet issues ensuring clear communication and follow-up on resolutions and improving the process
- Diagnose root causes of system issues, distinguishing between mechanical, electrical, and software-related problems
- Categorize, systematize, and address gaps in automated system behavior
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide technical support and enhance system behavior
- Debug and troubleshoot existing control algorithms to improve system performance and reliability
- Analyze and understand C++ code to interpret behavior
- Implement fixes to field issues in C++ code, and test them in simulation and laboratory environments
- Adjust feature designs to address field issues
- Use Python for data analysis, scripting, and system diagnostics
- Tune control gains and calibrate systems, documenting the process for future reference
- Identify and address gaps in system performance, ensuring continuous improvement
- Support reliability and manufacturing testing, contributing to the system's life cycle maintenance

## Qualifications

- Experience in successful root cause analysis of complex software-mechatronic systems
- Driven and self-directed systems-thinker responsible for creating or improving effective sustaining engineering processes
- Excellent communicator with demonstrated collaboration across multidisciplinary teams
- Degree in mechanical or electrical engineering with controls focus
- Senior level: BS and six years or MS and five years

## 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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