---
title: 'Staff Controls & Automation Engineer at Mainspring Energy'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-controls-automation-engineer-mainspring-energy-menlo-park-gn9j9n38547f'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Staff Controls & Automation Engineer at Mainspring Energy

- **Company:** Mainspring Energy
- **Location:** Menlo Park, CA
- **Compensation:** $146k–$185k
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-04-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/mainspringenergy/a2fdbc5e-a4c2-4e09-8667-674fb410f60e

## Job description

## About Mainspring

Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions that rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power. The company began commercial shipments of its Mainspring Linear Generators in 2020 and today has hundreds of megawatts in advanced development and field operations for leading Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. Mainspring also partners with global energy leaders including AEP, NextEra Energy Resources, Schneider Electric, and more. The core values that ground our work, guide our decisions, and connect us together: Pragmatic Optimism Excellence without Ego Proactive Collaboration

Job Overview As a Staff Controls and Automation Engineer, you will be the technical lead for the entire lifecycle of control and execution systems, from initial concept to scalable manufacturing deployment. This involves architecting intelligent manufacturing systems and managing them through feasibility assessments and production.

A key focus is on developing automation solutions that effectively balance demanding deterministic control needs with modern software engineering practices. This includes emphasizing modular design, utilizing version control, conducting code reviews, and enforcing disciplined change management to significantly improve the development, testing, and deployment of control software. While the role is grounded in traditional industrial automation, there is a strong drive for this modernization.

## Key Responsibilities

- System Leadership and Scaling: Lead the design, development, and deployment of control systems, ensuring they are scalable for the manufacturing environment
- External Collaboration and Quality Assurance: Directly engage with external contractors, system integrators, and equipment vendors to engineer and build automated equipment. You must collaborate with both internal and external teams to guarantee adherence to equipment standards
- Testing and Compliance: Mandate and oversee the execution of Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and Site Acceptance Tests (SATs) to secure the delivery of compliant, high-quality control systems
- Project Management and Mentorship: Oversee multiple concurrent projects and provide essential technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineering staff

Required Qualifications

- A Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience in automation
- 7 - 15 or more years of hands-on experience with control systems within an industrial automation or manufacturing equipment environment
- Extensive, practical experience in PLC programming and troubleshooting, with proficiency in Beckhoff (required) ,Codesys  ,Schneider Electric , Allen Bradley
- Demonstrated expertise in supporting existing automated manufacturing equipment or production lines, including in-line troubleshooting of electrical systems, control panels, field devices, and safety interlock circuits
- Proven capacity to collaborate with external contractors and equipment vendors for the design, build, installation, and commissioning of future manufacturing automation
- Robust practical electrical troubleshooting proficiencies, encompassing the ability to read, interpret, and review electrical schematics, diagrams, and blueprints
- Experience independently executing and supporting SCADA/HMI systems (such as Ignition Perspective, Siemens WinCC, or Rockwell FTView ME)
- Experience integrating robotics (e.g., FANUC) and vision systems (e.g., Keyence and Cognex)

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in the design and programming of MES data transactions and PLC product tracking
- Experience configuring Operational Technology (OT) networks (e.g., managed network switches) and functional safety programming (e.g., ProfiSafe, CIP Safety, or FANUC)
- Experience with  advanced programming languages (Python, MATLAB), and version control software for the extraction of insights and the implementation of system control modifications

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background. In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc 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, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.

## 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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