Senior Sustaining Controls Engineer

Team: On product SW and Sys Engr

Location: Menlo Park, CA

Workplace Type: onsite

Salary:

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