What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Controls Engineer / Automation Engineer position at Acculon Energy?
About Acculon
Acculon Energy designs and manufactures advanced battery modules and packs—specializing in sodium and lithium-ion—for commercial and industrial applications. Based in Columbus, OH, with manufacturing operations in Mason, Ohio. Acculon brings decades of energy storage expertise to deliver safe, scalable, and efficient solutions that go beyond UL safety standards: safety and quality are core pillars in everything we do. Acculon is helping lead the transition to next-generation energy storage, powering smarter, safer, and more sustainable systems, from start to scale.
Position Overview
Acculon Energy is seeking an experienced and highly capable Senior Controls Engineer / Automation Engineer to support the launch and scaling of the company’s first advanced battery module manufacturing and battery pack assembly operation in Mason, Ohio.
This role will serve as one of the key technical leaders responsible for the development, integration, support, optimization, and long-term scalability of automated manufacturing equipment and production systems. The Senior Controls Engineer / Automation Engineer will play a critical role in ensuring manufacturing systems operate safely, efficiently, reliably, and at the performance levels required to support advanced battery manufacturing operations.
Unlike a traditional controls engineering role within a mature manufacturing environment, this position will operate within a startup manufacturing organization where automation systems, manufacturing processes, operational standards, and infrastructure are actively being developed and refined.
The successful candidate will work closely with manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, quality, and operations teams to support equipment commissioning, process optimization, troubleshooting, continuous improvement, and future manufacturing expansion initiatives.
This role requires a strong combination of controls engineering expertise, hands-on troubleshooting capability, automation integration experience, and practical manufacturing problem-solving ability.
Core Areas of Responsibility
Automation & Controls Engineering
- Design, develop, program, and support automated manufacturing systems and equipment
- Develop and maintain PLC, HMI, motion control, and related automation programs
- Support integration of sensors, vision systems, robotics, test equipment, and automated manufacturing processes
- Assist with equipment startup, commissioning, debugging, and process validation activities
Manufacturing Equipment Support
- Troubleshoot controls, electrical, automation, and system integration issues within manufacturing operations
- Support manufacturing uptime and operational reliability initiatives
- Work closely with maintenance and production teams to resolve equipment-related issues quickly and effectively
- Support process optimization and cycle time improvement activities
Manufacturing Process Development
- Collaborate with manufacturing and engineering teams to improve process capability, repeatability, and efficiency
- Support implementation of new manufacturing equipment and production technologies
- Assist in development of scalable manufacturing automation strategies
- Participate in process validation and manufacturing qualification activities
Startup Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement
- Help establish automation standards, documentation practices, and system architecture guidelines
- Support long-term manufacturing scalability and operational growth initiatives
- Participate in continuous improvement and lean manufacturing efforts
- Contribute to development of a highly automated and operationally disciplined manufacturing environment
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is technically strong, highly hands-on, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced advanced manufacturing startup environment where priorities evolve quickly and operational responsiveness is critical.
Successful candidates will demonstrate:
- strong controls engineering capability,
- practical troubleshooting skills,
- system integration experience,
- operational problem-solving ability,
- and strong collaboration with both technical and manufacturing personnel.
Candidates should be comfortable spending significant time on the manufacturing floor supporting production operations, equipment startup activities, and troubleshooting manufacturing systems directly.
Experience supporting highly automated manufacturing operations within automotive, battery, electronics, semiconductor, robotics, packaging automation, or advanced industrial manufacturing environments is strongly preferred.
Qualifications
- 5–10 years of controls engineering or industrial automation experience
- Strong PLC programming experience (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar platforms)
- Experience with HMI systems, industrial networking, and automated manufacturing equipment
- Experience troubleshooting electrical and automation systems in manufacturing environments
- Understanding of manufacturing process control and industrial automation principles
- Strong communication, documentation, and problem-solving skills
Preferred Experience
- Battery manufacturing, automotive, electronics, robotics, or advanced manufacturing environments
- Robotics integration and vision systems
- Motion control and servo systems
- Automated test systems and manufacturing data collection
- Startup manufacturing or rapid-growth operational environments
Why This Role Matters
The Senior Controls Engineer / Automation Engineer will play a foundational role in helping Acculon Energy establish highly capable, scalable, and reliable advanced manufacturing operations.
This role directly impacts:
- manufacturing uptime,
- production throughput,
- equipment reliability,
- process consistency,
- operational scalability,
- and long-term manufacturing competitiveness.
As Acculon Energy expands manufacturing operations, this position will help shape the automation infrastructure and manufacturing systems that support future operational growth and technical differentiation.
Growth Opportunity
Acculon Energy is building a long-term advanced manufacturing organization focused on electrification and energy storage technologies.
Successful candidates may have opportunities to grow into:
- Automation Engineering leadership roles,
- Manufacturing Engineering management,
- Controls Architecture or Systems Engineering positions,
- Operations Technology leadership,
- or broader manufacturing operations leadership opportunities as the company expands.
What Success Looks Like
Successful Senior Controls Engineers / Automation Engineers at Acculon Energy will:
- establish stable and reliable automated manufacturing systems,
- minimize equipment downtime,
- improve manufacturing efficiency and throughput,
- support rapid troubleshooting and operational responsiveness,
- drive process optimization,
- and help build a scalable manufacturing automation infrastructure capable of supporting long-term operational growth and technical excellence.
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
Mason, Ohio
$110,000 – $135,000
Salary : $110,000 - $135,000