What are the responsibilities and job description for the Controls Engineer position at Atoco?
Controls Engineer Job Description
Atoco is a U.S.-based company headquartered in Irvine, California, founded by the renowned scientist Professor Omar Yaghi. Professor Yaghi is the pioneer of reticular chemistry and the inventor of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2025.
This position will join the initial startup team that will be working on commercialization of technologies from the University of California, Berkeley. This position will focus on the design and scale up of systems that improve their overall performance in adsorbing/desorbing water vapor and CO2.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Design, program, and configure PLC systems to meet optimal operational needs.
- Debug, test, and validate control logic to improve efficiency, accuracy, and reliability.
- Create and modify PLC programs using platforms such as Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi, or others.
- Design, develop, and implement the controls systems for our atmospheric water harvesting and CO2 capture systems.
- Support the installation, wiring, and setup of PLC hardware and associated control devices.
- Perform system commissioning, including testing and validation of control logic and safety interlocks.
- Troubleshoot and resolve issues during startup and integration phases. disclosures, and report findings in technical meetings.
- Work with and report to the head of Product Engineering to achieve the department goals of scaling up commercial-grade atmospheric water and CO2 capture technology.
- Maintain an electronic notebook detailing all observations and measurements.
- Contribute to the intellectual property of the company by writing and participating in invention disclosures.
- Perform periodic reporting to management and participate in technical meetings.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in software engineering, electrical engineering, or a similar field.
- Electrical and software engineer experience.
- At least 3 years of industry experience as a Controls Engineer / PLC programmer.
- Experience with PLCs, automation systems, or industrial control panels.
- Must have hands-on experience building/integrating system from the ground up.
- Worked with various electrical components such as motors, heaters, sensors, etc.
- Knowledgeable in PLC automation software.
- Must have hands-on experience building systems.
- Proficiency in CAD software like Solidworks.
- Familiar with health and safety procedures in production.
- Thrive in a culture that values diversity, collaboration, precision, and learning.
- Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
- Excellent problem-solving skills.
- A track record of successful scale-up prototypes or experimentation.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
Find out more about the role and Atoco here: https://atoco.com/jd-1010-controls-engineer/