Senior Automation & Controls Engineer

Senior Automation & Controls Engineer

On-site, Dual Location Model: Woburn, MA or Houston, TX | Contract or Full-time | Travel 25–30% (first year) | Start: ASAP

General Overview

Emvolon Inc. (www.emvolon.com) is an innovative MIT climate-tech spin-off on a mission to convert greenhouse gas emissions into carbon-negative fuels and chemicals like green methanol and green ammonia. Leveraging our patented technology, we transform car engines into cost-effective, modular chemical plants. This groundbreaking approach enables us to support various industries, including maritime, aviation, energy, waste management and agriculture, in powering the global economy without emissions. At Emvolon, we are proud to have attracted capital from notable VC funds and have been recognized with grants from ARPA-E, the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Automation & Controls Engineer to join a small controls team that owns automation across Emvolon’s plants. Your first priority is our first commercial pilot plant: a modular gas-to-liquids plant that converts methane to methanol, powered by its own genset-based mini-grid and independent of the utility grid. An EPC partner performs detailed engineering and fabrication; we drive the design and own all control software, including the safety logic.

Beyond the pilot, the role grows into controls for the scale-up of the platform and for our R&D systems. This is an opportunity to shape the automation approach for a first-of-a-kind technology in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup.

Role Responsibilities

Near-term: commercial pilot plant

•     Write and test control programs on Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 in Structured Text: state machines, interlocks, sequences, and control modules (valves, motors, PID)

•     Integrate vendor packages (compressors, engines, etc.) over Modbus, CAN/CANopen and related protocols

•     Drive the EPC partner’s I&C deliverables — I/O list, P&IDs, cause & effect, control narrative and schematics — reviewing, resolving issues, and keeping them aligned with our design intent

•     Implement safety logic in TwinSAFE from the HazOp and cause & effect matrix

•     Take the system through simulation, FAT, site commissioning and startup, including loop checks and instrument checkout

Longer-term scope

•     Carry controls lessons from the pilot into the design of scaled-up plants

•     Develop controls and data acquisition for R&D and test systems

•     Help evolve our model-driven toolchain, which generates TwinCAT code from an Excel I/O data model using Python

•     Contribute to control philosophies, standards and documentation as the team grows

Qualifications

•     Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, or Industrial Engineering, or a related field

•     5–10 years in industrial automation and controls, ideally in chemical, oil & gas, energy, or other process industries

•     Hands-on PLC programming; IEC 61131-3 Structured Text preferred, especially on TwinCAT 3 or CODESYS-based platforms

•     Industrial protocols: Modbus, CAN/CANopen, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP or Profinet

•     Process control fundamentals: PID, interlocks, sequencing and state machines

•     Instrumentation & controls experience: instrument specification and selection; analog, thermocouple and discrete signals; loop checks and calibration

•     Comfortable reading and challenging P&IDs, C&E matrices, control narratives and loop diagrams

•     Field commissioning and startup experience

•     Working knowledge of Python

•     Comfortable in a small team, moving between process, controls and software

Nice to have

•     Safety PLC programming (TwinSAFE or similar)

•     Hazardous-area / intrinsically safe installations (Class I Div 2)

•     Control systems for engines, gensets or mini-grids

•     Matlab/Simulink and/or lab-scale data acquisition

•     Code generation or model-driven development

Location, Travel & Work Authorization

This is a position with a dual location model

●     [Woburn, MA]: Onsite at our headquarter site. The collaborative and hands-on nature of the work requires regular in-person presence.

●     [Houston, TX]: A 100% remote setup for candidates based in this region to support collaboration and oversight with our project partners.

Travel of 25–30% in the first year is expected to support commissioning and startup at the pilot plant site. We are looking to fill this role as soon as possible.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.