What are the responsibilities and job description for the Intern, Automation Controls Engineer position at Heron Power?
What to Expect
Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything.
Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade.
We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.
Job Overview
As an Intern, Automation Controls Engineer, you will support the wiring, fabrication, and documentation of controls and automation equipment on our pilot production line and lab. Additionally, you will assist with sensor and field-device integration, PLC/HMI integration, and SOP creation, working closely with a controls engineer to ensure new work is integrated to an industry standard level.
How You Will Contribute
Must-Have Requirements
Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything.
Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade.
We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.
Job Overview
As an Intern, Automation Controls Engineer, you will support the wiring, fabrication, and documentation of controls and automation equipment on our pilot production line and lab. Additionally, you will assist with sensor and field-device integration, PLC/HMI integration, and SOP creation, working closely with a controls engineer to ensure new work is integrated to an industry standard level.
How You Will Contribute
- Wire control panels, fabricate enclosures and brackets, and support mechanical build-out of automation equipment.
- Specify, order, and install sensors and field devices (cables, junction boxes, labeling) to a consistent, production-ready standard.
- Support PLC/HMI programming tasks under guidance, following existing naming conventions and documentation standards.
- Read and red-line electrical schematics, and use tools such as Claude in PowerPoint/Excel to communicate scope of work.
- Help document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the pilot line and lab equipment.
- Track task timelines and keep stakeholders informed of progress.
Must-Have Requirements
- Organized, methodical work habits, with strong written documentation instincts.
- Willingness to ask “what’s the best approach?” before building, rather than working in isolation.
- Ability to follow and extend existing engineering conventions rather than starting from scratch.
- Basic understanding of electrical/controls concepts (sensors, digital and analog I/O, wiring fundamentals).
- Sheet-metal or shop-class experience.
- Exposure to PLC/HMI programming (e.g., basic sensor logic, ladder logic).
- Schematic drafting experience (electrical or mechanical).
- Experience sourcing industrial components (e.g., AutomationDirect).
- Experience with HTTP/REST and other software APIs