Senior Controls Engineer, Manufacturing Automation

Anduril Anduril · Defense · Costa Mesa, CA · Manufacturing : Manufacturing Engineering : Manufacturing Engineering

This role is for a Senior Controls Engineer focused on manufacturing automation for a defense technology company. The responsibilities include end-to-end ownership of control systems, PLC/HMI development, SCADA application development (Ignition), OT server infrastructure deployment, OT networking, and applying defense-grade OT security practices. The role partners with IT, Security, and Manufacturing Engineering.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own controls systems end-to-end as technical system owner — architecture, PLC/HMI development, commissioning, proof of rate, and sustainment handoff
  2. Deploy and maintain OT server infrastructure including Ignition gateways, historians, MQTT brokers, and jump hosts with disciplined backup and change-control practices
  3. Design and maintain OT networking stack for production (MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP) and diagnose protocol, timing, and VLAN segmentation issues using packet-level analysis
  4. Develop Ignition Perspective SCADA applications — views, tag architecture, alarm pipelines, historian configuration, and gateway topology
  5. Architect, develop, and debug PLC code on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms, producing structured, documented code suitable for high-volume manufacturing

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Information Technology, or related field
  • 6+ years of experience in controls and automation in a production environment
  • Strong in PLC programming on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms
  • Proficient in Ignition SCADA development including gateway modules (Tag Historian, Alarm Notification, SQL Bridge, OPC UA, MQTT Engine/Distributor/Transmission)
  • Proficient across the OT stack — MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP, industrial Ethernet, VLANs, switching/routing — with fluency in packet-level analysis
  • Working knowledge of OT cybersecurity — air-gapped networks, network segmentation, server hardening, secure remote access
  • Experience integrating with MES and QMS

Nice to have

  • Experience in regulated or defense manufacturing environments (ITAR/EAR-controlled, CMMC, or FDA/aerospace quality systems)
  • Experience integrating controls systems with MES and QMS platforms
  • Experience with servo drives, VFDs, PID tuning, and functional-safety implementations
  • Experience deploying Ignition in redundant/high-availability gateway topologies
  • Familiar with control panel layout, electrical component selection, and cable routing

What the JD emphasized

  • Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities