Senior Controls Engineer, Manufacturing Automation Engineering

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

This role focuses on designing, integrating, and deploying automated manufacturing systems, including PLC/HMI development, SCADA applications, and OT networking. It involves owning controls systems end-to-end and applying defense-grade OT security practices. The role is within a defense technology company that utilizes AI and other advanced technologies in its products, but this specific role is centered on manufacturing automation, not direct AI/ML model development or deployment.

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

  • PLC programming on Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens platforms
  • Ignition SCADA development
  • OT stack proficiency (MQTT, OPC UA, TCP/IP, industrial Ethernet, VLANs, switching/routing)
  • Packet-level analysis
  • OT cybersecurity knowledge
  • Experience integrating with MES and QMS

Nice to have

  • Experience in regulated or defense manufacturing environments
  • 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