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Senior Controls Engineer, Cathode
Redwood Materials
San Francisco, CA, USA
USD 90k-190k / year
Posted on May 7, 2025
About Redwood Materials
Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 to create a circular supply chain for electric vehicles and clean energy products, making them more sustainable and driving down the cost for batteries. We’re doing this by developing and deploying new technologies to increase the scope and scale of recycled and sustainable materials in the global battery supply chain.
Senior Cathode Controls Engineer
We are seeking a Senior Cathode Controls Engineer to design, build, and debug best-in-class controls software for Redwood’s high-throughput cathode material production facility. This engineer will play a critical role in designing, commissioning and scaling a fully integrated and highly automated chemical plant—working at the intersection of chemical process engineering, industrial automation, and software development.
This role is based in San Francisco, with up to 100% travel to Reno, NV during commissioning and early startup phases. If necessary, we will adjust the job level to suit your experience and responsibilities.
Responsibilities will include:
- Design and implement controls software for cathode production equipment, including PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, and distributed control systems (DCS).
- Program, test, and debug automation sequences and interlocks to ensure safe and efficient operation of chemical process units.
- Collaborate with process, mechanical, and electrical engineers to develop instrumentation and control strategies for new equipment and systems.
- Lead commissioning and bring-up efforts on-site in Reno, NV, including IO checks, logic validation, and process tuning.
- Develop robust diagnostics, alarms, and fault recovery strategies to ensure high system uptime and maintainability.
- Optimize control loops and automation performance to support continuous improvement and operational excellence.
- Document control logic, operating procedures, and system architecture for future maintenance and knowledge transfer.
- Support integration with data systems for monitoring, reporting, and advanced analytics.
- Ensure all systems comply with process safety and regulatory standards.
Desired Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in industrial controls or automation engineering, ideally in a chemical, pharmaceutical, or large-scale process manufacturing environment.
- Hands-on experience programming PLCs and HMIs (e.g., Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, or similar).
- Familiarity with SCADA/DCS systems and real-time process control strategies.
- Strong understanding of industrial sensors, instrumentation, and control loop tuning.
- Experience supporting system commissioning and startup in a live production environment.
- Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Experience with chemical or materials manufacturing processes is a strong plus.
Physical Requirements:
- Wear proper PPE when necessary.
Working Conditions:
- Environment: office, machine shop, wet laboratory, chemical plant, outdoor test sites.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 100% to Reno, NV during plant commissioning (typical duration: M-F during Commissioning).
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 30% to Reno, NV during other periods.
In accordance with California pay transparency laws, the salary range for this position is listed below. Actual compensation may vary based on a variety of factors, including experience, education, and skills.
California Pay Range:
$90,000—$190,000 USD
The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.
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