Controls Engineer

The R&D and Facilities Infrastructure team is seeking a driven and highly motivated Controls Engineer to join a team accountable for the delivery and sustained operation of control systems across Tesla s infrastructure sites. This role demands proven experience across the complete I&C project lifecycle, from instrumentation design and control system architecture through PLC programming, Ignition SCADA development, commissioning, and long-term sustaining operations. You will collaborate closely with process design teams, construction and commissioning teams, facilities engineers, and 3rd party equipment vendors to deliver reliable, safe, and maintainable control solutions.

• Develop PLC code with an emphasis on generating organized, structured, documented, maintainable, and reusable code for a diverse range of industrial systems including life safety, HVAC, and process systems
• Design and implement advanced PLC control strategies for complex infrastructure and facilities systems ensuring reliable, safe, and efficient operation across all process environments
• Develop and maintain Ignition SCADA projects including screen and HMI development, dashboards, and alarm management interfaces using Perspective and Vision modules
• Extend and maintain Ignition platform capabilities including alarm management, historian, reporting pipelines, and custom scripting to deliver actionable operational data across facility systems
• Integrate 3rd party packaged equipment and power monitoring systems via OPC-UA, Modbus TCP, BACnet, EtherNet/IP, and Profinet. Implement and optimize control strategies including PID tuning to improve process quality, productivity, and uptime
• Oversee I&C commissioning activities including development and execution of factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and loop checks to validate system performance against design requirements prior to production handoff
• Own the implementation and validation of safety-rated control systems including emergency response and life safety devices across facility and process environments
• Provide sustaining operations support for running production systems including fault diagnosis, root cause analysis, corrective action implementation, and system modifications
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project documentation including process control narratives, P&IDs, I/O lists, loop diagrams, instrument datasheets, and tag naming conventions. Ensure documentation remains current through design, commissioning, and long-term operations
• Drive the design and specification of field instrumentation systems ensuring measurement accuracy, calibration traceability, and seamless integration with control system architecture
• 3+ years of hands-on experience in instrumentation and controls engineering supporting industrial manufacturing or production facilities across the full project lifecycle from design through commissioning and sustaining operations
• Demonstrated experience with PLC programming across one or more platforms including Siemens TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley, or Beckhoff TwinCAT
• Experience working with modern industrial communication protocols: OPC-UA, Modbus TCP, BACnet, Profinet, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP
• Proven experience with Ignition SCADA (versions 7.9 and newer), including Perspective, Vision, and Gateway configuration
• Experience selecting, specifying, calibrating, and maintaining field instrumentation including transmitters, analyzers, and control valves. Working knowledge of HART and 4-20mA instrumentation standards
• Demonstrated experience personally owning and executing controls and instrumentation projects from concept development through commissioning, ramp-up, and long-term sustaining operations in a 24/7 production or manufacturing facility
• Troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills with demonstrated ability to rapidly diagnose and resolve control system faults in a running production environment