Senior Controls Engineer
Commonwealth Fusion Systems · Devens, MA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Controls
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 7+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 9 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior controls role at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (industrial) in Devens, MA.
- They ask for
- 7+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, MSA / Gage R&R, PLC, Automation, AutoCAD, EHS / safety
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Massachusetts: typical posted base $90k–$157k.
Median of the low and high ends of 12 live postings that list pay, out of 28 controls engineer openings in Massachusetts, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Massachusetts plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 27 other live controls postings in Massachusetts.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (7+ vs 5+)
Typical $90k–$157k, from 12 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ PLC 71%
- ✓ Automation 71%
- Robotics 36%
- ✓ Root cause 29%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 25%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for MSA / Gage R&R, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Devens
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- Senior Manufacturing Engineer - First Shift · Manufacturing · Senior
- Manager, Process Engineering - Assembly · Process · Manager
- Senior Process Engineer · Process · Senior
Full description from Commonwealth Fusion SystemsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What you'll do
- ◆Lead the initial equipment conceptual development while balancing product specifications, process control requirements, layout complexity, and lead time limits
- ◆Act as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for complex equipment assets or SCADA modules, independently managing deployment through commissioning and post-commissioning stabilization
- ◆Diagnose complex, systemic equipment failures on the production floor and independently lead formal root cause analyses (RCA) to deliver long-term solutions
- ◆Provide technical leadership on medium to long-term problems and share expertise outside of the immediate group
- ◆Create and approve robust system architectures and electrical schematics (compliant with NFPA79/NEC/UL508A standards) for manufacturing and test equipment, designed for modularity and reuse across future equipment
- ◆Write and debug PLC structured text with an emphasis on code that is organized, documented, maintainable, and reusable
- ◆Define technical
requirements
and documentation packages for external equipment vendors and integrators
- ✓Contribute to department policies, tool development, and the characterization of automated processes using data-driven approaches like Cpk and Gage R&R
- ✓Respectfully challenge and influence cross-functional peers to achieve alignment on the best path forward, leveraging data and rationale to support your point of view
- ✓Regularly help onboard peer employees and formally mentor junior colleagues to support their professional growth and skill development
- ✓Identify and mitigate low and medium risks while identifying larger risks and proposing solutions to management
requirements
- ✓Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally
- ✓Perform activities such as typing, standing, stooping, and sitting, for extended periods of time
- ✓Dedication to safety to mitigate hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead, high voltage, and cryogenics
- ✓Willingness to occasionally travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is on a mission to deliver the urgent transition to fusion energy.
Combining decades of research, top talent, and new technologies, we’re designing and building commercially viable fusion power plants. And we're working with policymakers, suppliers, and many others to build the energy industry of the future.
We’re in the best position to make it happen. Since 2018, we’ve raised $4 billion of capital, making us the largest and leading fusion company in the world.
Now we’re looking for more thinkers, doers, builders, and makers to join us. People who’ll bring new perspectives, solve tough problems, and thrive as part of a team.
If that’s you and this role fits, we want to hear from you.
Join the power movement as a Senior Controls Engineer
As a Senior Controls Engineer, you are an expert in core functions and have a deep understanding of specific domains. You will take independent ownership of developing execution approaches for complex machine and process concepts, operating with little direction from management.
You will generate detailed work plans, define milestones for complex work, and define processes that impact the broader department. You will act as a technical leader, providing expertise for long-term assignments and mentoring junior engineering staff.
What we're looking for
- •Bachelor's degree in an engineering field is required
- •7+ years' experience as a controls engineer on complex electro-mechanical systems
- •Mastery of programming and troubleshooting automation controllers in all IEC 61131-3 designated languages
- •Proven ability to apply sound reasoning and considerable judgment in ambiguous situations where decisions impact large portions of a project
- •Experience with control reliable safety systems (ANSI/RIA R15.06/OSHA compliant)
- •Expertise in enclosure design compliant with NFPA79/NEC/UL508A standards
- •A reliable and persistent work ethic, seeing tasks through to completion and staying determined in the face of uncertainty and failure
- •Familiarity with rotating machinery, cable winding, soldering, and/or pipe bending
- •Collaboration experience with job shops and external vendors
- •High self-motivation and drive to execute quickly with excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
- •Demonstrated commitment to design for manufacturability, serviceability, and simplicity over complexity
Bonus points for
- +Experience in Beckhoff and Siemens controls platforms
- +Experience in Ignition SCADA systems
- +Experience integrating equipment data into SCADA/data systems (e.g., IO-Link, MQTT)
- +Machine Vision experience
- +Greenfield or brownfield startup commissioning experience
- +Expertise with CAD drafting, specifically AutoCAD Electrical
Must-have