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Controls Engineer, Vehicle Controls

Harbinger Motors · Garden Grove, CA

Level
Engineer
Team
Controls
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked
5+ years
Industry
Automotive
Posted
Yesterday

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level controls role at Harbinger Motors (automotive) in Garden Grove, CA. Harbinger’s best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids.

They ask for
5+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names
Root cause, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Automation

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026

Controls Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $124k–$180k.

Median of the low and high ends of 56 live postings that list pay, out of 113 controls engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 112 other live controls postings in California.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $123k–$179k, from 54 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Typical (5+ years)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Automation 68%
  • PLC 46%
  • Robotics 42%
  • ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 37%
  • ✓ Python 35%
  • ✓ Root cause 21%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Team leadership, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 5+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Harbinger Motors

    We found 4 people at this company and state: 4 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

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  3. 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 did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 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. 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: Harbinger Motors in Garden Grove

28 other open roles at this site · 4 people we found in controls roles at Harbinger Motors.

All 29 roles at Harbinger Motors →
Full description from Harbinger MotorsAs posted on their careers site.Show

requirements

into production-quality Simulink/Stateflow models, verify them through model-in-the-loop (MIL) testing, and debug them on real vehicles using CAN data. You will also support other control domains as program needs evolve. You will work closely with systems, EE, and vehicle test teams, and your work will directly shape how our vehicles drive, protect themselves, and perform for fleet customers.

Key Responsibilities

  • ◆Develop, maintain, and improve control algorithms in MATLAB, Simulink, and Stateflow, with a primary focus on vehicle supervisory controls (vehicle state machine, charging controls, thermal management, drive modes, torque request and arbitration, energy management, and diagnostics/fault reactions).
  • ◆Write, review, and refine software

requirements

derived from system-level requirements; maintain traceability between requirements, models, and test cases.

  • ✓Develop and execute model-in-the-loop (MIL) test cases and test harnesses; analyze results, report coverage, and drive issues to closure.
  • ✓Develop and maintain CI pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI) that automate model checks, code generation, and regression testing.
  • ✓Generate production code from models and review the generated C code to support integration with the embedded software team.
  • ✓Develop and integrate OBD/UDS diagnostic functions, including DTC definition, fault detection and debounce, fault reactions, and DIDs; maintain diagnostic definitions in CDD/ODX and verify them on bench and vehicle using Vector tools.
  • ✓Calibrate, tune control parameters and debug control behavior on bench, HIL, and vehicle by capturing and analyzing CAN logs with Vector tools (CANalyzer, CANape, vSignalyzer).
  • ✓Perform root-cause analysis on issues found in vehicle testing and in customer fleets using field data and logs, and implement and verify fixes in the model.
  • ✓Participate in hands-on vehicle testing at test sites and customer locations, including occasional travel.
  • ✓Support model reviews, modeling guideline checks (e.g., MAB/MISRA-style guidelines), and configuration management of models and test artifacts.
  • ✓Collaborate with systems, calibration, embedded software, and vehicle test engineers to define interfaces (signals, CAN messages) and support vehicle integration and validation activities.
  • ✓Support other control domains beyond supervisory controls (e.g., chassis, body, and auxiliary systems ) as program needs require.

Required Skills & Experience

  • ✓2-5 years of experience developing automotive or vehicle control software using model-based design.
  • ✓Strong hands-on proficiency in MATLAB, Simulink, and Stateflow for control algorithm development and debugging.
  • ✓Experience applying control theory techniques such as PID control, LQR/optimal control, and Kalman filtering/state estimation to real systems.
  • ✓Experience writing software

requirements

and developing and executing MIL test cases.

  • ✓Working knowledge of C, including the ability to read and debug auto-generated or hand-written embedded code.
  • ✓Experience with CAN communication and analyzing CAN logs using Vector tools such as CANalyzer, CANape, and/or vSignalyzer, including working with DBC files.
  • ✓Experience calibrating control parameters on bench or vehicle (e.g., CANape with XCP and A2L files).
  • ✓Solid understanding of control systems fundamentals and vehicle systems (powertrain, high-voltage battery, inverter/motor, or vehicle state management).
  • ✓Experience with version control (e.g., Git) and working in a structured software development process.
  • ✓Comfortable working hands-on with vehicles and safely around high-voltage systems (HV safety training provided).
  • ✓Valid driver's license and willingness to travel occasionally to test sites and customer locations.
  • ✓Strong problem-solving, debugging, and communication skills; comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment.
  • ✓Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Computer, Mechatronics, or Controls Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

  • ✓Experience with EV or hybrid vehicle supervisory controls, energy management, or powertrain controls.
  • ✓Experience with SAE J1939 and commercial vehicle networks.
  • ✓Experience with automotive diagnostics: OBD, UDS (ISO 14229), DTCs, DIDs, and diagnostic description formats (CDD, ODX/PDX) using tools such as Vector CANdelaStudio.
  • ✓Familiarity with AUTOSAR and its toolchain (e.g., Vector DaVinci Developer/Configurator, Simulink AUTOSAR Blockset), including integrating model-generated code as AUTOSAR software components.
  • ✓Experience with Embedded Coder, Simulink Test,, Model Advisor, or Polyspace, and with SIL/HIL testing (e.g., dSPACE, NI, Vector VT System).
  • ✓Experience building CI pipelines for model-based development (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, MATLAB CI/CD tools).
  • ✓Familiarity with EV charging standards (SAE J1772, CCS, ISO 15118).
  • ✓Familiarity with ISO 26262 functional safety and ASPICE.
  • ✓Experience with

requirements

management tools (e.g., Jama, Polarion, DOORS) and scripting for data analysis or test automation (MATLAB scripting, Python, CAPL).

  • ✓Experience analyzing field or fleet data to resolve customer is
Show full description ↓

About Harbinger

Harbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger’s best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.

Role Overview

Harbinger is looking for a Controls Engineer to join our Vehicle Controls team and help develop, validate, and debug the control algorithms that run our medium-duty EV and hybrid platforms. Working primarily on supervisory controls (vehicle state management, powertrain and energy management, torque arbitration, and fault handling), you will turn system

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