Sustaining Controls Engineer
Mainspring Energy · Menlo Park, CA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 22 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Mainspring Energy (industrial) in Menlo Park, CA.
- They ask for
- 5+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $123k–$179k.
Median of the low and high ends of 57 live postings that list pay, out of 111 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 110 other live controls postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Typical (5+ years)
Typical $123k–$179k, from 55 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Automation 68%
- PLC 46%
- Robotics 42%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 37%
- ✓ Python 33%
- ✓ Root cause 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention 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 Mainspring Energy
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 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: Mainspring Energy in Menlo Park
14 other open roles at this site.
- Vice President, Electrical Engineering · Reliability · Director+
- Senior Reaction Controls Engineer · Controls · Senior
- Senior/Staff Materials Process Engineer · Process · Senior
- Senior Materials and Process Engineer · Process · Senior
- Staff Materials and Process Engineer · Process · Senior
- Director, Reliability Engineering · Reliability · Director+
Full description from Mainspring EnergyAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Manage, document, and resolve fleet issues ensuring clear communication and follow-up on resolutions and improving the process
- ◆Diagnose root causes of system issues, distinguishing between mechanical, electrical, and software-related problems
- ◆Categorize, systematize, and address gaps in automated system behavior
- ◆Collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide technical support and enhance system behavior
- ◆Debug and troubleshoot existing control algorithms to improve system performance and reliability
- ◆Analyze and understand C++ code to interpret behavior
- ◆Implement fixes to field issues in C++ code, and test them in simulation and laboratory environments
- ◆Adjust feature designs to address field issues
- ◆Use Python for data analysis, scripting, and system diagnostics
- ◆Tune control gains and calibrate systems, documenting the process for future reference
- ◆Identify and address gaps in system performance, ensuring continuous improvement
- ◆Support reliability and manufacturing testing, contributing to the system's life cycle maintenance
Qualifications
- ✓Experience in successful root cause analysis of complex software-mechatronic systems
- ✓Driven and self-directed systems-thinker responsible for creating or improving effective sustaining engineering processes
- ✓Excellent communicator with demonstrated collaboration across multidisciplinary teams
- ✓Degree in mechanical or electrical engineering with controls focus
- ✓2-5 years of experience
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About Mainspring
Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions that rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power. The company began commercial shipments of its Mainspring Linear Generators in 2020 and today has hundreds of megawatts in advanced development and field operations for leading Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. Mainspring also partners with global energy leaders including AEP, NextEra Energy Resources, Schneider Electric, and more.
The core values that ground our work, guide our decisions, and connect us together:
Pragmatic Optimism
Excellence without Ego
Proactive Collaboration
Overview
The Sustaining Controls Engineer will play a crucial role in the success of our product automatically and reliably fulfilling customers’ electricity demand. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to diagnose and resolve issues, differentiate between mechanical, electrical, and software-related problems, and document solutions to increase product reliability and reduce maintenance needs. This position is ideal for a multidisciplinary engineer who enjoys working on complex systems and has a keen eye for detail.