Mainspring Energy designs and manufactures fuel-flexible linear generators—dispatchable, low-emission units scalable from ~250 kW to grid-level arrays—deployed onsite for data centers, EV microgrids, commercial, industrial, and utility customers.
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 Job Overview We are seeking a Senior Automation & Controls Engineer who applies sound software engineering practices to design and deliver industrial automation systems using the Beckhoff Platform. This role focuses on building reliable, maintainable, and scalable control systems in a real-world manufacturing environment. You will develop automation solutions that balance deterministic control requirements with modern engineering practices such as modular design, version control, code reviews, and disciplined change management. While the work is rooted in traditional industrial automation, there is an increasing emphasis on improving the development, testing, and deployment of control software. In this role, you will work across the full lifecycle of automation systems—from electrical design and hardware selection to controls software development, deployment, commissioning, and long-term support. A significant portion of your time, approximately 20-25%, will also be dedicated to the maintenance, improvement, and upgrading of existing equipment. You will collaborate closely with manufacturing, electrical, mechanical, and software teams to ensure systems are safe, reliable, and adaptable to evolving production needs. The role is based at Mainspring Headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and is primarily on-site with some travel within North America.