Senior Electrical & Controls Engineer

Company Overview:

Found Industries is a Cambridge, MA-based industrial technology company building new critical supply chains from resources and infrastructure hiding in plain sight. Launched out of MIT, Found develops and deploys technologies that unlock critical materials and dispatchable clean energy from overlooked industrial feedstocks.

The company operates through two complementary business units: Found Metals and Found Energy. Found Metals recovers strategic materials, including gallium, from existing industrial processing streams. Found Energy converts aluminum, including low-grade and scrap material, into a fuel for behind-the-meter industrial heat and power. The two businesses reinforce one another: Found Metals expands domestic supplies of critical materials used in advanced energy technologies, while Found Energy creates new applications and demand for those materials. Together, they form the foundation of a broader industrial platform focused on strengthening U.S. energy and materials security.

At Found Industries, we are building the industrial capabilities needed for a more resilient and self-reliant future. We believe secure access to critical materials and energy is foundational to economic strength, national security, and long-term prosperity, and we are looking for talented people motivated by that mission to join us. For more, visit https://found-industries.com/ .

Position Summary:

As the Senior Electrical & Controls Engineer, you will own the architecture, development, and commissioning of the electrical, control, and functional safety systems for our gallium extraction plant. This role bridges the gap between our novel chemical processing technology and the rigorous, continuous-operation environment of a host aluminum refinery. You will be fully responsible for designing systems that manage hazardous chemical flows (high temperature, caustic Bayer liquor) for our pilot, prototype and subscale equipment. You will independently drive assigned projects, coordinate vendors and contractors, and bring technical decisions and risks forward for review.

Employment Type: Full-time

Location: Cambridge, MA – Onsite

Reports To: Head of Instrumentation and Controls

Salary range: $135,000-$170,000 with early-stage equity

Comprehensive health, dental, vision, matching 401K benefits and paid life insurance

20 days PTO, 11 holidays, 5 sick days, 12 weeks parental leave

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

Project Ownership: Own assigned electrical and controls projects from requirements and scope definition through commissioning and handover. Develop estimates and schedules, track procurement and technical interfaces, communicate progress and risks, and close out outstanding issues.

PLC Programming: Develop, test, and commission PLC programs and operator interfaces for assigned equipment, including sequences, interlocks, alarms, and process control.

Safety & Design Reviews: Participate in hazard reviews and implement documented interlocks and shutdown requirements in coordination with the I&C lead, process engineers, and functional safety specialists as needed.

Refinery Integration: Design secure, deterministic communication interfaces (e.g., Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, Profinet) to sync our controls with host refinery Distributed Control Systems (DCS) like Emerson DeltaV or Honeywell Experion.

Electrical Design: Personally develop electrical schematics, panel layouts, wiring diagrams, cable schedules, and bills of materials. Select and size power supplies, protective devices, conductors, motor controls, and other components for industrial power distribution and control systems, applying relevant electrical codes and standards.

Commissioning: Develop and execute factory and site acceptance tests, perform loop checks, configure instruments and drives, and troubleshoot electrical hardware and PLC/HMI software. Complete as-built drawings, operating documentation, and handover to the team.

Vendor Management: Select and manage system integrators, electrical contractors, and equipment vendors to ensure compliance with project timelines and engineering standards.

Qualifications:

Required:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related STEM discipline.

Experience: 5+ years of industrial electrical and controls engineering experience, with demonstrated ownership of projects from requirements and electrical design through installation, testing, and commissioning.

PLC Expertise: Hands-on experience programming, testing, and commissioning at least one industrial PLC platform, with the ability to independently deliver controls for assigned equipment. Beckhoff/TwinCAT experience is preferred; transferable experience with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar platforms will be considered.

Electrical Design & Instrumentation: Strong experience producing industrial electrical schematics and panel layouts using AutoCAD Electrical; selecting and sizing components; and integrating process instrumentation, motor controls, and drives in accordance with NEC, NFPA 79, and UL 508A.

Travel: Willingness to travel up to 10% to international or domestic aluminum refinery sites for deployment and commissioning.

Preferred Attributes

Start-Up Agility: Prior experience working in a fast-paced start-up, pilot plant, or technology scale-up environment where ambiguity is common.

Instrumentation Selection: Expertise in selecting specialized process instruments (magnetic flowmeters, slurry valves, pH/conductivity sensors) that withstand highly corrosive process fluids.

Pilot & Scale-Up Experience: Prior work in a start-up, pilot plant, process equipment manufacturer, or systems integrator, translating evolving requirements into working equipment. Experience developing HMI/SCADA applications, particularly Ignition, is a plus.

Safety Standards: Proven experience implementing functional safety standards such as IEC 61511 or ISA-84, and programming safety-rated PLCs.

Industrial Networks: Deep technical understanding of industrial networking protocols, switching, firewalls, and OT cybersecurity best practices.

Advanced Certification: Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE) or Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland).

Professional License: Professional Engineer (PE) license is highly desirable.

Found Industries does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.