Principal Automation Engineer Jobs
Principal Automation Engineer jobs are open across manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and energy, from senior individual contributor to principal and staff, with specializations in PLC programming, test automation frameworks, and robotics systems integration. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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About Valar Atomics
At Valar Atomics, we're redefining what's possible in energy. Our mission is to make clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable—unlocking abundant energy for industry, hydrogen, and next-generation manufacturing. We are a team of builders, engineers, and operators who believe nuclear energy should be fast to deploy, factory-made, and built for the real world. Our first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah will demonstrate how advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication can power the future. Joining Valar Atomics means becoming part of a company where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level.
The Team
You will be joining Valar Atomics' Automation and Controls team within the Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) organization. Automation and Controls Engineers own the logic and data layer, PLC and DCS application code, ISA-88 batch sequences, SCADA and HMI applications, historian infrastructure, and enterprise integration across the reactor program and fuel manufacturing operations. You will work alongside I&C Hardware, electrical, process, and nuclear safety engineers in an environment that blends traditional control systems with modern software and data integration practice. As the principal engineer, you will be the discipline's most senior technical voice: the architect of its systems, the final checker of its highest-consequence work, and a standard-setter for the engineers who will build their careers here. The team values operator-focused design, data integrity, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture.
The Role
Valar Atomics is seeking Principal Automation and Controls Engineers to own the technical direction of the controls software discipline across our reactor and nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. The role spans the full controls software domain: PLC and DCS applications, SCADA and HMI, batch control, alarm management, safety logic, historians and plant data, and enterprise integration, but at the level of architecture, strategy, and design authority rather than routine application development. This is a principal position: you will define the control system and plant data architecture and technology roadmap for a first-of-a-kind nuclear program, hold final technical approval authority within the discipline, direct the resolution of the highest-consequence and most novel control problems, represent the discipline in licensing, cybersecurity, and strategic vendor engagements, and build the engineering capability of the organization around you. Where a Staff engineer owns the discipline's standards and quality, the Principal engineer owns where the discipline is going.
Key Responsibilities
Architecture and Technical Strategy
- Define and own the control system architecture and technology roadmap across the reactor program and fuel manufacturing facilities, including PLC/DCS, SCADA, SIS, and HMI platform strategy, controller and server segregation architecture, and the plant data architecture from historian through enterprise integration.
- Author and own the discipline's philosophy and basis documents control system architecture basis, alarm philosophy, HMI philosophy, batch architecture basis, software validation and testing philosophy, and configuration management and change control philosophy that constrain and guide all downstream application development.
- Direct control strategy development for first-of-a-kind plant control problems where no established solution exists, sponsoring control approach trade studies, platform capability evaluations, prototyping campaigns, and validation strategies with long-term consequences.
- Own the discipline's standards program: set the framework and priorities for coding standards, template libraries, display and alarm standards, and testing practice; delegate authorship to staff and senior engineers and approve standards for release; drive convergence across projects and sites.
- Evaluate emerging controls and data technology virtualization and containerization, advanced regulatory and model-based control, analytics and anomaly detection, and evolving SCADA and historian platforms and decide what enters the toolkit, what is piloted, and what is excluded, balancing innovation against nuclear quality and long-term supportability.
Design Authority and Technical Governance
- Serve as the discipline design authority: hold final technical approval within controls software for architecture decisions, safety-significant applications, deviations from standards, and concessions; adjudicate technical disputes within the discipline and represent its position in cross-discipline conflicts at program level.
- Own the technical integrity of safety application software across the fleet under IEC 61511: the safety software development and validation regime, independence and review requirements, and approval of safety-significant software changes.
- Own software quality governance for the discipline: the assurance model for in-house, contractor, and integrator code; audit and surveillance approach; and the criteria by which applications are accepted into operation.
- Lead the discipline's engagement in the highest-consequence program reviews: preliminary and critical design reviews, safety case and licensing reviews, cyber assessments, and software readiness reviews for major commissioning and startup milestones.
- Direct root cause investigations for the most significant software-related events spurious trips, sequence failures, data loss, cyber incidents and approve corrective action strategy, ensuring findings are institutionalized in architecture, standards, and training.
- Personally execute or lead engineering on the small set of problems where the consequence of error or the degree of novelty warrants the discipline's most senior engineer, and know which problems those are.
External Representation and Licensing
- Support the nuclear licensing effort as the senior controls software voice: contribute to and defend the digital I&C and software content of the safety case, including software qualification, development process, and cybersecurity arguments; support regulatory interactions and audits.
- Represent Valar Atomics to strategic controls platform vendors and system integrators at a senior technical level; own long-term platform relationships, roadmap influence, qualification expectations, and escalation of systemic vendor quality issues.
- Represent the company in industry and standards forums as appropriate (ISA, IEEE, IEC, advanced reactor industry groups); bring emerging digital I&C, cybersecurity, and standards developments back into company strategy before they become constraints.
Organizational Capability
- Build the discipline's engineering capability: define the technical competencies the controls software organization needs, shape role definitions and the technical career ladder with the Director, set the hiring bar, and lead technical interviews for senior positions.
- Mentor staff and senior engineers toward independent technical authority; sponsor their development through delegation of ownership with oversight rather than retention of scope.
- Advise IC&E leadership on technical risk, resourcing, and sequencing for the program; provide independent technical judgment on schedule and cost pressure where it intersects software quality and safety.
- Maintain disciplined engineering records consistent with nuclear quality requirements, ensuring traceability of design decisions, software changes, and test results, and setting the example for the discipline's
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Computer, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
- 10+ years of controls software, PLC/DCS, or SCADA engineering experience in process industries.
- Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of controls software scope across multiple major capital projects, including at least one taken from functional specification through commissioning, startup, and initial operations.
- Track record of architecture-level technical leadership: defining control system architecture, platform strategy, or software standards and practices that were adopted across an organization or program, not just a single project.
- Recognized technical authority in at least one deep area of the discipline (for example: batch architecture, SCADA and data architecture, safety application software, alarm and HMI engineering, or OT cybersecurity), evidenced by design authority roles, published work, standards participation, or a verifiable internal reputation as the final technical reference.
- Deep, hands-on command of the full controls software domain: PLC/DCS application architecture across IEC 61131-3 languages, SCADA and HMI systems, ISA-88 batch, ISA-18.2 alarm management, historians and data modelling, enterprise integration, and software configuration management.
- Substantial safety application software experience under IEC 61511, including formal validation regimes and approval or independent-review authority over safety logic.
- Working command of OT cybersecurity architecture under IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82, sufficient to own the control system security strategy and defend it to assessors.
- Experience directing and developing other engineers, including senior-level engineers, and reviewing and approving their work as a formal checker or design authority.
- Experience representing an engineering discipline to external parties, regulators, assessors, certification bodies, major platform vendors, or client design authorities.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Professional Engineer (PE) license.
- ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP), platform certifications, or equivalent credentials.
- Nuclear digital I&C experience, including software qualification under NQA-1 or 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, digital I&C safety case content, or familiarity with IEC 61513 / IEC 60880 / IEEE 7-4.3.2.
- Experience defining control system architecture for first-of-a-kind or prototype plants where no established precedent existed.
- Experience leading or defending cybersecurity assessments of industrial control systems.
- Experience with virtualised or containerised control system infrastructure at an architecture and lifecycle-strategy level.
- Participation in industry standards committees or working groups (ISA, IEEE, IEC, or equivalent).
- Experience with GAMP 5 or 21 CFR Part 11 regulated software validation environments.
What We Offer
- Competitive base salary
- Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
- Comprehensive medical benefits
- Unlimited PTO
- Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite
- Generous PPE stipend
- High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy
- Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement
- Direct collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders
- The opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Valar Atomics is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.
We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and will provide reasonable accommodation as required by law.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder).
About Valar Atomics
At Valar Atomics, we're redefining what's possible in energy. Our mission is to make clean, high-temperature nuclear power scalable—unlocking abundant energy for industry, hydrogen, and next-generation manufacturing. We are a team of builders, engineers, and operators who believe nuclear energy should be fast to deploy, factory-made, and built for the real world. Our first pilot plant in Orangeville, Utah will demonstrate how advanced nuclear systems and fuel fabrication can power the future. Joining Valar Atomics means becoming part of a company where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level.
The Team
You will be joining Valar Atomics' Automation and Controls team within the Instrumentation, Control & Electrical (IC&E) organization. Automation and Controls Engineers own the logic and data layer, PLC and DCS application code, ISA-88 batch sequences, SCADA and HMI applications, historian infrastructure, and enterprise integration across the reactor program and fuel manufacturing operations. You will work alongside I&C Hardware, electrical, process, and nuclear safety engineers in an environment that blends traditional control systems with modern software and data integration practice. As the principal engineer, you will be the discipline's most senior technical voice: the architect of its systems, the final checker of its highest-consequence work, and a standard-setter for the engineers who will build their careers here. The team values operator-focused design, data integrity, disciplined documentation, and a safety-first culture.
The Role
Valar Atomics is seeking Principal Automation and Controls Engineers to own the technical direction of the controls software discipline across our reactor and nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities. The role spans the full controls software domain: PLC and DCS applications, SCADA and HMI, batch control, alarm management, safety logic, historians and plant data, and enterprise integration, but at the level of architecture, strategy, and design authority rather than routine application development. This is a principal position: you will define the control system and plant data architecture and technology roadmap for a first-of-a-kind nuclear program, hold final technical approval authority within the discipline, direct the resolution of the highest-consequence and most novel control problems, represent the discipline in licensing, cybersecurity, and strategic vendor engagements, and build the engineering capability of the organization around you. Where a Staff engineer owns the discipline's standards and quality, the Principal engineer owns where the discipline is going.
Key Responsibilities
Architecture and Technical Strategy
- Define and own the control system architecture and technology roadmap across the reactor program and fuel manufacturing facilities, including PLC/DCS, SCADA, SIS, and HMI platform strategy, controller and server segregation architecture, and the plant data architecture from historian through enterprise integration.
- Author and own the discipline's philosophy and basis documents control system architecture basis, alarm philosophy, HMI philosophy, batch architecture basis, software validation and testing philosophy, and configuration management and change control philosophy that constrain and guide all downstream application development.
- Direct control strategy development for first-of-a-kind plant control problems where no established solution exists, sponsoring control approach trade studies, platform capability evaluations, prototyping campaigns, and validation strategies with long-term consequences.
- Own the discipline's standards program: set the framework and priorities for coding standards, template libraries, display and alarm standards, and testing practice; delegate authorship to staff and senior engineers and approve standards for release; drive convergence across projects and sites.
- Evaluate emerging controls and data technology virtualization and containerization, advanced regulatory and model-based control, analytics and anomaly detection, and evolving SCADA and historian platforms and decide what enters the toolkit, what is piloted, and what is excluded, balancing innovation against nuclear quality and long-term supportability.
Design Authority and Technical Governance
- Serve as the discipline design authority: hold final technical approval within controls software for architecture decisions, safety-significant applications, deviations from standards, and concessions; adjudicate technical disputes within the discipline and represent its position in cross-discipline conflicts at program level.
- Own the technical integrity of safety application software across the fleet under IEC 61511: the safety software development and validation regime, independence and review requirements, and approval of safety-significant software changes.
- Own software quality governance for the discipline: the assurance model for in-house, contractor, and integrator code; audit and surveillance approach; and the criteria by which applications are accepted into operation.
- Lead the discipline's engagement in the highest-consequence program reviews: preliminary and critical design reviews, safety case and licensing reviews, cyber assessments, and software readiness reviews for major commissioning and startup milestones.
- Direct root cause investigations for the most significant software-related events spurious trips, sequence failures, data loss, cyber incidents and approve corrective action strategy, ensuring findings are institutionalized in architecture, standards, and training.
- Personally execute or lead engineering on the small set of problems where the consequence of error or the degree of novelty warrants the discipline's most senior engineer, and know which problems those are.
External Representation and Licensing
- Support the nuclear licensing effort as the senior controls software voice: contribute to and defend the digital I&C and software content of the safety case, including software qualification, development process, and cybersecurity arguments; support regulatory interactions and audits.
- Represent Valar Atomics to strategic controls platform vendors and system integrators at a senior technical level; own long-term platform relationships, roadmap influence, qualification expectations, and escalation of systemic vendor quality issues.
- Represent the company in industry and standards forums as appropriate (ISA, IEEE, IEC, advanced reactor industry groups); bring emerging digital I&C, cybersecurity, and standards developments back into company strategy before they become constraints.
Organizational Capability
- Build the discipline's engineering capability: define the technical competencies the controls software organization needs, shape role definitions and the technical career ladder with the Director, set the hiring bar, and lead technical interviews for senior positions.
- Mentor staff and senior engineers toward independent technical authority; sponsor their development through delegation of ownership with oversight rather than retention of scope.
- Advise IC&E leadership on technical risk, resourcing, and sequencing for the program; provide independent technical judgment on schedule and cost pressure where it intersects software quality and safety.
- Maintain disciplined engineering records consistent with nuclear quality requirements, ensuring traceability of design decisions, software changes, and test results, and setting the example for the discipline's
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronic, Computer, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
- 10+ years of controls software, PLC/DCS, or SCADA engineering experience in process industries.
- Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of controls software scope across multiple major capital projects, including at least one taken from functional specification through commissioning, startup, and initial operations.
- Track record of architecture-level technical leadership: defining control system architecture, platform strategy, or software standards and practices that were adopted across an organization or program, not just a single project.
- Recognized technical authority in at least one deep area of the discipline (for example: batch architecture, SCADA and data architecture, safety application software, alarm and HMI engineering, or OT cybersecurity), evidenced by design authority roles, published work, standards participation, or a verifiable internal reputation as the final technical reference.
- Deep, hands-on command of the full controls software domain: PLC/DCS application architecture across IEC 61131-3 languages, SCADA and HMI systems, ISA-88 batch, ISA-18.2 alarm management, historians and data modelling, enterprise integration, and software configuration management.
- Substantial safety application software experience under IEC 61511, including formal validation regimes and approval or independent-review authority over safety logic.
- Working command of OT cybersecurity architecture under IEC 62443 or NIST SP 800-82, sufficient to own the control system security strategy and defend it to assessors.
- Experience directing and developing other engineers, including senior-level engineers, and reviewing and approving their work as a formal checker or design authority.
- Experience representing an engineering discipline to external parties, regulators, assessors, certification bodies, major platform vendors, or client design authorities.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Professional Engineer (PE) license.
- ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP), platform certifications, or equivalent credentials.
- Nuclear digital I&C experience, including software qualification under NQA-1 or 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, digital I&C safety case content, or familiarity with IEC 61513 / IEC 60880 / IEEE 7-4.3.2.
- Experience defining control system architecture for first-of-a-kind or prototype plants where no established precedent existed.
- Experience leading or defending cybersecurity assessments of industrial control systems.
- Experience with virtualised or containerised control system infrastructure at an architecture and lifecycle-strategy level.
- Participation in industry standards committees or working groups (ISA, IEEE, IEC, or equivalent).
- Experience with GAMP 5 or 21 CFR Part 11 regulated software validation environments.
What We Offer
- Competitive base salary
- Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced energy company
- Comprehensive medical benefits
- Unlimited PTO
- Free daily lunch and dinner provided onsite
- Generous PPE stipend
- High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy
- Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement
- Direct collaboration with experienced operators, engineers, and industry leaders
- The opportunity to help build and scale transformative energy technology from the ground up
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Valar Atomics is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.
We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment and will provide reasonable accommodation as required by law.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder).
Principal Automation Engineer Jobs by Experience Level
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Find JobsPrincipal Automation Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Consulting & Professional Services
- Electronics & Hardware
- Energy
- Insurance
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal automation engineer jobs.
- 7+ years of automation engineering experience with demonstrated principal or staff-level ownership
- Proficiency in one or more PLC platforms such as Rockwell, Siemens, or Mitsubishi
- Experience designing and implementing SCADA or DCS systems at an enterprise scale
- Strong programming skills in Python, C++, or LabVIEW for test automation and control logic
- Bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field
- Familiarity with industry safety standards such as IEC 61511, ISO 13849, or ANSI/ISA-99
Tips for Your Principal Automation Engineer Job Search
Tailor your resume to control systems
List the specific PLCs, SCADA platforms, and automation frameworks you've programmed or architected, not just generic 'automation experience.' Hiring managers scan for tool names like Siemens TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000, or Selenium before they read anything else.
Highlight cross-functional leadership scope
Principal-level postings almost always require evidence you've led automation strategy across engineering and operations teams. Describe programs you owned end-to-end, not just systems you built, so your resume signals readiness for the staff or principal tier.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists principal automation engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that name your industry vertical
Automation engineering differs sharply between semiconductor fabs, pharmaceutical cleanrooms, and automotive assembly lines. Filter your search by industry keyword alongside the job title so you land interviews where your domain knowledge carries weight from the first conversation.
Prepare a system-design walkthrough for interviews
Most principal automation engineer interviews include a live architecture review where you're asked to design or critique a control system or test infrastructure. Practice narrating your design decisions out loud, including failure modes and scalability trade-offs you considered.
Negotiate scope before you negotiate compensation
At the principal level, your charter matters as much as pay. Before accepting an offer, clarify which systems fall under your ownership, whether you have headcount authority, and how automation roadmap decisions get made, so you're not walking into a purely individual-contributor role with a senior title.
Principal Automation Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most principal automation engineers?
Eli Lilly, Cognizant, and Cannon are hiring the most principal automation engineers right now, with openings concentrated in California, Texas, and Indiana, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially active at manufacturers and technology companies scaling production or deploying new test infrastructure.
How many principal automation engineer jobs are remote?
About 50% of principal automation engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though the share varies significantly by specialization. Test automation and software-defined automation roles tend to be the most remote-friendly, while positions tied to physical plant systems or hardware commissioning typically require on-site presence.
How do you become a principal automation engineer?
Start with a foundation in electrical, mechanical, or systems engineering and build hands-on experience with PLC programming, SCADA systems, or test automation frameworks. Progress from individual contributor roles into senior positions where you own full automation systems, then pursue staff or principal-level opportunities by demonstrating cross-functional leadership, architecting programs from the ground up, and contributing to automation strategy at the organizational level.
Can you get a principal automation engineer role with limited experience?
Moving directly into a principal role with limited experience is rare because the title signals both deep technical ownership and organizational influence, but adjacent paths exist. Engineers with strong domain expertise in a specific vertical like pharmaceuticals or semiconductors, or those who have led a significant automation initiative at a smaller company, can sometimes position themselves for principal-level consideration earlier by emphasizing system-level thinking and leadership scope in their applications.
What does the principal automation engineer interview process look like?
The process typically runs in four to five stages. An initial recruiter screen focuses on background and seniority fit, followed by a technical phone interview covering control system fundamentals and toolchain experience. Later rounds usually include a system design or architecture exercise, a panel interview with engineering and operations stakeholders, and a leadership discussion about how you've influenced automation strategy and cross-functional teams in prior roles.
Where can I find and apply to principal automation engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to principal automation engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the roles available, find the ones that match your experience and target industry, and apply directly to each listing that fits.
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