PLC Software Architect and Engineer

About the Opportunity

At Skyven Technologies, we have developed a revolutionary heat pump technology to decarbonize industrial heat and move the needle on climate change. Our technologies have the potential to completely eliminate on-site CO2 emissions from industrial steam. We implement this technology through an innovative Energy-as-a-Service model that provides clean process heat to industrial facilities. We identify, fund, design, build, and install our cutting-edge, decarbonization technologies to help industrial manufacturers reach their sustainability goals, while minimizing their risk and reducing their operational expenses.

Industrial heat is responsible for roughly 20% of global CO2 emissions. That’s roughly equivalent to emissions generated by all transportation (including land, sea, and air) and is a compelling business opportunity – it will take an estimated $3.7 trillion in capital investment to decarbonize the sector by 2050. Skyven is at the forefront of this transformation and has recently been selected for a $145M investment from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate the deployment of our state-of-the-art Skyven Arcturus steam-generating heat pumps (SGHPs) at manufacturing facilities nationwide, revolutionizing how we address energy needs while combating climate change.

About the Role

We are looking for a PLC Software Architect and Engineer to lead the design, creation, and deployment of scalable and reusable PLC software for our steam generating heat pump product line. This is a true 0 to 1 software development opportunity where the individual will start with a controls narrative and PLC hardware architecture as their inputs and then create detailed sequence of operations, develop a software function library, configure application specific programs that software library, bench test that software in unison with the SCADA software, and manage program lifecycle after deployment. This role is an individual contributor with the potential to grow and lead QA/QC of programming work in the future.

Responsibilities

• Write detailed sequences of operation for the control system
• Create and manage a version-controlled library of reusable Derived Function Blocks (DFB) and Derived Data Types (DDT), trackable to the module level post deployment
• Develop and document rules, standards, and processes for the creation of PLC library objects, configured code, code documentation, and automation tools
• Design PLC software to support Simatic S7 DIO hardware architecture
• Identify and address gaps in control narratives by collaborating with mechanical & electrical teams during sequence creation
• Develop a scalable software architecture for a large number of hardware configurations within the product platform
• Build custom automation tools for internal team to enable rapid code configuration and deployment for various heat pump hardware configurations
• Act as point of contact for bug resolution during commissioning and post-commissioning software lifecycle
• Lead the creation of a software simulator for bench testing, collaborating with SCADA team as needed
• Write commissioning test scripts

Requirements

• B.S. in computer science or related engineering discipline
• 10+ years of post-graduate experience in software development
• Expertise in programming PLCs or PACs using Structured Text (ST) and Function Block Diagram (FBD) according to IEC61131, IEC61499, and OOP principles
• Excellent knowledge of industrial communication protocols such as PROFINET, IO-Link, Modbus, OPC-UA, MQTT, Serial, and TCP/IP
• Proficient in developing automation tools in a common programming language for automatic PLC configuration, managing software libraries, indexing deployed programs, and handling post-commissioning updates
• Ability to write sequences of operation and PLC software using derived-data type points based on the ISA-88 hierarchy for continuous control systems

Preferred

• M.S. or Ph.D in Computer Science
• Licensed professional engineer (PE)
• 5+ years of Siemens Simatic S7 PLC programming experience using distributed I/O (DIO) and multiple network layers
• Experience leading CI/CD and DevOps for PLC software development, with the ability to establish standards from scratch
• Expert in Python programming
• Experience writing commissioning test scripts for complex control systems, covering sequences of operation, SCADA, and points lists

Benefits

• Base salary: $140,000 - $170,000
• Stock options
• Flexible PTO
• Paid parental leave
• Medical, dental, vision
• 401k

Location

• Fully remote; we are a remote first organization
• Must live in and be authorized to work in the United States
• Occasional travel up to 10-15% annually expected beginning in 2025