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Salary: USD 154,000 - 266,000 / annual
Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America by combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing for aerospace and defense companies. The company helps customers build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost. Following a $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding manufacturing capabilities and scaling its Factory-as-a-Service platform.
You will join the Special Projects team as a generalist Automation Controls Engineer, owning end-to-end controls architecture for customer production lines spanning custom tooling, robotic cells, and integrated machine vision. This role encompasses requirements definition through PLC/robot/HMI code, electrical panel design, floor commissioning, and handoff to production. You'll work directly with manufacturing engineers, tooling engineers, software engineers, and program managers to take new cells from concept to run-off against aggressive customer timelines. High performers grow into Staff Controls Engineer or Tech-Lead roles, setting architecture across multi-cell programs.
Key responsibilities include: owning controls design for robotic, CNC, and tooling cells from concept through run-off; writing and deploying PLC applications on Siemens or other hardware with reusable libraries and standards; tuning and commissioning multi-axis motion (servos, VFDs, steppers) and integrating sensors and safety devices; specifying and designing electrical panels and architecting industrial networks (EtherCAT, PROFINET, OPC UA); building operator HMIs and leading risk assessments; commissioning on the floor and driving structured root-cause analysis; and mentoring engineers and technicians while codifying best practices into shared libraries and playbooks.
The role requires deep expertise in industrial automation, strong practical commissioning skills, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines. You will be responsible for ensuring production lines meet customer requirements and aggressive timelines while maintaining the highest standards of reliability and safety.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (electro-mechanical preferred) or equivalent experience
- 6–10+ years delivering automated cells end-to-end in industrial manufacturing
- PLCs & motion: Production experience with Beckhoff and/or Siemens, plus hands-on servo/VFD tuning and commissioning
- Robotics: Programmed a major ecosystem (ABB, Fanuc, Kuka, etc.); comfortable simulating cells before hardware exists
- Electrical & networks: Cabinet/panel design to NFPA 79 and UL 508A; fluent across EtherCAT, PROFINET, and OPC UA
- Sensors & safety: Confident selecting and integrating digital/analog sensors and safety devices; can run a risk assessment and defend a PL rating against ISO 13849
- Commissioning: Strong practical skills on the floor—wrenching, reading schematics, tracing variables, and finding root cause fast
- Excellent written and verbal communication; works well with ME, tooling, and software partners
NICE TO HAVE:
- High-level programming (C# or Python) to close platform gaps
- Machine vision experience (Cognex, Keyence, Zivid, LMI)
- HMI development in Ignition or WinCC
- MES/API integration (REST, MQTT, OPC UA)
ITAR REQUIREMENT: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
