xAI The Automation & Controls Engineer at xAI designs, programs, commissions, and owns controls for data center facilities. Responsibilities include developing PLC code, building operator interfaces, and ensuring system reliability and safety.
Responsibilities
Design, develop, and manage facility automation projects from sequence of operations and control narrative through panel build, point-to-point checkout, commissioning, failover testing, and handoff to operations.
Architect, write, and debug PLC and controller code that is organized, structured, documented, maintainable, and reusable across chillers, pumps, cooling towers, coolant distribution units, air handlers, heat rejection, and related plant equipment.
Implement lead/lag, staging, rotation, free-cooling, and liquid-cooling control strategies that hold capacity, efficiency, and redundancy (N+1 / 2N) as the cluster load changes.
Keep the plant safe and reliable with fail-safe interlocks, emergency power off and transfer logic, and alarm philosophy that meets NEC, NFPA 70E, NFPA 75, and applicable life-safety requirements.
Build clear HMI and control-room graphics so operators can see plant state, acknowledge alarms, trend equipment health, and troubleshoot without calling an engineer first.
Integrate equipment controllers into the site BMS, EPMS, and historian so power, cooling, and environmental data are one operational picture.
Design control panels and electrical interfaces compliant with NEC, NFPA, and UL 508A, including motor and VFD interfaces, safety circuits, and network architecture.
Own the systems after go-live: alarm rationalization, loop tuning, sequence changes, outage support, and continuous improvement of uptime and energy performance.
Build schedules and punch lists for controls scope and drive vendors, contractors, and internal teams to hit them during construction and live expansions.
Qualification
Energized by fastClear written and verbal communicationExperience in data centersSizing and application of motors
Required
Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, controls, mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.
1+ years of experience in industrial controls, building or plant automation, data center facilities, or related programming (internship and extracurricular experience applies).
Preferred
Energized by fast, iterative design, construction, and commissioning on a live critical facility.
Proven ability to turn a messy plant problem into a simple, reliable control solution.
Clear written and verbal communication, including control narratives, sequences of operations, and recommendations across mechanical, electrical, and operations teams.
Judgment to move quickly while protecting people and equipment around high voltage, stored energy, refrigerants, fuel systems, and high-pressure hydronics.
Experience in data centers, power generation, district energy, industrial utilities, or other 24/7 process plants.
Experience in at least one of the disciplines below, with a real interest in learning the others.
Sizing and application of motors, VFDs, starters, valves, actuators, instrumentation, and circuit protection for pumps, fans, towers, and plant equipment.
Design of fail-safe circuits using safety relays and safety controllers, including interlocks that must hold during a loss of power or a controls failure.
