{"id":3993928,"url":"https://alion.io/job/xai-automation-controls-engineer-data-center-facilities","title":"Automation & Controls Engineer, Data Center Facilities","company":{"id":28,"name":"xAI","domain":"x.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/xai","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":82,"open_postings":87,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.506,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":66,"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"}},"role":"Operations","role_family":"Operations","seniority":"junior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Memphis, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":1,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Design Controls","optional":false},{"name":"MQTT","optional":true},{"name":"OPC UA","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-09T19:04:45Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-09","last_verified_at":"2026-11-10T16:31:03Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.\nSpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.\nAUTOMATION & CONTROLS ENGINEER, DATA CENTER FACILITIES\nAs an Automation and Controls Engineer, you will design, program, commission, and own the controls for that plant. You will write robust control code, build operator interfaces people can trust, and take total ownership of live systems - tuning sequences, closing reliability gaps, and bringing new capacity online while the cluster is already in production.\nRESPONSIBILITIES:\nDesign, 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.\nArchitect, 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.\nImplement 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.\nKeep 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.\nBuild clear HMI and control-room graphics so operators can see plant state, acknowledge alarms, trend equipment health, and troubleshoot without calling an engineer first.\nIntegrate equipment controllers into the site BMS, EPMS, and historian so power, cooling, and environmental data are one operational picture.\nDesign control panels and electrical interfaces compliant with NEC, NFPA, and UL 508A, including motor and VFD interfaces, safety circuits, and network architecture.\nOwn the systems after go-live: alarm rationalization, loop tuning, sequence changes, outage support, and continuous improvement of uptime and energy performance.\nBuild schedules and punch lists for controls scope and drive vendors, contractors, and internal teams to hit them during construction and live expansions.\nBASIC QUALIFICATIONS:\nBachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, controls, mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.\n1+ years of experience in industrial controls, building or plant automation, data center facilities, or related programming (internship and extracurricular experience applies).\nPREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:\nEnergized by fast, iterative design, construction, and commissioning on a live critical facility.\nProven ability to turn a messy plant problem into a simple, reliable control solution.\nClear written and verbal communication, including control narratives, sequences of operations, and recommendations across mechanical, electrical, and operations teams.\nJudgment to move quickly while protecting people and equipment around high voltage, stored energy, refrigerants, fuel systems, and high-pressure hydronics.\nExperience in data centers, power generation, district energy, industrial utilities, or other 24/7 process plants.\nExperience in at least one of the disciplines below, with a real interest in learning the others.\nSizing and application of motors, VFDs, starters, valves, actuators, instrumentation, and circuit protection for pumps, fans, towers, and plant equipment.\nDesign of fail-safe circuits using safety relays and safety controllers, including interlocks that must hold during a loss of power or a controls failure.\nHands-on troubleshooting of industrial electrical systems with multimeters, oscilloscopes, and network diagnostics.\nReading and producing schematics, panel layouts, riser diagrams, and one-line diagrams (EPLAN preferred).\nFieldbus and Ethernet plant networks: BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, Profinet, and OPC UA.\nDesigning, building, and commissioning control panels and electromechanical systems with arc-flash, lockout/tagout, and construction-power constraints in mind.\nWorking knowledge of NEC, NFPA 70E, UL 508A, and data center facility standards, with the ability to apply them to control design.\nPLC programming in structured text and ladder, preferably Rockwell (Studio 5000), Siemens TIA Portal, or Beckhoff TwinCAT.\nHMI, BMS, and SCADA development - Ignition, Niagara, or an equivalent platform - focused on fast navigation, meaningful alarms, trends, and equipment health.\nIndustrial protocols used in critical facilities: BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP, OPC UA, MQTT, SNMP, EtherNet/IP, and Profinet.\nApplying control software to mechanical and electrical assemblies: sensors, VFDs, valves, and pump or fan systems, including a disciplined checkout before a system is allowed to carry load.\nExperience with EPMS, power metering, generator or ATS status, and historian or alarming tools used to operate a data center.\nADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:\nAbility to work long hours, nights, and weekends when commissioning, failover testing, or a live plant event requires it.\nWillingness to work on site in the data center, including mechanical plants, electrical rooms, and the data halls, for checkout and troubleshooting.\nSpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. 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