Senior Controls Engineer

The AES Corporation

Senior Controls Engineer at AES leading design and improvement of renewable energy control systems for solar and battery storage projects. Provides technical leadership and supports project execution from design through operation.

Posted 6/26/2026full-timeLouisville • Colorado, Utah, Virginia • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $113,000 - $141,525 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Python

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the design, testing, commissioning, and continuous improvement of plant-level control systems for utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects
Provide technical leadership for Power Plant Controller (PPC), Energy Management System (EMS), and supervisory control solutions that support safe, reliable, and compliant plant operations
Develop control strategies for active power control (APC), reactive power control (RPC), frequency response, voltage regulation, ramp rate limiting, and state-of-charge (SOC) management for hybrid solar and storage facilities
Develop control logic in IEC-61131-3 environments such as Codesys, AcSELerator, or Beckhoff TwinCAT
Review OEM and EPC-supplied control strategies, identify gaps and risks, and provide recommendations
Define and support control interfaces for inverter OEMs and BESS vendors
Develop and review dynamic controller models in PSS/E

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a closely related field required
5+ years of controls engineering experience, including work with utility-scale solar PV and/or BESS facilities
Experience developing control strategies for grid-connected renewable energy assets
Experience reviewing OEM or EPC control submissions and functional design documents, and providing substantive technical feedback
Working knowledge of PSS/E or PSCAD for controller-level modeling and validation
Hands-on experience with PPC or EMS commissioning and acceptance testing for utility-scale renewable projects
IEC-61131-3 control logic development in Codesys, AcSELerator, Beckhoff TwinCAT, or equivalent PLC-based environments
Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills, with the ability to trace issues through software, controls interfaces, and system behavior
Working knowledge of PSS/E and/or PSCAD at the controller level
Communication protocols: Modbus TCP/RTU, DNP3, IEC 61850 (GOOSE/MMS), SunSpec
SCADA/historian familiarity: PI Historian, OSIsoft, or equivalent
Python or MATLAB/Simulink for control analysis, test automation, or data evaluation

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental, and vision coverage
life insurance
401(k) eligibility
paid time off (including vacation, sick leave time, and parental leave)

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

controls engineeringcontrol strategiesactive power controlreactive power controlfrequency responsevoltage regulationstate-of-charge managementIEC-61131-3PSS/EPython

Soft Skills

technical leadershiptroubleshootingroot cause analysiscommunication