Senior Controls Engineer - Electrical & Instrumentation
About the job
- A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Significant Electrical and Instrumentation experience in a manufacturing environment.
- At least 6 years of applied experience designing and troubleshooting industrial control systems in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
- Advanced proficiency in Siemens TIA Portal and Rockwell Studio 5000, with the ability to program and execute independently.
- Practical experience with SCADA and HMI platforms, specifically Ignition Perspective, Siemens WinCC, or Rockwell FTView.
- A strong technical foundation in functional safety programming, including ProfiSafe and CIP Safety protocols.
- Expertise in reading, interpreting, and redlining complex electrical schematics and using data tools such as iba or Octoplant for system analysis.
- Familiarity with integrating vision systems and barcode scanners, such as Keyence or Cognex, into automated workflows.
- The ability to communicate technical concepts and translate complex controls concepts for diverse audiences.
- Problem-solving skills and intellectual rigor when addressing first-of-a-kind automation challenges.
- A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively within a fast-paced, mission-driven team.
- Intellectual curiosity and a drive to stay current with industrial automation and control technology.
- Design, develop, and deploy industrial control and execution systems under the direction of staff-level Electrical and Instrumentation controls engineers.
- Serve as a technical lead on Electrical and Instrumentation projects, coordinating with controls engineers for Automation, Robotics and Vision, and SCADA to ensure technical requirements are met on budget and on schedule.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less experienced Electrical and Instrumentation controls engineers.
- Provide electrical and instrumentation support for production operations and maintenance departments after escalation from the sustaining team, including troubleshooting controls and electrical issues and resolving problems related to equipment and process downtime, throughput improvement, and safety concerns.
- Participate in rotating on-call responsibilities for off-hour escalations from the sustaining team.
- Work directly with equipment vendors to ensure they follow Form Energy Equipment Standards and deliver quality control systems, including executing factory acceptance tests at vendor sites and site acceptance tests at Form Factory 1.
- Execute internal projects as directed by staff controls engineers, including developing electrical schematics, selecting instrumentation, and designing and integrating functional safety with programmable logic controllers, Robotics, Vision, SCADA, and manufacturing execution systems.
- Use input from production and maintenance supervisors, operators, vendors, and service providers to provide troubleshooting assistance and make improvements.
- Follow and ensure team members comply with all Safety and Environmental policies and procedures.
About the company
Form Energy develops and sells energy storage systems designed for long-duration use in the electric grid. Its main product is an iron-air battery that can store electricity for up to about 100 hours, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional power plants and enabling a fully renewable grid. The system works by storing energy chemically in iron and air, allowing electricity to be released when needed over multi-day stretches, with a focus on scalable manufacturing and system integration to meet utility and municipal needs. The company differentiates itself by pursuing low-cost, multi-day storage on a large scale, leveraging iron as a plentiful material to deliver affordable, reliable energy storage compared to conventional approaches. Its goal is to support deep decarbonization of the electric system by providing reliable, year-round renewable power through affordable energy storage and deployment alongside grid infrastructure.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$2.6B
Headquarters
Somerville, Massachusetts
Founded
2017
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Form raised $750 million in August 2026, lifting total equity above $2 billion.
- Backlog jumped from 20 GWh to 80 GWh, including Xcel, Crusoe, and Ireland.
- DOE funding and Maine support back Lincoln's first commercial site with nearly $150 million.
What critics are saying
- Axios pegged the Series G at a $1.75 billion pre-money valuation, down from $3 billion.
- Xcel's Minnesota project still needs Public Utilities Commission approval before revenue starts.
- Form's first commercial systems operate in 2026; a performance miss kills financing and orders.
What makes Form Energy unique
- Form sells 100-hour iron-air batteries, not four-hour lithium systems.
- Its Minnesota Google-Xcel deal spans 30 GWh, the largest announced battery project.
- Weirton Form Factory 1 pairs manufacturing with utility contracts from one platform.
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Benefits
100% of medical, dental, & vision premiums
HSA & Flexible FSA
Generous PTO
Employee resource program
Parental leave
Commuter benefits account
Stock options
Equity
401k
Profession development budget
Life & disability insurance
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
-1%1 year growth
-2%2 year growth
3%Form Energy scales iron batteries for multiday grid storage. Form Energy is developing iron-based batteries designed to store electricity for 100 hours, positioning the technology as a cheaper alternative to lithium-ion systems for long-duration grid storage. The batteries rely on "reversible rusting": oxygen converts iron to rust during discharge, releasing electrons, while charging turns the rust back into iron metal. Commercial momentum has accelerated over the past two years. Form has started producing batteries at its West Virginia factory for a 150 megawatt-hour system with Minnesota electricity provider Great River Energy, scheduled to come online in 2027. Its largest announced deal is with Xcel Energy, where wind and solar power supported by 30 gigawatt-hours of Form batteries will power a new Google data center in Minnesota, with deployment expected in phases between 2028 and 2031. The technology could help utilities rely less on fossil fuel plants during heat waves, deep freezes, or periods with little wind or sun. It may also help address rising electricity demand from AI data centers, which has delayed coal plant closures, spurred new natural gas plants, and increased consumer prices. Scaling remains the central challenge. Form's current production capacity is 2 gigawatt-hours of battery storage per year, far below the 80 gigawatt-hours promised through commercial agreements. The footprint is also large, with batteries requiring an acre for every two to three megawatts and the Google installation expected to occupy the equivalent of at least 75 football fields. Originally reported by technologyreview.com Read the source
Form Energy's iron batteries revolutionize energy storage. Form Energy is at the forefront of innovation in energy storage with its development of iron-based batteries, capable of storing energy for an impressive duration of up to 100 hours. This advancement is particularly significant as renewable energy sources like solar and wind are increasingly adopted, yet their output is often inconsistent due to various environmental factors. To address these fluctuations, utilities are investing heavily in battery storage technologies that can balance the supply and demand of electricity effectively. Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, which are prevalent but expensive to scale and limited in their energy retention capabilities, Form Energy's approach offers a more economical alternative. By utilizing iron - an abundant and inexpensive metal - Form's batteries employ a unique process known as "reversible rusting." During energy discharge, oxygen converts iron to rust, releasing electrons, while charging reverses this process, turning rust back into iron. This innovative method not only enhances the sustainability of energy storage but also aims to drive costs down to around $20 per kilowatt-hour, making it competitive with traditional fossil fuel options. With commercial momentum building, Form Energy has commenced battery production at its West Virginia facility and has secured significant partnerships, including a 150 megawatt-hour project with Great River Energy in Minnesota, slated for completion in 2027. Moreover, a collaborative project with Xcel Energy aims to provide 30 gigawatt-hours of energy storage for a new Google data center, potentially establishing the largest battery project in the world by energy capacity. While the long-duration storage market remains in its infancy, Form's technology holds promise in mitigating emissions from the growing energy demands of AI and other sectors, thereby contributing to a more sustainable energy future.
Form Energy has closed a $270 million credit facility to support its energy storage technology development. The facility comprises a revolving credit facility and a tax credit advance facility linked to Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit. An accordion feature allows the facility to expand to $1 billion. Barclays served as sole structuring bank, with Citi, Jefferies, JPMorgan Chase, RBC Capital Markets, Societe Generale, Stifel, and Wells Fargo participating in the lending syndicate. The financing follows Form Energy's $750 million Series G funding round in August, bringing total equity raised to over $2 billion. Proceeds will fund manufacturing scale-up and working capital as the company produces iron-air battery systems at its Weirton, West Virginia facility.
Sequoia doubled its Form Energy check from $50 million to $100 million. Sequoia disclosed the size of its Series G investment in Form Energy: $100 million. Fund partners David Kahn and Isaiah Boone wrote that they initially offered $50 million, but doubled the amount after founder Mateo Yaramillo's presentation to the partnership. The round had already closed by that point, and the fund had to convince the company to let them in. Sequoia describes its bet as an investment in the energy infrastructure for AI. Scaling models is constrained by the capacity of the US grid, and its restructuring, according to the fund, has moved from the "nice to have" category to "essential." Sequoia measures the market for Form's iron-air batteries in terawatts. The company's business has adapted to this thesis. Form received its first major order from a hyperscaler - 30 GWh for a Google data center through Xcel Energy. The total backlog of contracted supplies has grown from approximately 20 to 80 GWh. The West Virginia plant is located on the site of a shuttered steel mill and employed more than 400 people. The company did not disclose the price of the round. According to Latitude Media, the Series G closed at a pre-money valuation of $1.75 billion, compared to a pre-money valuation of $3 billion in October 2024. Sequoia entered at that very price and doubled its own valuation.
Five Cambridge and Somerville climate tech companies receive state tax incentive. The companies will be able to put this money toward expansion through advancing research and projects, hiring more employees and offering stipends Somerville's Form Energy received the majority of a $6 million tax incentive for job creation granted to five climate tech innovation companies in Cambridge and Somerville. Form, which produces high-capacity batteries used for storing renewable energy at utility scale, earlier this year was identified as the recipient of a billion-dollar contract for energy storage from Google, and recently received $750 million in venture capital to help expand its battery factory in West Virginia. Form received $5.6 million in credits from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, which gave $27.2 million in tax incentives to 18 companies across the state to create more jobs. In addition to Form, four other local companies received grants. Pascal Technologies and Mantel Capture in Cambridge as well as Eden Geopower in Somerville received $100,000 in tax credits. Somerville's Vertical Semiconductor received $120,000. Some recipients also receive incentives for capital investment, specifically for leasing or buying facility space. MassCEC selected companies with a clear business plan, evidence of continued revenue gains, and were creating technology that would hinder the impacts of climate change and emissions throughout the world," said Mike Condon, the director of economic growth and partnership at MassCEC, in an interview with Cambridge Day. Condon said MassCEC's grant program, modeled after the Mass Life Sciences Center's program, is a way to help grow and retain climatetech companies in Massachusetts. Form Energy. The Somerville-based company Form Energy produces iron-air batteries designed to deliver electricity for 100 hours to create a reliable electric grid year-round. The $5.6 million incentive allowed Form to hire new employees, bringing the company's employee count to 240. Form was originally developed at MIT before it was further developed at the Somerville climatetech incubator Greentown Labs as well as the Cambridge incubator The Engine. Eden Geopower. Eden Geopower, located in Somerville, developed a "first-of-its-kind" electric reservoir stimulation technology, which uses electric pulse drilling to increase the recovery of natural resources in the ground. Overall, the technology aims "to extract natural resources out of the ground, whether its critical minerals, geothermal energy, geologic hydrogen," said Desi Hambrock, Eden Geopower Chief of Staff. The $100,000 tax incentive allows Eden Geopower "to execute our goals more quickly" by hiring more employees, Hambrock said. Overall, Eden's goal is to develop and generate "energy and resources in a way that is very low cost, but at the same time, has huge environmental impact," as is the goal of all climatetech companies, Hambrock said. Mantel Capture. Mantel Capture in Cambridge created a carbon capture system that uses molten borate salt to capture greenhouse gases in industrial boilers, kilns, and furnaces before they enter the atmosphere. The MassCEC incentive will be "super helpful" as Eden builds a bigger team at its facility at 750 Main Street in Cambridge, said Danielle Rapson, the chief operating officer of Mantel Capture. Particularly, tax incentives "really help" Eden give their interns full-time jobs, she said. Vertical Semiconductor. Located in Somerville, Vertical Semiconductor, which was originally started at MIT, is developing a semiconductor power chip that reduces energy losses in data centers. The power chip, made with vertical gallium nitride, essentially makes power systems "much more efficient," said Cynthia Liao, the co-founder and CEO of Vertical Semiconductor. The power chip reduces energy losses inside a data center by about 80 percent, Liao said. She said right now, 20 to 30 percent of energy in a data center never makes it to the center's computers. Liao is "super excited" about the $120,000 tax incentive because it allows Vertical Semiconductor to create new semiconductor engineering and research and development positions and offer stipends for employees who relocate to Somerville. Pascal Technologies. Pascal Technologies is developing efficient, non-polluting refrigerants that allow HVAC systems to put less strain on the electric grid. More efficient refrigerants are needed because "as the world needs more and more cooling, the amount of super-polluting fluorinated gas refrigerants used in these systems will increase while the extra energy usage will strain our electrical grid," said Adam Slavney, co-founder and CEO of Pascal Technologies. Tax incentives generally allow the Cambridge-based company to "offset the high cost-of-living," Slavney said. The MassCEC incentive specifically allowed Pascal to hire an additional employee, bringing its total employees to 15. A stronger. Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day. Cambridge Day is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible. Please consider a recurring contribution.