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Maintenance Controls Engineer

Garden Grove, CA

About Harbinger

Harbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger’s best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.

Role Overview

Harbinger Motors is expanding, and we are looking for a Maintenance Control Engineer to support our advanced EV manufacturing lines (Battery, GA, EDU, Stator/Hairpin). This role bridges automation, controls, SCADA, and MES integration to ensure high equipment reliability, data accuracy, and maximum operational uptime. You will work hand-in-hand with Equipment Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers (MEs), Production, and external suppliers (both local and international) to resolve complex failures, implement continuous improvement initiatives, and execute seamless equipment transfers and upgrades.

What You'll Do:

Automation, Controls & MES Integration

  • Troubleshoot, program, and maintain PLCs (Siemens TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley Studio 5000), HMIs, and safety controllers.

  • Develop, configure, and maintain Ignition SCADA screens, tag structures, alarm pipelines, and system interfaces.

  • Support and troubleshoot data integration between machine controls and the Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

  • Diagnose and resolve issues on industrial networks (EtherNet/IP, Profinet, OPC-UA, Modbus, CAN).

  • Interpret, modify, and update electrical schematics, control loop diagrams, and P&IDs.

Vendor Support, Projects & Equipment Transfers

  • Collaborate directly with local and European equipment vendors/OEMs to troubleshoot complex controls issues, manage major repairs, and coordinate field service interventions.

  • Maintain a flexible schedule to overlap with European time zones and support critical project calls, factory acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), and remote support.

  • Work closely with Equipment Engineers and Manufacturing Engineers (MEs) on line installations, equipment transfers, commissioning, and engineering changes (ECR/ECN).

Continuous Improvement & Maintenance Engineering

  • Lead continuous improvement projects aimed at cycle-time reduction, automation optimization, line balancing, and overall downtime minimization.

  • Perform root-cause analysis (RCA, 5 Whys, 8D) on repeat control failures and implement robust corrective actions.

  • Establish and refine predictive and preventive maintenance protocols targeting machine availability (MTBF, MTTR, OEE).

  • Document all control updates and hardware modifications according to quality standards (ISO 9001, IATF 16949).

Safety & Operational Support

  • Provide direct technical support during line stoppages and production ramp-ups.

  • Train and mentor maintenance technicians on PLC diagnostics, Ignition SCADA troubleshooting, and safety system recovery.

  • Ensure all machine control modifications comply with OSHA, NFPA 70E, and machine safety standards (ISO 13849, EN/ISO 12100).

Who You Are:

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Automation/Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

  • 3–5 years of experience in controls, automation, or maintenance engineering within automated manufacturing.

  • Hands-on experience configuring and maintaining Ignition SCADA (Inductive Automation).

  • Direct experience integrating industrial machinery with MES platforms.

  • Proven history of working side-by-side with Manufacturing Engineers and Equipment Engineers on launch, transfer, or repair projects.

Technical Skills:

  • PLCs: Siemens TIA Portal (S7-1200/1500) and Allen-Bradley (ControlLogix, CompactLogix).

  • Software & Data: Ignition SCADA, MES architecture, basic SQL queries, and OPC-UA.

  • Hardware: 480VAC distribution, 24VDC controls, servo drives, vision systems (Keyence, Cognex), and sensors.

  • Ability to read technical manuals, schematics, and vendor documentation in English.

Work Flexibility & Soft Skills:

  • Flexibility to adapt work hours/shifts for communication and troubleshooting with European and local OEMs.

  • Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and a continuous-improvement mindset.

  • High analytical capability to perform fast, structured troubleshooting under pressure.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Ignition Core or Gold Certification.

  • Siemens or Rockwell automation technical certifications.

  • Experience with industrial robotics (Fanuc, ABB, KUKA).

  • Background in EV assembly, battery manufacturing, or high-volume automotive environments.

  • Six Sigma Green Belt certification.

Key Benefits & Perks:
  • Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision (HDV) – 100% employee covered
  • Early-stage Stock Options
  • Robust Retirement Savings (401k, HSA, FSA)
  • Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) & Parental Leave
  • Annual Vacation Bonus
  • Wellness & Fertility Benefits
  • Cell Phone Stipend
  • Complimentary Meals & Stocked Kitchens

California Pay Range

$140,000 - $180,000 USD

Equal Opportunity
Harbinger is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.
 
Harbinger is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at info@harbingermotors.com.
 
Candidate Data Privacy
Harbinger may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Harbinger may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.
 
Harbinger may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our HR, legal, and finance teams, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Harbinger affiliates; and (iii) Harbinger’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.
 
Harbinger may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.
 
Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. Any unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted in response to our job posting shall be considered the property of Harbinger and are not subject to payment of referral or placement fees if any such candidate is later hired by Harbinger unless you have a signed written agreement in place with us which covers the applicable job posting.

 

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