Director, Automation & Controls Engineering

Employer description

Divergent is building the new industrial age. Every day, our teams design, manufacture, and assemble advanced systems for some of the world’s most demanding industries. Our integrated engineering and manufacturing platform transforms complex designs into production-ready solutions, helping customers move faster, build smarter, and deliver critical systems when they matter most. Divergent is a qualified Tier 1 supplier to global automotive OEMs and supports leading U.S. aerospace and defense companies. 

Join us and help push the boundaries of what can be built.

Purpose

As Director, Automation & Controls Engineering, you will lead the team building the automation backbone of Divergent’s next generation of machines and factories. You will define and deliver the controls, robotics, electrical, safety, and factory automation systems that turn complex manufacturing technology into reliable, scalable, and increasingly autonomous production. 

This role owns both the technical direction and organizational capability required to push industrial automation forward—from first-of-kind machine development through fleet deployment and factory scale. You will build the architectures, standards, teams, and engineering systems that enable Divergent to move faster, automate more, reduce operator dependency, and create manufacturing systems capable of scaling far beyond traditional factories. 

The Role

Development & Execution 

• Lead delivery of electrical, PLC, HMI, SCADA, motion control, robotics, and machine-safety systems from requirements through validated production release. 
• Lead engineering execution to deliver systems on schedule and to technical, quality, and production-readiness requirements. 
• Ensure systems meet reliability, maintainability, functional safety, and regulatory compliance requirements through rigorous engineering and validation practices. 

Architecture & Foundation 

• Set technical direction for controls architecture, technology platforms, engineering standards, and integration across Divergent machines and factories. 
• Build scalable capabilities through modular architectures, reusable libraries, standardization, and disciplined configuration management. 
• Establish technical governance and engineering rigor to improve consistency, reliability, maintainability, and development efficiency. 
• Drive systemic reliability improvements by incorporating operational failures, corrective actions, and production learnings into future designs. 

Robotics & Advanced Automation 

• Define and execute the technology roadmap for industrial robotics, autonomous machine operation, and advanced factory automation. 
• Drive initiatives that reduce manual labor, operator dependency, manufacturing complexity, and cost while improving productivity. 
• Develop the technical capabilities, partnerships, and scalable automation platforms required for increasingly autonomous machines and factories. 

Organizational & Strategic Leadership 

• Build and develop a high-performing engineering organization through hiring, coaching, delegation, performance management, and development of technical leaders. 
• Establish an effective operating rhythm with clear ownership, priorities, accountability, resource management, and measurable outcomes. 
• Translate business objectives into engineering strategy, roadmaps, and investment priorities, balancing production support, reliability, technical debt, and future development. 
• Lead cross-functional alignment and execution across Machine Development, R&D, Supply Chain, Production, Service, and other operational teams. 

Basic Qualifications

• Ability to lawfully access information and technology that is subject to US export controls.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Computer Engineering, or a related field. 
• 10+ years of experience in industrial automation, controls, robotics, or complex automated equipment development. 
• Proven experience leading engineering organizations and delivering complex, cross-functional machine or factory automation programs. 
• Strong technical foundation in PLCs, electrical systems, industrial networking, motion control, robotics, and machine safety. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing complex capital equipment, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor, additive manufacturing, or robotics systems. 
• Expertise in Beckhoff TwinCAT, IEC 61131-3 Structured Text, industrial networking, and motion control. 
• Experience with industrial robotics, simulation, offline programming, and virtual commissioning. 
• Knowledge of NEC, NFPA 79, UL 508A, functional safety, and machine risk assessment. 
• Experience scaling controls architectures, engineering standards, and teams across machine fleets or factories. 

What We Offer:

• Holistic Compensation Package: Enjoy a world-class compensation package that includes a competitive salary, equity plan, and discretionary results-based incentive bonus opportunities, ensuring you're truly valued for your contributions.
• Wellness and Time Off: Embrace a healthy lifestyle with paid vacation, sick time, and company holidays, including a year-end shutdown to recharge. We support growing families with paid parental leave, recognizing the importance of bonding time.
• Comprehensive Health and Wellness: Prioritize your well-being with our comprehensive health and wellness benefits, offering both HMO and Premium PPO options. Additionally, benefit from company-sponsored life insurance and short and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind.
• Investment in Growth: We're committed to your professional development. Take advantage of reimbursement opportunities for learning and development initiatives, empowering you to continuously expand your skill set and reach peak performance.
• Collaborative and High-Performing Environment: Join our collaborative, dynamic, and high-performing team within a fast-paced, mission-driven company. Together, we're disrupting the traditional manufacturing industry, fostering innovation, and integrating people and technology to reduce our footprint. 

Equal Employment Opportunity
Divergent is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected characteristic. Divergent provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.
EEO Poster 

In order to adjust to changes in our business, it may become necessary to add, remove or modify certain duties and responsibilities, or to reassign you to another job position. From time to time you may be asked to work on special projects or to assist with other work. Your cooperation and assistance in performing such additional work is expected. 
 
E-Verify: Right to Work
Our company participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is a program that electronically confirms a candidate’s eligibility to work in the United States after completing the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9). The information provided on the Form I-9 is compared to the records contained in the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases. This helps employers verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees.
Eligibility to Work Poster (English) | Eligibility to Work Poster (Spanish)
 
Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO)
Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO), we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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