Fluidstack

Staff Controls Engineer

Fluidstack · Austin, TX
Austin, TX $179K–$263K Posted 2026-08-03
Salary
$179K–$263K
Type
Full-time
Experience
8+ yr

ABOUT FLUIDSTACK

We exist to make humanity more free. For most of human history, you farmed or you starved. Technology gave people more time for the things they wanted to do, instead of things they had to do. Powerful AI will be the biggest lever for human choice we've ever built - but only if models are aligned with what humanity actually wants. There are groups building AI who don't share these goals. Whoever deploys frontier compute infrastructure fastest will decide whether AI expands human freedom or shrinks it.

We're singularly focused on delivering 10 to 100s of GWs of compute faster than anyone else, rethinking every layer of the stack. We acquire power, design and build data centers, and operate them - with teams spanning hardware and software. Speed and scale are our key differentiators. Come be a part of building civilization-scale infrastructure for AI.

We hire people who care deeply about this problem space. If that is you, please apply!

HOW WE OPERATE

  • Extreme ownership. Full autonomy. Own things end to end often taking on scope outside your core role without being asked to get things done.
  • Velocity. We drive everything forward as fast as possible.
  • First principles. Challenge every assumption. Zero analogy thinking, no egos, the best idea wins.
  • Love of the game. The frontier of AI is the most interesting problem of our time. We put in long hours at high intensity to push the frontier forward.

THE CONTROLS TEAM

Examples of key problems the team is working on

  • Deliver the controls behind 10s to 100s of GWs of data centers this decade.
  • Own real-time load control and MEP and behind-the-meter integration.
  • Automate Level 4 and Level 5 commissioning.
  • Drive autonomous, robotic deployment.

ROLE SCOPE

  • Lead the controls design development team, owning the template designs, SOOs, points lists, BOMs, and Division 25 specifications that every modular data center build inherits.
  • Set the technical direction for controls design, deciding the standards, platforms, and reference architectures the whole fleet builds from.
  • Drive design decisions to resolution across mechanical, electrical, commissioning, and construction, so controls design is never the thing holding up a site's schedule.
  • Grow the team, hiring controls engineers and raising the bar on the design work they produce.
  • Own the quality and repeatability of every design package that leaves the team, so the hundredth site is designed faster and cleaner than the first.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The below is a starting point. We always make space for exceptional people, so if you don’t fit this role exactly, tell us where you would https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/fluidstack/05c2e69c-42f9-4fcb-9cf0-a467aaf98f1c.

  • You’ve led a controls or design engineering team, owning both the technical output and the people producing it.
  • You’ve set controls design standards, reference architectures, or specifications that others built from across multiple projects, not just delivered your own designs.
  • You’ve authored or owned Division 25 integrated automation specifications, and you know what separates a spec that holds up in the field from one that generates change orders.
  • You’ve written sequences of operations and seen them through to working code, so you can tell when a design is genuinely buildable and not just correct on paper.
  • You make design decisions fast and defend them across mechanical, electrical, and construction stakeholders who each want something different.
  • You’ve hired controls engineers and grown people from competent to excellent, and other teams trust the work your team ships.
  • Bonus: Modular or productized data center delivery. Data center mechanical and electrical systems (chiller plants, CRAH/CRAC, fan wall units, switchgear). BMS and SCADA platforms over BACnet and Modbus. CSI MasterFormat and Division 25 authorship. Building a controls design function up from a small team.

We are committed to pay equity and transparency.

Fluidstack is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Fluidstack will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.

You will receive a confirmation email once your application has successfully been accepted. If there is an error with your submission and you did not receive a confirmation email, please email [email protected] with your resume/CV, the role you've applied for, and the date you submitted your application-- someone from our recruiting team will be in touch.

$110K — 10th pctl $265K — 90th pctl
This role’s midpoint $221K vs. market median $180K for Engineering roles
+20%
above median
Based on 22,000+ Engineering roles with disclosed salary ranges tracked on NewJob.
FluidStack

FluidStack

Talent Platform · Series A · San Francisco, United States

Stage & Valuation
Series A
Key Investors
['Accel Partners', 'Sequoia Capital', 'Lightspeed Venture Partners']
Open roles on NewJob
Most hiring in
Engineering (39) · Operations (26) · BizOps (12)
FluidStack is a tech-focused job platform that connects developers with leading tech companies through smart matching. It provides transparent compensation insights and streamlined hiring workflows to accelerate talent acquisition.
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