Head of Controls Engineering

Company Overview*

Foundational is building a network of AI-native, autonomous factories for modern contract manufacturing. We’re reshoring critical supply chains so companies can produce high‑quality products domestically, quickly, and at competitive cost.

Foundational exists to make reindustrialization practical. Our factories are autonomy-first, reconfigurable by design, and orchestrated by a unified, AI-native factory operating layer that connects design through production.

Transformative Opportunity*

Recent breakthroughs in robotics and physical AI have shifted autonomous manufacturing from a theoretical promise to a deployable capability, triggering a global race to operationalize these systems at scale. The challenge is no longer whether autonomy works, but who can integrate AI-native robotics into real production environments.

The ability to manufacture advanced products domestically is now central to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. Foundational is focused on deploying these capabilities at scale during a decisive decade for American industrial leadership.

Who We Are*

Foundational was built by executive leadership from Google’s physical AI platform and America’s two largest contract manufacturers.

Manufacturing critical products requires trust. The Foundational team has deployed AI systems at multi-billion-dollar scale and delivered thousands of products across hundreds of manufacturing facilities.

Role Overview*

We are hiring a Head of Controls Engineering to own the design, development, and deployment of controls systems across Foundational’s manufacturing platforms. This role is responsible for defining how machines, robotics, and automation systems are controlled, integrated, and operated in production environments, and for ensuring those systems scale reliably across facilities.

This role requires both technical leadership and hands-on execution. You will set the controls architecture and standards while personally engaging in system design, integration, and debugging. Working closely with software, manufacturing engineering, and operations, you will ensure controls systems support real-time operations, safety, reliability, and long-term adaptability as our factories evolve.

Key Responsibilities*

• Define and lead controls engineering across Foundational’s manufacturing systems, establishing architectures, standards, and best practices for scalable deployment.• Design and integrate controls solutions spanning PLCs, robotics, motion systems, vision, and industrial automation equipment in production environments.• Own real-time machine control and data interfaces that connect equipment to higher-level software systems for monitoring, coordination, and closed-loop operation.• Lead development of commissioning, testing, and validation workflows to support rapid deployment and reliable operation of complex automation systems.• Establish and enforce safety, redundancy, and fault-tolerance standards across all control systems and production lines.• Partner closely with software, manufacturing engineering, and operations teams to ensure controls designs support production readiness, uptime, and long-term scalability.• Build and lead a controls engineering team, providing technical direction, mentorship, and hands-on support as systems scale.• Engage with equipment vendors, system integrators, and partners to evaluate, deploy, and standardize control solutions across facilities.

• 8+ years of experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, or mechatronics, with ownership of complex production systems and technical leadership responsibilities.• Deep expertise in industrial controls and automation, including PLC programming, robotics integration, motion control, and SCADA/HMI systems.• Strong software fluency, with experience working in real-time systems and using modern scripting or systems languages (e.g., Python, C++) alongside industrial control platforms.• Proven ability to integrate controls systems with higher-level software platforms, enabling coordination with manufacturing execution, analytics, or orchestration layers.• Hands-on experience designing for safety, redundancy, and fault tolerance in high-reliability manufacturing environments, including relevant regulatory and compliance considerations.• Experience with commissioning, testing, and deployment of complex automation systems, including the use of simulation or virtual commissioning tools.• Deep alignment with Foundational’s mission to reindustrialize the United States, motivated by long-term impact, ownership, and building enduring platforms.