Senior Automation Engineer, Safety

About the role

As an Automation Engineer at Mytra, you will join our Systems Engineering team during a period of rapid product development and scaling. Our team is focused on building the control, safety, and electrical infrastructure that ensures safe operation of the Mytra system.

We are looking for a hands-on, systems-oriented integration engineer who brings deep experience with traditional industrial automation while also understanding modern embedded systems and software. You will help us deliver robust systems today using proven off-the-shelf industrial hardware while contributing to our longer-term roadmap toward a more modern embedded hardware and software architecture.

You will design, integrate, and debug safety- and mission-critical systems that must be robust, diagnosable, and maintainable. You will also help determine the right balance between commercial industrial automation components and custom hardware developed internally.

What you'll do

• Develop and maintain PLC-based control and safety systems, including distributed I/O, industrial networks, and interfaces to mobile and stationary automation equipment.
• Design high-voltage and low-voltage electrical panels and control cabinets using ePLAN, AutoCAD Electrical, or similar tools.
• Work closely with Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Firmware, and Software teams to define clear interfaces and develop features that integrate mechanical, electrical, and software capabilities.
• Develop specialized service and commissioning tools, such as jog pendants, and scalable control and safety architectures for site deployments that push the limits of conventional industrial automation.
• Troubleshoot complex electromechanical systems across electrical, controls, embedded, networking, and software boundaries.
• Support system integration, commissioning, testing, and root-cause investigations in Mytra facilities and, occasionally, at customer sites.

Ideal Candidates

• Significant hands-on experience designing, commissioning, and troubleshooting industrial control systems using Beckhoff TwinCAT/TwinSAFE, Siemens controllers and Siemens Safety, or comparable PLC and safety platforms.
• Experience designing electrical control systems and panels using ePLAN, AutoCAD Electrical, or similar tools.
• Strong understanding of industrial controls hardware, sensors, actuators, safety devices, distributed I/O, and safety communications across distributed equipment.
• Experience developing safety- and mission-critical systems, with an emphasis on reliability, diagnosability, fault handling, and maintainability.
• Clear communication of complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience transitioning products from one to many, including developing training and documentation for manufacturing and commissioning teams.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, recognize when an approach is not working, pivot based on data and engineering evidence, and drive projects to completion.
• Ability to travel domestically on occasion, approximately 0-10% annually, to support integration, commissioning, and testing at customer sites.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with functional safety principles (e.g., HARA, FMEA, and HAZOP) and safety standards (e.g., ISO 13849, IEC 61508, and ISO 12100).
• Experience designing or integrating embedded control hardware, custom PCBAs, or microcontroller-based systems, and evaluating when custom hardware is preferable to an off-the-shelf industrial controller.
• Experience writing and debugging C++ and/or Python.
• Enthusiasm for modernizing industrial automation and replacing legacy approaches with better hardware, software, development, and debugging tools.
• Experience integrating controls for robotics, autonomous systems, material handling, warehouse automation, or similar complex electromechanical equipment.

A Final Note

• If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply - even if you don't check every box.
• At Mytra, we build bots, but we hire humans.
• We value thoughtful challengers who communicate with clarity and respect, and we're lifelong learners committed to getting better every day.
• We move fast, learn faster, and show up for each other under pressure.
• The best outcomes come from diverse perspectives working together to build something meaningful and built to last

Benefits Include

• Competitive compensation and equity grants at a high-growth company backed by top-tier VCs
• Fully subsidized health coverage, including medical (baseline plans), dental, and vision for employees and dependents
• 401(k) plans and employer-subsidized life insurance
• Fully subsidized lunch and snacks at HQ-we eat and share stories together at the "long" table
• Generous PTO and company-paid holidays, including one week over the winter break so everyone can recharge together
• Voluntary pet insurance, life insurance, accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage
• Fully subsidized tax advisory services and education to help you understand your equity
• Commuter benefits, including up to a $150 monthly commuter benefit
• Lively, modern combined office and lab space where we rapidly iterate through design, build, and test phases
• Fully equipped onsite gym and showers at headquarters

Pay Notice

• Compensation for this position will be set based on the candidate's experience level and location. The posted salary band is applicable only to the San Francisco Bay Area and is subject to change.
• This role requires on-site presence at our Brisbane, CA headquarters, for close collaboration with the other teams.
• The pay range for this role is: $125,000- $205,000