Safety Systems Engineer at SLAC

Department: Engineering Category DOE

Setup: On-site
Location: Menlo Park, California
Type: Full-time
Level: senior
Posted: Jul 21, 2026

Description

The Laser Safety Systems Engineer will own and maintain PLC and wired interlock-based laser safety systems at SLAC and LCLS, including specification, design, implementation, upgrades, documentation, testing, reviews, and 24/7 support. The role requires a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, or computer engineering and five years of experience, along with PLC interlock design, hardware, schematics, troubleshooting, project management, version control, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Preferred qualifications include safety instrumented systems, relay logic, Structured Text, Python, Linux, EPICS, and PLC interface software.

Required Skills

PLC interlocks
PLC design
Electrical schematics
Troubleshooting
Git
Project management
Cross-functional collaboration
Python
Linux
EPICS

Additional Information

Minimum Education: Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Computer Engineering
Required Previous Experiences: Five years of experience
PLC-based interlock system design, implementation, and support
Hardware experience with PLC-specific system designs
Hardware experience with fault-tolerant PLC and HMI/GUI designs
Electrical schematic reading and system troubleshooting
Leading and directing complex functional-integration projects
Version control and collaborative development workflows
End-to-end project management, scheduling, and stakeholder management
Cross-disciplinary team experience
Preferred Qualifications: Safety instrumented systems and functional safety standards
Relay logic implementation
Structured Text PLC programming
Python, Linux, and EPICS experience
PLC interface and control software for shutters, interlocks, and HMI panels
Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physical Science, or a closely related field
Translation Company Name: SLAC