Principal Engineer, Advanced Controls Applications

Baltimore Air Coil • Full-time • Jessup, Maryland, United States • 1d ago

POSITION PURPOSE

The Global Advanced Applications team is BAC’s technical authority for complex, non-standard customer applications, delivering engineering solutions that enable BAC to win in core markets and priority growth segments, including data centers and other mission-critical applications. Headquartered in Jessup, MD, the team provides product and site-level expertise across thermal, controls, structural, sound, and related engineering domains in a fast-paced, high-impact environment.

The Principal Engineer, Advanced Controls Applications is BAC’s leading controls subject matter expert within Advanced Applications, high-stakes controls applications, responsible for defining, validating, and defending solutions that enable critical customer commitments in core markets and growth segments such as data centers. This role leads a small team of expert controls engineers, combining direct technical ownership with team leadership, is accountable for both the technical development of the team and the quality of delivered solutions, ensuring controls solutions are robust, integrated, and aligned with system architecture and engineering standards.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Own and deliver of controls solutions for complex, non-standard applications (including Factory Witness Test scoping), supporting high-value opportunities in core markets and growth segments (e.g. data centers)
Develop and validate control strategies, including sequencing, safeguards, failure modes, and operating limits, and provide clear, documented technical guidance and customer-ready technical positions
Act as the final technical authority for complex controls applications, defining and defending engineering decisions on high-stakes customer commitments
Personally own and lead the most complex and ambiguous controls challenges, defining solution approaches and setting direction where no clear precedent exists
Define and continuously improve controls methods, tools, reusable logic, and guidance, ensuring consistency, quality, and scalability across Advanced Applications and the broader organization
Engage directly with customers and internal stakeholders to align on requirements, shape solution approaches, and enable confident technical commitments
Ensure controls solutions are properly integrated within the broader system (thermal, structural, acoustics), resolving controls-specific impacts and supporting system-level decisions defined by domain leads
Provide technical input into intake and prioritization, ensuring the highest-impact and most complex work is appropriately scoped and executed
Lead, coach, and develop a small team of controls engineers, maintaining a high technical bar while ensuring delivery of complex work
Partner with internal BAC SME teams (including NPE Controls) to leverage, strengthen, and align control platforms, tools, and domain knowledge, ensuring consistent technical positioning across teams
Represent BAC in technical discussions with customers, partners, and industry organizations

NATURE AND SCOPE

The Principal Engineer, Advanced Controls Applications reports to the Senior Manager, Advanced Applications and serves as the controls domain lead within the function, accountable for controls scope and contributing to broader system decisions. This role leads a small team of expert engineers while remaining deeply engaged in hands-on problem solving.

The position requires balancing direct technical contribution with oversight of critical workstreams, ensuring quality and consistency across complex work, and serves as a key escalation point for high-risk or high-visibility opportunities, influencing technical direction, methods, and standards across Global Engineering and Global/Regional applications and business teams.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

Required Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or related Engineering field required; advanced degree preferred
~ 12+ years of relevant, progressively complex experience delivering industrial controls and automation solutions
Proven experience solving complex engineering problems and leading technical efforts on high-impact applications
Demonstrated experience with PLC-based systems, industrial control architectures, and mission-critical applications
Prior experience in applications engineering and/or customer-facing roles

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Deep understanding of HVAC or industrial cooling systems and controls architecture
Ability to operate as a controls domain authority, defining and defending engineering positions in high-stakes situations
Ability to interpret and apply relevant industry standards, certification requirements, and codes (e.g. NEC, UL, CE…)
Ability to solve multiple complex challenges in parallel under time constraints while maintaining technical rigor
Ability to lead customer-facing technical discussions, clearly conveying complex topics and building confidence in solutions
Effective leadership skills, including coaching, prioritization, and accountability within a small expert team

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Familiarity with digital twins, simulation, or model-based controls approaches
Experience developing reusable control logic, templates, or tools

BAC Hiring Compensation Range $108,200- $185,200

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