Role Automation Manager Location Sacramento, CA Department Manufacturing Reports To Head of Automation Position Type Full-time About Peak Energy Peak Energy Technologies is the first American venture to advance globally proven Sodium-Ion battery systems as the storage standard for the new era of renewable energy on a resilient grid. Sodium-Ion is cheap, readily available and safe, making it the leading contender in a rapidly evolving market. We're a team of about 105 today growing rapidly as we move from pilot through commercial scale-up.

We operate with modern tooling, including a company-wide AI platform and a builder-first culture that rewards taking ownership end-to-end. Our leadership team is powered by decades of expertise in scaling gigawatt-level innovation at world-class companies such as Tesla, Northvolt, Apple, Powin, Enovix, Zipline, Solid Power, and Fluence. We are backed by strategic investment and product partners such as Xora, Eclipse Ventures, and TDK Ventures.

We are a team of engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, and partners driven by a shared ambition to set the new performance standard for renewable energy and grid resilience.

About The Role

: Automation Manager The Automation Manager is responsible for building and leading the automation and controls infrastructure that keeps Peak Energy's sodium-ion battery manufacturing facility running at full capacity, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across a 4-shift operation. This role is both strategic and deeply technical: you'll have direct input into the architecture of our control systems, hire and develop a team of Controls Engineers and Technicians, participate in the acquisition and commissioning of new industrial manufacturing equipment, and create the operational procedures that ensure rapid, reliable response when systems need attention. Our Sacramento manufacturing facility is in the planning and build-out phase.

This person will be hired to help open it. That means participating in equipment design reviews and international Factory Acceptance Tests as manufacturing equipment is selected and commissioned, and building the controls team, procedures, and documentation standards the facility will run on from day one. There is no existing playbook to inherit; this person will write it.

This role requires someone who is comfortable operating at both the technical and organizational level: debugging a control system issue and then writing the procedure that prevents the next one.

What You'Ll Do

Lead the controls and automation function for Peak Energy's Sacramento manufacturing facility, maintaining system uptime across a 24/7, 4-shift production schedule Participate in design reviews for the acquisition of industrial manufacturing equipment, providing critical input on automation architecture, PLC platform compatibility, and control system specifications Lead and participate in international Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and Site Acceptance Tests (SATs) for newly acquired industrial manufacturing equipment, ensuring systems meet Peak Energy's

Requirements

before shipment and installation Build, hire, and develop a team of Controls Engineers and Controls Technicians (7–12 team members) sized and structured to support continuous 4-shift, 24/7 operations Define and own shift coverage models, escalation protocols, and response procedures; create all documentation governing how the controls team responds to automation issues at any hour Establish and maintain PLC architecture standards across the facility, with Beckhoff TwinCAT as the primary platform Design and implement connectivity between PLCs and MES systems to enable real-time production data, traceability, and process monitoring. Evaluate the existing architecture implemented at Peak’s Burlingame manufacturing facility and incorporate applicable elements where appropriate.