Octavia Carbon is a pioneering company based in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology for carbon dioxide removal.
Position Overview
We are looking for a motivated and multidisciplinary Instrumentation & Control Engineer to join our Research & Development team and help design, develop, integrate, and maintain the instrumentation, control systems, and data acquisition platforms that power Octavia Carbon's Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology.
In this role, you will develop laboratory and pilot-scale experimental systems by integrating sensors, actuators, embedded controllers, industrial communication networks, and automation software to enable rapid experimentation, technology validation, and continuous product improvement.
The ideal candidate enjoys designing complete engineering systems, from selecting and integrating instrumentation to developing embedded electronics, automation systems, and data acquisition platforms. You will work closely with Process, Mechanical, and Materials Engineering teams to design, commission, troubleshoot, and optimize experimental systems that accelerate the development of next-generation carbon capture technologies.
Key Responsibilities
- Specify, procure, install, and commission instrumentation for experimental and pilot-scale DAC systems.
- Develop calibration procedures, troubleshoot instrument failures, and drive long-term measurement accuracy and reliability.
- Design and implement machine control systems for laboratory and pilot-scale equipment, including process control strategies.
- Program embedded controllers and industrial automation systems; commission new equipment and tune control performance.
- Build fault detection, alarm handling, and safety interlocks.
- Design embedded electronics for data acquisition and machine control, develop firmware for both low level microcontrollers and embedded Linux MPU’s.
- Interface sensors and actuators over industry-standard protocols (CAN bus, Modbus RTU/TCP, EtherCAT, Ethernet, MQTT, UART, SPI, I²C) and integrate distributed devices into reliable control architectures.
- Debug hardware, firmware, and communication issues.
- Build systems for reliable collection and logging of experimental process data, including automated experiment execution.
- Integrate laboratory and pilot equipment with SCADA and visualization platforms, and develop tools for remote diagnostics and machine monitoring.
- Improve data quality and experimental repeatability.
- Produce electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, control panel designs, and field wiring layouts, including selection of protection devices.
- Support electrical installation and commissioning in line with good engineering practice and electrical safety standards.
- Design and build experimental rigs and rapid prototypes for new process investigations.
- Perform root-cause analysis on experimental failures and recommend improvements to reliability, automation, and maintainability.
- Contribute to design reviews and technical documentation.
- Partner with Process Engineers to translate experimental requirements into working systems, with Mechanical Engineers through equipment design and commissioning.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Instrumentation & Control Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- Demonstrated experience through academic projects, internships, personal projects, or professional work in instrumentation, control systems, embedded systems, or industrial automation.
- Solid understanding of process instrumentation, including the selection, integration, calibration, and troubleshooting of industrial sensors and actuators.
- Proficiency in C, C++, and Python for embedded systems, automation, and engineering applications.
- Experience developing firmware for microcontrollers (e.g., STM32, ESP32, ARM Cortex-M, or similar platforms).
- Familiarity with industrial control systems, including PLC programming, HMI/SCADA development, and machine control logic.
- Working knowledge of industrial communication protocols such as Modbus RTU/TCP, CAN Bus, EtherCAT, MQTT, RS-485.
- Experience with electronic circuit design, PCB design, hardware bring-up, and debugging using equipment such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
- Familiarity with Linux and/or Embedded Linux development is an added advantage.
- Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git) and engineering documentation practices.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot multidisciplinary hardware and software systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across mechanical, process, software, and production engineering teams.
- Demonstrated curiosity, initiative, and the ability to learn new technologies quickly in a fast-paced research and development environment.
