Manufacturing Software Engineer

Location

In-office at our headquarters in Fresno, CA (no remote)

Level

Early-career (Masters or 1-2 years experience)

About Outlier Automation

Come join a small, forward-thinking Control Systems Integrator pushing the limits of manufacturing automation. At Outlier Automation, we build custom machinery and control systems, and we also craft the software that ties everything together: MES, SCADA, data pipelines, internal tools, and workflow automation.

Your Impact

• Design and develop software applications that support manufacturing operations, including MES functionality, SCADA integrations, and internal engineering tools.
• Build services and utilities that automate engineering workflows such as code generation, configuration management, and project templates.
• Integrate with PLCs, SCADA platforms, databases, and web APIs to move data reliably between machines, systems, and people.
• Collaborate with control systems engineers to translate control narratives, process flows, and production requirements into software features.
• Implement data collection, logging, and visualization tools to give customers and internal teams actionable insight into machine and production performance.
• Improve and document internal processes related to version control, deployment, testing, and configuration for automation projects.
• Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and continuous improvement of our software development practices.
• Work closely with experienced control systems engineers and directly influence how modern automated systems are built and supported.
• Shape and contribute to the culture of an engineering firm with diverse engineers.

Ideal Experience and Skills

• Masters degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field, or Bachelors degree with 1–2 years of professional software development experience.
• Strong proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Python, C#, or JavaScript/TypeScript).
• Experience building backend services, scripts, or tools that integrate with databases (SQL) and REST APIs.
• Familiarity with MES, SCADA, or industrial data concepts such as tags, historians, production orders, OEE, or recipe management (coursework, internships, or projects are all welcome).
• Understanding of web application development (HTML/CSS/JavaScript, or a modern framework such as React, Vue, or similar) is a plus.
• Experience with source control (Git) and collaborative development workflows.
• Comfort working with engineers from multiple disciplines (controls, mechanical, electrical) and learning enough of their world to build useful tools.
• Interest in manufacturing, industrial automation, and the future of Industry 4.0.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a bias toward building clean, maintainable, well-documented code.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Nice-to-Have Experience and Skills

• Experience with or exposure to industrial platforms such as Ignition (Inductive Automation), other SCADA systems, or MES platforms.
• Experience with data visualization libraries or dashboards (Grafana, Plotly, web dashboards, etc.).
• Experience building internal tools, CLIs, or code generators that improve developer productivity.
• Experience with containerization or deployment tools (Docker, CI/CD, etc.).

Benefits

• Company-sponsored retirement plan with employer match
• Company health insurance
• Vacation, sick leave, and company holidays

Salary

$85,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year. Compensation offered will be based on education, experience, skills, geographic location, market competitiveness, and other factors as determined by Outlier Automation.

Job Type

Full-time

Pay

$85,000.00 - $115,000.00 per year

Benefits

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s)

• Will you now, or in the future, require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g. H-1B visa status)?
• What best describes your experience and interest in manufacturing and industrial automation?
• A) I have hands on experience (internship, job, or projects) and I am excited to keep working in this area.
• B) I have some exposure (coursework, labs, or personal projects) and I am interested in doing more.
• C) I don't have direct experience, but I am very interested in learning and working in this area.
• D) I don't have experience and I am not particularly interested in manufacturing or industrial automation.
• What is your level of exposure to PLC, MES, SCADA, or industrial data concepts (tags, historians, OEE, production orders, recipes, networking protocols, etc.)?
• A) Direct hands-on experience in a professional role
• B) Hands-on experience via internships / labs / research / capstone
• C) Theoretical exposure only (coursework, reading)
• D) No exposure yet
• What is your university grade point average (and scale)?

Work Location

In person