Senior Software Engineer - Edge Control Systems

About the role

AIQ, an Abu Dhabi technology company developing industrial AI for the energy sector, is building RoboWell APC, an autonomous model-predictive control (MPC) engine running on edge hardware inside the operator's OT environment. The first target is smart completions, where the APC continuously re-optimises zonal inflow and lift settings while the control room supervises. The role is a hands-on technical lead owning the software architecture of the edge controller, from algorithm design and simulator validation to a hardened, containerised, cyber-compliant deployment integrated with the DCS/SCADA and the IT layer.

Key responsibilities

• Design and implement MPC/constrained-optimisation controllers for multi-zone smart-completion wells, including process models, constraint handling, disturbance estimation and objective functions.
• Build the supervisory logic: operating envelopes, well-integrity limits, mode management (auto/advisory/manual), bumpless transfer, fallback and safe-state behaviour.
• Work with production and reservoir engineers to turn operating philosophy and constraints into controller behaviour and to define the KPIs.
• Own the edge software architecture: soft-real-time execution in C++/Python on Linux, containerised (Docker/OCI), with deterministic scheduling, watchdogs, state persistence and remote updates.
• Implement southbound integration to the control system (OPC UA, Modbus/TCP, DNP3 or vendor protocols) and northbound integration to the IT layer through the IT/OT bridge.
• Meet OT cybersecurity requirements (IEC 62443 zoning, hardening, signed artefacts, audit logging) and support site surveys, FAT/SAT and cyber approvals.
• Build and maintain the SIL/HIL test environment, lead field pilots on smart-completion wells, and establish CI/CD-to-device pipelines and documentation.
• Set the technical direction of the edge/APC workstream, mentor developers and data engineers, and represent the architecture to operator architects, OT/cybersecurity teams and AIQ leadership.

Required profile

• MSc (or equivalent) in Control Engineering, Robotics, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or a related field.
• 8+ years building software for autonomous or mission-critical control systems, from concept through simulation and HIL to real-hardware deployment and field validation.
• Strong practical MPC/optimal-control background, including Kalman/MHE state estimation, model identification and controller tuning on real plant.
• Fluent English; able to write architecture and interface documents and present to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Desirable: exposure to oil and gas production operations (smart completions, ICVs, ESP/gas lift, well and network simulators such as PIPESIM, OLGA, Prosper/GAP) and familiarity with IEC 62443 and OT cybersecurity.

Required skills

• Expert C++ (C++17 or later) and Python on Linux, including multithreading, soft-real-time design and profiling on constrained edge hardware.
• Industrial protocols (OPC UA, Modbus, DNP3, MQTT) and interfacing with PLC/DCS/SCADA or flight-controller-class hardware.
• Containerised deployment, CI/CD pipelines, Git workflows and observability (logging, metrics, telemetry).
• SIL/HIL test environments and simulators for closed-loop verification.