Lead Controls Engineer

About the role

The role involves controls engineering associated with manufacturing, industrial automation, and equipment support. It impacts multiple areas of plant operations and includes planning, technical execution, and continuous improvement within the controls discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead controls engineering activities supporting manufacturing, industrial automation, and equipment performance, including ownership of medium-to-large scope projects from concept through implementation and handoff to operations.
• Independently troubleshoot, commission, test, and optimize complex control systems, collaborating with maintenance, operations, and vendors to resolve chronic and high-impact issues.
• Develop and maintain deep technical expertise in controls, electrical systems, automation, and robotics. Apply this expertise to define solutions, influence design decisions, and set technical direction within the controls domain. Create new electrical documentation and make changes to existing electrical drawings (redlines).
• Provide technical leadership in understanding key business drivers and manufacturing priorities; use this understanding to prioritize work, propose solutions, and drive improvements that impact safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Cookordinate and integrate controls engineering activities with manufacturing, maintenance, operations, quality, and other engineering teams to ensure robust equipment performance and successful project execution.
• Lead PLC, HMI, and control system troubleshooting, modifications, and upgrades, including root cause analysis and implementation of sustainable corrective actions.
• Lead electrical and controls design reviews
• Plan, coordinate, and execute commissioning and startup of automated equipment and robotic systems, including development of test plans and acceptance criteria.
• Diagnose basic to enhanced control system, sensor, actuator, and field device issues
• Design and integrate industrial networks, drives, motion systems, and safety circuits in accordance with applicable standards and best practices.
• Prepare and update technical documentation, drawings, and control narratives
• Serve as a key technical point of contact with maintenance, operations, and external vendors to resolve equipment issues and to define scope/requirements for upgrades and new systems.
• Lead or co-lead continuous improvement initiatives related to machine reliability, uptime, throughput, and automation performance (e.g., standardization, modernization, obsolescence mitigation).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Robotics, or a related field
• At least 4 years of experience in controls, automation, electrical, or related engineering functions.

Desired Characteristics

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and resolve technical problems.
• Ability to document, plan, and execute tasks and small programs.
• Strong project coordination skills.
• Exposure to PLC programming, HMI development, and industrial control systems
• Emerson PAC Systems PLCs including RX3i and 90/30
• Siemens PLC systems including S71500, S7300, TIA portal, and Simatic Manager
• Servo motor drives, VFDs, and DC motor drives.
• Fanuc Robot systems
• Familiarity with electrical schematics, panel design, and instrumentation
• Knowledge of industrial robotics, motion control, servos, and machine safety systems
• Ability to troubleshoot automation systems in a manufacturing or industrial environment
• Strong collaboration skills with operations, maintenance, quality, and engineering teams
• Exposure to commissioning, startup, and equipment validation
• Understanding of industrial communication protocols and control architecture