Senior Controls Engineer

LAPORTE is a consulting engineering firm with 25 years in business, 25 offices across North America and Europe, and over 480 employees. We specialize in automation projects for the pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries.

About the role

Join our expanding team as a full-time Controls Engineer to lead and support the design, programming, and management of automation projects. This role offers a competitive salary, compensatory PTO, comprehensive benefits, and a supportive work environment that emphasizes professional growth and work-life balance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the design of automation projects, developing specifications for control panels, networks, and software (primarily Allen-Bradley PLC/PACs and FactoryTalk View ME/SE HMI and SCADA).
• Translate process or packaging applications into detailed construction packages for control panel designs and electrical installation scopes, including equipment arrangement drawings, schematics, wiring diagrams, cable schedules, and control panel drawings.
• Mentor and supervise project team members to enhance collaboration and project execution.
• Provide comprehensive lifecycle support for projects, including system design, troubleshooting, testing, and commissioning.
• Perform site surveys and offer hands-on support during installation, focusing on control system deployment.
• Adhere to and ensure compliance with relevant codes (UL508A, NEC) and standards.
• Engage in diverse projects to enhance engineering and project management skills.
• Travel as required by projects, typically 1-3 days for initial site visits and 1-4 weeks for commissioning efforts. Overall travel is anticipated to be 20-40%.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering Technology.
• 6+ years of experience in control systems, manufacturing, or consulting-design environments, including experience commissioning systems, preferably as a lead.
• Proficiency in automation project tasks including design, client coordination, and bid package preparation.
• Skilled in control panel and network design, instrument selection, and control system programming.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD for control panel design and electrical construction packages.
• Familiarity with electrical engineering construction packages, including single line diagrams, panel schedules, and power plans.
• Hands-on experience surveying existing control installations and preparing as-built conditions of systems.
• Experience surveying and planning control systems projects without managerial support.
• Hands-on experience with Rockwell Automation software—Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000 for PLC programming and FactoryTalk View ME / SE for HMI and SCADA development.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Compensatory PTO
• Comprehensive benefits
• Supportive work environment emphasizing professional growth
• Flexible working environment valuing work-life balance

Schedule

Full-time position with travel expectations of 20-40%, depending on project requirements.