Electrical / Automation / Controls Engineer

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly capable and hands-on Electrical / Automation / Controls Engineer to support and optimize electrical systems and automation controls across four industrial manufacturing facilities. This corporate-level role involves extensive travel to troubleshoot electrical systems, lead controls upgrades, support capital projects, and work alongside local engineering and maintenance teams to drive uptime, safety, and process improvement.

This is a critical role for ensuring operational reliability, standardizing automation platforms, and helping modernize plant controls infrastructure across the enterprise.

75–90% Travel Required

Key Responsibilities

Electrical & Controls Troubleshooting

• Provide expert-level troubleshooting and diagnostic support for industrial electrical systems, drives, PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, and power distribution (up to 480V).
• Lead or support root cause analyses (RCA) of electrical failures and unplanned outages.
• Coordinate urgent repair responses with local maintenance teams and vendors.

Automation Engineering & Standardization

• Support automation projects, including PLC upgrades, HMI standardization, instrumentation improvements, and control panel design.
• Write and modify PLC code (Allen-Bradley / Siemens preferred) and HMI logic for equipment optimization.
• Partner with plant teams to align on standard control architectures, safety interlocks, and device network protocols.

Capital Project Execution

• Contribute to the design and implementation of CapEx projects across plants, including new line installations, panel retrofits, and electrical infrastructure upgrades.
• Specify electrical/controls components, coordinate contractors, and manage commissioning/start-up support.

Maintenance Team Support

• Mentor and support plant electricians and automation techs.
• Develop training tools for site-level controls maintenance.
• Assist in the creation and enforcement of lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures and electrical safety standards.

Continuous Improvement & Reliability

• Identify opportunities to increase uptime, energy efficiency, and equipment diagnostics through modern controls integration.
• Champion plant-wide reliability efforts using predictive diagnostics (e.g., thermography, power quality, trending).
• Propose and lead automation improvements to reduce manual intervention and improve quality consistency.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Controls Engineering — required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in industrial automation, electrical systems, and plant-level controls.
• Proven knowledge of PLC/HMI systems (Allen-Bradley CompactLogix, Siemens Step7/TIA Portal).
• Experience working with 3-phase systems, motor controls, drives, and industrial sensors.
• Ability/willingness to travel extensively, 75–90% as required across multiple sites.

Preferred

• Experience in steel, metals, or heavy industry.
• Familiarity with power distribution, arc flash safety, SCADA, and industrial Ethernet.
• Project experience with UL508A panel design, NEC/NFPA70E compliance, and commissioning new equipment.
• Knowledge of predictive maintenance tools, CMMS integration, and energy monitoring.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary (commensurate with experience).
• Travel reimbursement and per diem.
• Comprehensive benefits: medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).
• Opportunities for long-term growth within a dynamic, multi-site manufacturing organization.

Excellent benefits include medical with a standard PPO plan with deductibles as low as $1,500 and wellness credit up to $750; free concierge primary care; voluntary 401k plan currently matching up to 12%; voluntary dental and vision plans; free telemedicine services; basic life, long and short-term disability coverage.

EOE M/F/D/V

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