Controls Software Engineer II

Welcome to Backburner Labs 

Metal to Mobile 

Some companies build software. Others build hardware. We build whatever the problem demands. 

Backburner Labs is a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy where mechanical, electrical, systems, and software engineers work together to solve complex technical challenges. From embedded systems and industrial automation to robotics, medical devices, IoT, cloud platforms, and AI-enabled applications, we help our clients build products that often don't exist yet. 

Our clients come to us when the engineering is difficult, the timeline is ambitious, and there isn't a roadmap waiting to be followed. They're looking for engineers who can create one. 

If that sounds exciting rather than intimidating, you'll probably enjoy working here. 

You'll collaborate with talented engineers across disciplines, influence technical decisions, learn new technologies, and help turn ideas on a whiteboard into products used in the real world. We move quickly, trust our engineers, and expect everyone to contribute ideas, not just code, designs, or specifications. 

If you're the kind of engineer who asks, "What's the hardest problem we're solving?" before asking, "What's the tech stack?", you'll probably feel right at home. 

Come build what doesn't exist yet. 

Quick Facts

• Founded: 2019  
• Company: ~50 people (full-time and contract employees)  
• Current location: St Paul - St Anthony Park area 
• Future location: Minneapolis - Prospect Park area (we have leased a 43,000 sq ft building) 
• Revenue: doubled every year for 5 years (more details shared later) 
• Client retention: 93% 

This is a hands-on role working with PLCs, HMIs, sensors, motors, drives, robotics, industrial networks, and custom equipment. You will collaborate with software, electrical, and mechanical engineers to take systems from early requirements through programming, integration, troubleshooting, and deployment.

As an Engineer II, you should be able to independently complete defined portions of a project, make sound technical decisions within your area, and recognize when additional guidance is needed.

Details:

• Reports to: Principal Mechanical Engineer
• Team: ~7
• Status: Full-time employee
• Salary range: $95,000 - $120,000
• Interview process: (~2.5 weeks):
  • Head of Talent - video call
  • Principal Mechanical Engineer - video call
  • Panel interview and tour - in person
    • Peers
    • Leadership
  • Decision

What You Will Do

• Develop, test, and maintain controls software for automated equipment and integrated systems.
• Program and configure PLCs and develop or modify HMI applications.
• Translate customer needs, electrical designs, and equipment sequences into working control logic.
• Develop operating sequences, state machines, alarms, interlocks, fault recovery, and safety-related behaviors.
• Integrate controls with sensors, motors, drives, robotics, vision systems, and other equipment.
• Configure and troubleshoot industrial communication networks and protocols.
• Review electrical schematics, I/O lists, equipment layouts, and technical specifications.
• Test software in simulation, on development hardware, and on production equipment.
• Support system bring-up, factory acceptance testing, installation, and commissioning.
• Troubleshoot issues that cross software, electrical, mechanical, and network boundaries.
• Document software, configurations, operating sequences, and test results.
• Communicate technical decisions, risks, and project status to customers and internal teams.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Approximately three or more years of professional controls or automation experience.
• Experience programming at least one major PLC platform.
• Experience developing or modifying HMI applications.
• Working knowledge of industrial control systems, including I/O, sensors, actuators, motors, and drives.
• Ability to read electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and equipment sequences.
• Experience integrating, testing, and commissioning controls software on physical equipment.
• Understanding of common industrial networks and communication protocols.
• Strong cross-disciplinary troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to manage defined engineering work with limited day-to-day direction.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work primarily from our Minneapolis/St. Paul-area office and travel to project or customer sites as needed.

Helpful Experience

• Rockwell/Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, Omron, or similar PLC platforms.
• FactoryTalk View, Ignition, WinCC, AVEVA/Wonderware, or similar HMI/SCADA platforms.
• Ladder logic, structured text, or function block programming.
• EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus TCP, OPC UA, or CAN.
• Motion control, servo systems, robotics, or machine vision.
• Python, C, C++, C#, JavaScript, Linux, or other general-purpose software technologies.
• Machine building, manufacturing equipment, test systems, medical devices, or regulated products.
• Functional safety, risk assessments, or safety PLCs.
• Source control, automated testing, and modern software-development practices.

How We Work

Backburner Labs builds systems that combine software, electrical engineering, mechanical design, and physical hardware. Our engineers regularly work outside the boundaries of a single discipline.

You may spend part of a project developing control logic, another part diagnosing an I/O problem with an electrical engineer, and another standing next to a machine figuring out why the real system behaves differently from the design.

We value engineers who take ownership, communicate clearly, and stay with a problem until they understand what is actually happening.

You will probably enjoy this role if you:

• Like making physical systems move and operate reliably.
• Enjoy working on different products and technical challenges.
• Are comfortable when the problem is not perfectly defined.
• Look beyond your own code when troubleshooting.
• Care about leaving behind understandable, maintainable work.
• Enjoy collaborating across engineering disciplines.