Controls Engineer

#Eng-IT-01
Controls Engineer
Location: Hickory, NC
Status: Direct hire
Compensation: $95,000 to $145,000 DOE
Experience level: 4+ years of experience in manufacturing, HMI/ SCADA and PLC’s

SUMMARY:
Responsible for the design, development, programming, implementation, and optimization of control systems supporting cable manufacturing processes. This role provides controls and electrical engineering expertise to improve product, process, and equipment performance, support innovation, and enable new product introduction within the plant. It requires advanced technical leadership in troubleshooting complex automation issues, integrating systems, and improving equipment reliability, safety, and efficiency. The position also leads projects that drive root cause understanding, cost reduction, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration, while mentoring junior team members and maintaining awareness of emerging technologies and intellectual property developed through project work.
 
Responsibilities

• Provides leadership in problem solving, and technical expertise, to ensure timely resolution of short-term process and equipment issues, and higher level troubleshooting
• Design, create, modify, and implement robust, cost effective automation and process machine control systems (i.e., Allen Bradley PLC programs) for our fiber optic cable production plant.
• Mentor and train junior controls engineers
• Manage the controls engineering scope of process improvement, capital expansion, and obsolescence mitigation projects.
• Interface with external system integrators to successfully deliver fully integrated process equipment systems to facility, and participate in all phases of the project including design, fabrication, off-line integration and testing, installation, production start-up support, training of plant personnel, and technology transfer. Independently follow construction of equipment in vendors' facilities.
• Capable of working closely with other engineers, maintenance, operations and other
• plant and division functions to perform line troubleshooting and execute project assignments to completion in a team based environment with minimal supervision.
• Participate in an on call rotation, providing support during nights, weekends, and holidays as needed to ensure continuous coverage and timely response to critical issues.

• Bachelors in Electrical Engineering , Computer Science , Mechanical Engineering /, or Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology
• 4+ years manufacturing experience working with HMI / SCADA systems programming: PLCs / HMIs / VFDs controlling process and automation equipment in a plant environment including higher level communications protocols (e.g, ; Allen Bradley ControlLogix v20 systems or higher), and the ability to generate, debug and modify PLC code – ladder logic, structured text and function block diagram.
• Possess strong fundamental understanding of electrical design practices, machine/motion control systems, electro-mechanical systems, VFD and Servo programming, communication protocols, and practical application, and be able to generate and interpret electrical drawings using AutoCAD Electrical 2021 for systems design including control panel layouts, component documentation, and schematics to prepare initial CAD design layouts of both complete electrical controls systems and control sub-sections, as well as review electrical drawing packages for conformance to standards.
• Ensure proactive safety measures for all equipment and processes. Seeks to identify and correct potential safety or environmental issues using NEC, NFPA, and other pertinent safety codes. Ensure safety procedures, such as Lock-Out Tag-Out, are always followed.
• Experience with the OSI PI (historian) interface.
• Beckhoff PLC and/or Allen Bradley ControlLogix v20 systems experience.
• Strong written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Entrepreneurial/Visionary (able to conceive and design a control system never demonstrated and understands the big picture and can project this view).