Controls Engineer Manager

Controls Engineer with a Path to Department Manager

Custom Automation & Material Handling Equipment | Fox River Valley, Wisconsin

The Opportunity

An established, privately held manufacturer of custom automation and material-handling equipment is seeking a hands-on Controls Engineer who is ready to take the next step in their career.

This is more than a controls engineering position. It is an opportunity to build, program, and commission custom equipment while gradually developing into the leader of the Controls Engineering Department and, eventually, Electrical Assembly.

The transition is designed to happen over approximately 6–18 months, allowing you to learn the equipment, understand the business, and build relationships with the team before taking on greater management responsibility.

The company is also planning for its next generation of leadership. The right individual will have the opportunity to work directly with senior leadership, earn a place on the Senior Management Team, and help shape the future direction of the organization.

What Makes This Opportunity Different

• A defined path to leadership. Begin as a working Controls Engineer on active projects, then progressively assume responsibility for the Controls Engineering team and ultimately Electrical Assembly.  This is a working managers role!

• Direct mentorship from senior leadership. Learn department management, project scheduling, resource allocation, and operational planning from experienced company leaders.

• Stay hands-on technically. This is a working leadership role, not a move away from engineering. You'll continue working on smaller projects, solving technical problems, and supporting the team.

• Real influence over how work gets done. Help manage priorities, balance workloads, improve processes, and keep projects moving when schedules or customer requirements change.

• Long-term career potential. Become part of the company's future leadership team with an opportunity to influence engineering, manufacturing, and overall business performance.

What You'll Do:

Controls Project Engineering

• Lead the controls scope of custom equipment projects from initial requirements and design through programming, manufacturing, testing, and customer startup.

• Develop PLC programs, HMI applications, servo systems, and motion-control solutions, often building programs from scratch.

• Work with Rockwell Automation platforms, including ControlLogix, GuardLogix, Studio 5000, FactoryTalk View ME, and related drive and motion technologies.

• Develop and coordinate bills of materials, electrical design requirements, schematics, panel layouts, and device placement with electrical and mechanical designers.

• Coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, and electrical assembly to ensure equipment is built, tested, and delivered according to project requirements.

• Lead or support factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, troubleshooting, and customer commissioning.

• Prepare operating manuals, technical documentation, and training materials.

• Support estimating, resolve technical challenges, and incorporate lessons learned from service and manufacturing into future designs.

Growing into Controls Engineering Management

• Progressively take responsibility for a team of approximately 3–4 engineers and a controls designer.

• Coordinate with the Electrical Assembly Supervisor and eventually oversee the electrical assembly team, including assemblers and technicians.

• Assign projects, establish priorities, balance workloads, and adjust plans as customer needs, supplier issues, and project schedules change.

• Help engineers organize their projects, manage competing deadlines, and stay focused on their highest-priority responsibilities.

• Step in on smaller engineering tasks and technical issues when needed to keep projects moving.

• Mentor and develop early-career engineers, providing hands-on guidance and helping them grow into independent contributors.

• Coordinate with other department leaders to align controls and mechanical engineering activities, production requirements, and delivery schedules.

• Communicate project status, technical issues, and resource needs clearly to customers, employees, and company leadership.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and help develop the processes, people, and capabilities needed for long-term departmental success.

What We're Looking For:

Required Qualifications

• Approximately 5–10 years of relevant controls engineering experience, including controls design, PLC programming, and equipment commissioning.

• Strong Rockwell Automation / Allen-Bradley experience, including ControlLogix, GuardLogix, and Studio 5000.

• Experience with HMI development, Kinetix servo systems and drives, motion control, and AC/DC drives.

• Ability to develop PLC programs from the ground up, troubleshoot equipment, and work through technical challenges independently.

• Previous OEM experience at some point in your career, preferably involving custom machinery or automated equipment.

• Technical degree in electrical engineering, controls engineering, automation, or a related discipline.

• Strong communication, organizational, project coordination, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work effectively with engineers, electrical assembly personnel, manufacturing teams, customers, and senior leadership.

• Willingness to travel approximately 15–20% for equipment startup and commissioning, with travel expected to decrease as management responsibilities increase.

• A genuine interest in mentoring others, leading a team, and growing into a long-term leadership role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with conveyor systems, material handling, packaging equipment, or other custom-built industrial machinery.

• Familiarity with AutoCAD 2D or AutoCAD Electrical.

• Experience with Inventor or SolidWorks.

• Bachelor's degree in a related engineering discipline.

• UL panel inspection or related certification.

• Previous team leadership, supervisory, or mentoring experience.

Who Will Thrive Here?

This opportunity is ideal for a Senior Controls Engineer, Lead Controls Engineer, or experienced Controls Project Engineer who enjoys solving technical problems but is ready for greater responsibility.

Perhaps you're already helping guide other engineers without the title or authority to make a bigger impact. Maybe you've reached a ceiling in your current role and want a clear path forward without giving up the engineering work you enjoy.

If you want to develop people, influence how projects are managed, and eventually lead both engineering and electrical assembly, this role offers the opportunity to do exactly that.

The goal is to find someone who can become a strong technical leader today and an important part of the company's leadership team tomorrow.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations.

GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.