Lead Controls Engineer We are seeking an experienced Lead Controls Engineer to support a Tyson manufacturing plant in Holcomb, Kansas. The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience with PLC programming, industrial automation, SCADA/HMI, and industrial networking in a live manufacturing or plant environment. The engineer will be responsible for troubleshooting, maintaining, upgrading, and modernizing plant-floor control systems while providing technical direction to the controls team. Must-Have SkillsStrong PLC Programming and Troubleshooting Manufacturing / Plant Automation experienceSCADA / HMI experience Industrial Networking / Communications Hands-on experience with Schneider Electric / Modicon PLCsExperience troubleshooting automated production and material-handling equipment
Key Responsibilities:
Program, commission, troubleshoot, and maintain PLC-based control systems.
Work with ladder logic, structured programming, I/O mapping, and HMI integration.
Troubleshoot conveyors, motors, drives, sensors, photo eyes, interlocks, and sequencing systems.
Diagnose issues across PLC, HMI/SCADA, electrical systems, communications, and plant equipment.
Support Ignition and iFix SCADA/HMI environments.
Troubleshoot industrial communications between PLCs, scanners, field devices, HMIs, and plant-floor systems.
Support barcode, scanning, and vision systems such as Keyence, Cognex, and SICK.Support both legacy and newer control systems.
Participate in controls upgrades, replacements, modernization, and system improvements.
Develop and execute integrated test plans.
Analyze technical requirements and develop effective implementation plans.
Provide technical direction to team members and management.
Work with vendors and cross-functional teams to implement technology solutions.
Troubleshoot problems to determine root cause and restore plant uptime.
Maintain and follow applicable technical standards, procedures, and best practices.
Required Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, Engineering, or another technical field, or equivalent experience.6+ years of experience in controls, information systems, automation, or a related technical field.
- Proven programming and troubleshooting experience in industrial environments.
- Strong knowledge of PLC, SCADA, HMI, scripting, SQL, and server-based technologies.
- Strong understanding of industrial automation and plant-floor operations.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics.
- Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Preferred Experience
- Schneider Electric / Modicon PLCIgnition and iFix SCADAKeyence, Cognex, or SICK scanning/vision systems
- Conveyors and material-handling systems
- Motors, drives, sensors, photo eyes, and interlocks
- Industrial networking and communications
- Controls modernization and system upgrades
