Position Summary:
An established industrial manufacturing organization is seeking a Senior Controls Engineering Manager to lead the plant's Controls and Automation Engineering function within a highly automated manufacturing environment. This leadership role is responsible for managing a team of Controls Engineers, Automation Engineers and Electrical Engineers while providing technical direction for all plant automation, process controls, instrumentation, industrial networks and electrical control systems. The successful candidate will combine proven people leadership with deep expertise in industrial controls and manufacturing automation. This position is intended for leaders with a background in industrial controls, PLCs, SCADA, instrumentation and plant automation, not software development, IT infrastructure or AI-focused engineering.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead, mentor and develop a team of Controls Engineers, Automation Engineers and Electrical Engineers.
Establish standards, priorities and technical direction for the controls engineering function.
Provide leadership for PLC, HMI, SCADA, DCS, instrumentation and industrial networking systems.
Own the reliability, performance and modernization of plant control systems and automation infrastructure.
Drive automation and controls improvement projects across production equipment and manufacturing processes.
Oversee programming, troubleshooting and optimization of PLC-based manufacturing systems.
Lead controls aspects of capital projects from concept through design, installation, commissioning and startup.
Review and approve controls architecture, electrical designs, control panel layouts and technical documentation.
Support complex troubleshooting efforts involving automation systems, electrical controls, instrumentation and process equipment.
Partner closely with Operations, Maintenance and Reliability teams to improve uptime, productivity and equipment performance.
Manage system integrators, OEMs, controls contractors and engineering service providers.
Develop long-term strategies for automation, control system lifecycle management and plant technology improvements.
Ensure compliance with all applicable electrical, engineering and safety standards.
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering or related engineering discipline.8+ years of experience in industrial controls, automation engineering, electrical engineering or manufacturing engineering within a production environment.3+ years of experience leading Controls Engineers, Automation Engineers, Electrical Engineers or similar technical teams. Demonstrated experience supporting automated manufacturing, processing or production facilities. Strong working knowledge of PLC programming, troubleshooting and industrial control systems. Experience with Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, Siemens or comparable automation platforms. Experience with HMI, SCADA and industrial communication networks. Knowledge of instrumentation, process controls, MCCs, VFDs, electrical distribution and control panel systems. Experience leading automation upgrades, equipment installations and commissioning projects. Strong problem-solving, root-cause analysis and cross-functional leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications:- Professional Engineer (PE) license.
- PMP certification.
- Experience leading larger multi-site or multidisciplinary controls engineering organizations.
- Experience with Ignition, Factory
- Talk, Wonderware, DeltaV, Honeywell or similar industrial automation platforms.
- Manufacturing industry experience in food & beverage, packaging, chemicals, consumer products, metals, building materials or other process/manufacturing environments.
