Sr Controls Engineer

Title:

The Senior Controls Engineer will serve as a senior technical expert for automation and controls initiatives across manufacturing operations, with a strong emphasis on supporting, troubleshooting, and modernizing legacy control systems. This role focuses on maintaining and optimizing a diverse installed base of automation platforms—many of which include older PLC hardware, legacy HMI systems, and long-running production equipment critical to plant operations.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in both modern and legacy PLC platforms, strong troubleshooting abilities, and experience working in brownfield manufacturing environments where older equipment must be maintained, integrated, and gradually upgraded without disrupting production.

Experience with PLC platforms from vendors such as and is required, including familiarity with legacy platforms and programming environments.

Key Responsibilities

Legacy System Support & Reliability

Maintain, troubleshoot, and enhance existing automation and control systems, including aging PLC platforms and legacy HMI/SCADA systems.

• Support and troubleshoot legacy PLC platforms including older generations of controllers from and .
• Diagnose and resolve issues in older automation environments where documentation may be incomplete or outdated.
• Maintain and update legacy HMI and SCADA systems including , , and .
• Support aging industrial networks, legacy communication protocols, and mixed automation environments.
• Ensure older systems remain stable, safe, and maintainable while minimizing production downtime.

Automation Systems Design & Implementation

Design and implement automation and control solutions for manufacturing equipment and processes.

• Program, configure, and troubleshoot PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA systems across multiple generations of hardware and software platforms.
• Integrate new automation technologies into existing legacy systems and infrastructure.
• Support robotics, motion control, and vision system integration into production lines where applicable.
• Apply segmentation strategies to control architectures to ensure reliable communication and separation between machine, supervisory, and enterprise systems.

Legacy System Modernization

Support the evaluation, migration, and phased upgrade of aging control systems.

• Assess legacy controls hardware and recommend upgrade paths or migration strategies.
• Plan and execute PLC platform upgrades and HMI migrations while minimizing operational disruption.
• Develop strategies to extend the life of existing systems when full modernization is not immediately feasible.

Project Execution

Execute automation and controls projects from concept through commissioning.

• Develop scopes of work, timelines, and technical documentation.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, IT, and process engineering teams to deliver integrated automation solutions.
• Support retrofit projects on older equipment where original controls designs may be limited or undocumented.

System Support & Optimization

Maintain and improve the reliability of control systems across the facility.

• Develop documentation, standards, and best practices for both legacy and modern automation systems.
• Diagnose hardware, software, and communication issues across mixed-generation control architectures.
• Use segmentation principles to isolate issues, improve diagnostics, and reduce downtime.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

Identify opportunities to improve automation system performance and reliability while balancing modernization with operational continuity.

• Stay current with emerging automation technologies and modernization strategies for legacy control systems.
• Implement segmentation best practices such as cell/area zoning, VLAN grouping, and layered system design to enhance system security and stability.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.

• 7+ years of experience in industrial automation, preferably in facilities with significant legacy equipment.
• Extensive experience with PLC platforms from and/or , including older controllers and programming environments.
• Strong troubleshooting experience with legacy automation systems and aging industrial equipment.
• Experience supporting HMI and SCADA systems such as , , or .
• Experience with industrial networking (EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/IP, OPC-UA) and cybersecurity best practices including industrial segmentation.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in brownfield manufacturing environments with mixed generations of control technology.

Job Type: Contract

Pay: $70.00 - $85.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Work Location: In person