Controls Engineer

HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd. in Birmingham is seeking a Controls Engineer to develop programming standards for LabVIEW and PLC control systems and to design and deliver internal training for LabVIEW and PLC control systems.

You will design, test and commission control software for production equipment, working with cross-functional teams to deliver robust electro-hydraulic solutions. The role covers system architectures, hardware selection, documentation, and fault diagnosis across development,

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in control/electrical engineering or related disciplines.
• Proven experience in controls, automation or systems engineering in manufacturing.
• LabVIEW Developer or PLC programming advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage programming standards for LabVIEW and PLC control systems.
• Design, document and deliver internal training for LabVIEW and PLC control systems.
• Develop programs for LabVIEW/PLC to test components.
• Design control systems for production testing equipment with design engineers.
• Collaborate with automation teams on automated test solutions.
• Produce internal documentation to company standards.
• Specify sensors, valves, controllers, PLCs, HMIs and related hardware.
• Develop, modify and troubleshoot PLC/embedded software.
• Support version control, testing and documentation.
• Diagnose software and control-system faults during development and commissioning.

Skills

LabVIEW

PLC programming

Embedded controls

Hydraulic systems

Sensors & actuators

Schematics reading

Fault finding

System testing

Data analysis

Automation

Education

Degree, HND/HNC or equivalent in Control Systems Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics

Tools

PLC hardware

HMI development

Embedded C/C++

Job description

Controls Engineer

Birmingham

Permanent

HydraForce, operating from our purpose-built facility in Birmingham, UK, is a global designer and manufacturer of motion control systems and the world’s leading manufacturer of hydraulic cartridge valves and custom hydraulic integrated circuits, as well as electronic controls for a variety of off-highway industries

Key Responsibilities for Controls Engineer

• Develop and manage programming standards and methodology for manufacturing & testing control systems.
• Design, Develop, Document and Deliver internal training programs for LabView and PLC control systems, to ensure sufficient technical competence across the business to support production.
• Design and develop programs for LabView and PLC control systems to sequentially test and evaluate component performance.
• Design and develop control systems for production testing equipment for existing and new product, working with the designs engineers.
• Working with the automation teams, both internal and external, on the development of automated test solutions.
• Produce required relevant internal documentation to company standards on a timely basis, ensuring accuracy is maintained.
• Liaise with suppliers to determine product specifications and arrange for purchase of equipment, material’s and parts, and evaluate products according to specifications and quality standards
• Design and develop electro-hydraulic control systems for hydraulic machinery and equipment.
• Develop system architectures incorporating hydraulic, electrical, electronic and software components.
• Produce and review control system specifications, schematics, wiring diagrams and system documentation.
• Select and specify appropriate sensors, valves, controllers, PLCs, HMIs and associated control hardware.
• Develop, modify and troubleshoot PLC, embedded or machine-control software.
• Support software version control, testing and documentation.
• Diagnose software and control-system faults during development, commissioning and production.

Testing & Commissioning

• Design, build, test and commission control systems and hydraulic equipment.
• Develop and execute system test plans.
• Conduct functional, performance and validation testing.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical, electronic, software and hydraulic issues.
• Analyse test data and implement corrective actions where required.

Product Development

• Work closely with Mechanical, Hydraulic, Electrical, Software and Manufacturing Engineers on new product development.
• Translate customer and application requirements into practical engineering solutions.
• Support the development of prototypes and proof-of-concept systems.
• Identify opportunities to improve product performance, efficiency, reliability and manufacturability.
• Provide engineering support to manufacturing and production teams.
• Investigate and resolve technical issues affecting production.
• Develop test procedures and production test equipment where required.

Qualifications

Essential for Controls Engineer

• Degree, HND/HNC or equivalent qualification in Control Systems Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation or a related discipline.
• Proven experience in controls, automation or systems engineering within an engineering/manufacturing environment.
• LabVIEW Developer or PLC programmer advantageous
• Strong understanding of hydraulic, electro-hydraulic or automated systems.
• Experience developing and troubleshooting control systems.
• Experience with PLCs, controllers or embedded control systems.
• Ability to read and understand electrical and hydraulic schematics.
• Strong fault-finding and analytical/problem-solving skills.
• Experience taking engineering projects from concept through to testing and implementation.
• Good understanding of sensors, actuators, valves and control hardware.

Desirable for Controls Engineer

• Experience within mobile hydraulics, industrial hydraulics, off-highway, construction, agricultural, automotive, manufacturing or heavy engineering.
• Experience with LabVIEW / PLC programming and HMI development.
• Experience with embedded C/C++ or other programming languages.
• Experience with electro-hydraulic proportional and servo control systems.
• Experience with data acquisition, power BI, instrumentation and system diagnostics