Automation Controls Engineer II

Jobtailor; Alabama; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks an Automation Controls Engineer to collaborate with applications engineers on conceptual automated manufacturing equipment, contributing controls architecture input from concept through detailed design.

You will design and support control system architectures, including network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, and communication protocols, and participate in the industrial controls and electrical design of bespoke automation systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Controls, or related engineering field.
• Minimum 2 years of hands-on experience developing or integrating industrial controls and automation systems, including PLC and HMI programming as core competencies.
• Exposure to one or more industrial automation platforms such as robots, material handling systems, CNC machine integration, NDT, assembly, testing, or process tools.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and review electrical and mechanical drawings.
• Experience with industrial safety system design including functional safety devices, safety PLCs, and safety-rated circuits.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with applications engineers on conceptual automated manufacturing equipment and contribute controls architecture input from concept through detailed design.
• Design and support control system architectures including network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, and communication protocols.
• Participate in the industrial controls and electrical design of bespoke automation systems.
• Apply engineering first principles to analyze system behavior, identify root causes, and develop technically sound solutions to novel automation challenges.
• Develop offline simulations of automated systems to validate control logic, robot paths, cycle times, and system behavior prior to hardware availability.
• Support and execute online debugging and commissioning of PLC, HMI, robot, and similar industrial controls programs.
• Integrate auxiliary equipment, machines, and tools into unified control systems.
• Work with panel fabricators and field installation teams; provide technical support during system integration and commissioning.
• Support and lead factory and site acceptance testing, and contribute to the build, installation, commissioning, and start-up of automated manufacturing systems.
• Create controls documentation packages including sequence of operations, I/O lists, network diagrams, and program documentation.

Skills

PLC Programming

HMI Programming

Control System Architecture

Industrial Automation

Functional Safety

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Controls, or related engineering field

Tools

Robots

CNC Machines

Safety PLCs

Network Topology

Job description

• Collaborate with applications engineers on conceptual automated manufacturing equipment, contributing controls architecture input from concept through detailed design


• Design and support control system architectures including network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, and communication protocols


• Participate in the industrial controls and electrical design of bespoke automation systems


• Apply engineering first principles to analyze system behavior, identify root causes, and develop technically sound solutions to novel automation challenges


• Develop offline simulations of automated systems to validate control logic, robot paths, cycle times, and system behavior prior to hardware availability


• Support and execute online debugging and commissioning of PLC, HMI, robot, and similar industrial controls programs


• Integrate auxiliary equipment, machines, and tools into unified control systems


• Work with panel fabricators and field installation teams; provide technical support during system integration and commissioning


• Support and lead factory and site acceptance testing, and contribute to the build, installation, commissioning, and start-up of automated manufacturing systems


• Create controls documentation packages including sequence of operations, I/O lists, network diagrams, and program documentation

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Controls, or related engineering field


• Minimum 2 years of hands‑on experience developing or integrating industrial controls and automation systems, including PLC and HMI programming as core competencies


• Exposure to one or more industrial automation platforms such as robots, material handling systems (gantries, AGVs, conveyors), CNC machine integration, NDT, assembly, testing, or process tools (torque, welding, grinding, or similar) — breadth across all areas is not expected


• Demonstrated ability to interpret and review electrical and mechanical drawings


• Experience with industrial safety system design including functional safety devices, safety PLCs, and safety‑rated circuits


• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in designing and supporting control system architectures, including PLC and HMI programming, while applying engineering principles to solve automation challenges. Proficient in creating comprehensive controls documentation and leading factory acceptance testing for automated manufacturing systems.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• PLC Programming


• HMI Programming


• Industrial Automation Systems Integration


• Control System Architecture Design


• Functional Safety System Design

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Control System Architecture


• PLC Programming


• HMI Programming


• Industrial Automation


• Electrical Design


• Mechanical Design


• Simulation Development


• Debugging and Commissioning


• Technical Documentation


• Root Cause Analysis

Soft Skills

• Collaboration


• Technical Support


• Problem Solving

Industry Keywords

• Industrial Controls


• Automation Systems


• Safety Systems


• Electrical Drawings


• Mechanical Drawings

Tools & Technologies

• Automated Manufacturing Equipment


• Safety PLCs


• Network Topology


• I/O Distribution


• Robots


• Material Handling Systems


• CNC Machines