Automation Engineer

A&E Engineering, Inc.; Concord (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Advanced Project Engineer at A&E Engineering, Inc. leads the design, development, integration, testing, commissioning, and support of industrial automation and control systems.

This senior role executes complex projects with limited supervision and provides technical leadership across workstreams to meet customer requirements and SkyIO standards. Candidates should have a BS in engineering and at least 5 years in automation, rock-solid PLC/HMI/SCADA experience, and strong communication skills

Qualifications

• BS degree in electrical/controls/computer engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in industrial automation, controls, or systems integration.
• Ability to lead complex automation projects from design through commissioning.
• Expertise with PLC, HMI, SCADA, networking, instrumentation, and integration.
• Ability to read/control narratives, specs, P&IDs, I/O lists, and drawings.
• Experience troubleshooting integrated control systems and related software.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop, integrate, test, and commission automation solutions.
• Provide technical leadership within assigned workstreams and mentor engineers.
• Ensure solutions are safe, maintainable, documented, and aligned with customer requirements and standards.
• Travel to customer sites for startup, commissioning, or after-hours support as needed.
• Contribute to project scope, schedule, and quality through technical reviews.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI

SCADA

Industrial networks

Instrumentation

Control system integration

Technical documentation

Software development practices

Mentoring

Education

BS in Electrical/Engineering or related field

Equivalent education/experience considered

Tools

Rockwell Studio 5000

FactoryTalk View

PlantPAx

Siemens TIA Portal

WinCC

Ignition

MES/ERP interfaces

OPC UA / MQTT

Job description

The Advanced Project Engineer is a senior technical contributor responsible for the design, development, integration, testing, commissioning, and support of industrial automation and control systems. This role executes complex project work with limited supervision, provides technical leadership within assigned workstreams, and helps ensure solutions are safe, maintainable, documented, and aligned with customer requirements, SkyIO standards, project scope, schedule, and quality expectations.

Requirements

• BS degree in electrical engineering, controls engineering, computer engineering, engineering technology, or a related technical field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of industrial automation, controls, systems integration, or manufacturing technology experience.
• Demonstrated ability to independently execute complex automation projects or major project workstreams from design through commissioning.
• Advanced experience with PLC, HMI, SCADA, industrial networking, instrumentation, and control system integration.
• Ability to develop and interpret control narratives, functional specifications, P&IDs, electrical drawings, I/O lists, network architecture drawings, cause-and-effect matrices, and equipment documentation.
• Experience troubleshooting integrated control systems that include controllers, operator interfaces, networks, instrumentation, drives, databases, historians, and third-party equipment.
• Working knowledge of software development practices, version control, change management, testing, and technical documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain technical issues, risks, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to travel and work at customer sites, including startup, commissioning, or after-hours support, as required by project needs.

Preferred

• Experience with Rockwell Automation Studio 5000, FactoryTalk View, PlantPAx, Siemens TIA Portal, WinCC, Ignition, or comparable industrial automation platforms.
• Experience with MES, OEE, batch, historian, reporting, ERP interfaces, OPC UA, MQTT, SQL, or manufacturing data integration.
• Experience developing reusable code libraries, templates, standards, and validation or test documentation.
• Experience leading FAT, SAT, commissioning, production startup, and customer training activities.
• Experience estimating engineering effort, developing project schedules, supporting proposals, and managing technical scope.
• Relevant certifications such as Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Inductive Automation Ignition, ISA, TÜV Functional Safety, PMP, or networking/security credentials.
• Proven ability to mentor engineers and programmers and to provide effective technical review and guidance.