Automation Engineer

Culligan International; Libertyville (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Culligan International is seeking an Electrical Controls Engineer II / Automation Engineer to design, program, build, test, and troubleshoot electrical controls for complex industrial water treatment projects. You will read P&IDs, electrical schematics, and sequence narratives while developing panel layouts and I/O lists.

This role blends design with hands-on shop-floor and field support and collaborates with NAM, LATAM & EMEA teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical/electrical controls or related field.
• 3+ years of industrial controls experience with PLC/HMI.
• Proficiency with AB and Siemens PLCs, HMI development, and bus networks.
• Ability to read P&IDs, electrical schematics, and customer specs.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% for field support.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and support electrical controls for industrial water systems.
• Create and maintain schematics, panel layouts, I/O lists, BOMs, and docs.
• Program PLCs and HMIs per specs and processes.
• Assist with panel builds, wiring, prototype development, and FAT/QTP.
• Troubleshoot and support startup and field installations.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI development

Panel design

Schematic reading

Customer communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLC

Siemens PLC

HMI software

Industrial networking

BMS integration

Job description

Position: Electrical Controls Engineer II / Automation Engineer

Supervisor: Director of Global Accounts

Description: The Electrical Controls Engineer II - Global Accounts supports complex industrial water treatment projects by designing, programming, building, testing, and troubleshooting electrical controls systems. This role blends engineering design with hands-on shop-floor and field support, including BMS, BACnet, MODBUS, PLC and HMI programming, control panel design, power distribution, system wiring, prototype builds, FAT/QTP support, startup, commissioning, and customer troubleshooting. The ideal candidate has strong industrial controls experience, practical panel build skills, and the ability to read P&IDs, electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, sequence narratives, and customer specifications. This position works closely with NAM, LATAM & EMEA engineering, manufacturing, quality, project management, field service, vendors, and customers to deliver reliable, manufacturable, and supportable controls solutions. Success requires strong troubleshooting, communication, documentation, and collaboration skills, along with a willingness to travel approximately 20-25% to support installations, startups, testing, and field needs.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and support electrical controls solutions for custom industrial water treatment systems and Global Accounts projects.
• Create and maintain electrical schematics, panel layouts, I/O lists, load calculations, BOMs, redlines, and controls documentation.
• Program PLCs and HMIs using P&IDs, sequence narratives, customer specifications, equipment standards, and process requirements.
• Select PLC hardware, instrumentation, control components, enclosures, power distribution equipment, and industrial communication devices.
• Support panel builds, system wiring, prototype development, shop-floor troubleshooting, manufacturing questions, and production readiness.
• Participate in FAT, QTP, startup, commissioning, punch-list closure, and field troubleshooting activities as needed.
• Troubleshoot PLC, HMI, instrumentation, communications, controls, wiring, and integration issues in factory and customer-site environments.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, project management, field service, vendors, and customers to resolve technical issues.
• Perform additional responsibilities beyond this description as business needs require.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, controls engineering, automation engineering, or related technical field preferred; equivalent industrial controls experience may be considered.
• Minimum 3 years of industrial controls experience, including PLC programming, HMI development, control panel design, and power distribution panel design.
• Proficiency with Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLC platforms, HMI screen development, industrial networking, BMS integration, and common communication protocols.
• Excellent customer-facing communication and polished presentation skills.
• Ability to create and interpret P&IDs, sequence narratives, equipment specifications, electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, panel layouts, mechanical drawings, and customer technical standards.
• Hands-on ability to support panel builds, system wiring, prototypes, shop-floor troubleshooting, FAT/QTP activities, startups, commissioning, field troubleshooting, and customer support.
• Must be eligible to work in the US without sponsorship; must be able to work regularly in-office 4–5 days per week and travel up to 25% based on business, customer, startup, testing, and field support needs.
• Hands-on ability and willingness to work on the shop floor, build panels, wire systems, support prototypes, troubleshoot equipment, and participate in system testing.

Competencies:

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies in this position: Integrity, Team Player, Customer Focus, Initiative, Detail Oriented, Excellence, Analytical & Troubleshooting Skills, Oral & Written, Communication, Adaptability

We offer competitive compensation including base & benefits including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, 401(k), Paid time off, Additional voluntary benefits