Automation Field Services Engineer

Aegis Worldwide; Illinois; Remote; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Home-based position

Company laptop and tools

Per diem and travel expenses covered

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401(k) with 100% match up to 6%

Life insurance

Job summary

Aegis Worldwide seeks an Automation & Field Service Engineer to join our U.S. service team. This home-based role involves 50-60% travel and support of commissioning, startup, and service of complex automated machinery across North America.

The ideal candidate has PLC troubleshooting expertise, hands-on control experience, and is comfortable working directly with customers and field technicians from a home office. Travel and problem-solving drive success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.
• 3+ years in industrial automation/controls or 7+ years hands-on experience without degree.
• Strong PLC troubleshooting and automation skills.
• Experience with sequencing, interlocks, fault handling, and live diagnostics.
• Ability to diagnose across software, electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical domains.

Responsibilities

• Support commissioning, startup, and service of complex automated machinery.
• Conduct SAT and customer startups, and ramp equipment to production.
• Troubleshoot in remote and on-site scenarios; provide remote support to field techs.
• Connect to PLCs, monitor live signals, and diagnose sequencing issues.
• Collaborate with engineering teams and customers to resolve issues.

Skills

PLC troubleshooting

Field service

Electrical troubleshooting

Online PLC diagnostics

I/O & motion

Industrial networks

Site commissioning/test

Customer communication

Travel readiness

Home-office work

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

7+ years without degree in automation/controls

Tools

B&R

Siemens

Beckhoff

B&R Automation Studio

Job description

Location: Remote - U.S. Based | Midwest Preferred

Travel: 50-60%

Employment: Direct Hire

Schedule: Full-Time

A growing global manufacturer of custom-engineered industrial machinery and automation systems is looking for an Automation & Field Service Engineer to join its U.S. service team.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced automation/controls professional who enjoys being in the field and solving problems that aren't always straightforward.

You won't simply be swapping components or following a troubleshooting checklist. You'll be the person customers and field technicians rely on when a machine problem requires someone to look at the entire system, diagnose the root cause, and figure out how to get the equipment running again.

The position is home-based anywhere in the U.S., with a preference for candidates in the Midwest, and involves approximately 50-60% travel.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Home-based position with significant autonomy
• Work on large, highly engineered industrial machinery
• 50-60% travel with the majority of trips within the U.S.
• Opportunity to work with sophisticated PLC, motion, networking, safety, hydraulic, and mechanical systems
• Become a key technical resource for field technicians and customers
• Work directly with engineering and automation teams overseas
• Exposure to multiple machine platforms as the company continues to expand its product portfolio
• Company-provided laptop, phone, service tools, travel equipment, and company credit card
• 401(k) with 100% company match up to 6%
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Company-paid life insurance
• Per diem and travel expenses covered

What You'll Be Doing

You'll support the commissioning, startup, and service of complex automated machinery at customer facilities throughout North America.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Commissioning new machinery at customer facilities
• Supporting Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and customer startups
• Helping customers successfully ramp equipment into production
• Troubleshooting existing machine installations both remotely and on-site
• Providing remote technical support to Field Service Technicians already at customer locations
• Traveling to customer sites when issues cannot be resolved remotely
• Connecting directly to PLCs and monitoring live machine signals
• Troubleshooting sequencing, interlocks, I/O, motion, and industrial networking
• Determining whether a problem originates from software, electrical, safety, hydraulic, or mechanical systems
• Diagnosing complex problems rather than simply replacing components
• Documenting troubleshooting steps, parameter changes, testing, and final resolutions
• Working closely with international engineering and automation teams to resolve difficult issues
• Providing technical guidance to field technicians and customers

The engineering team has dedicated resources handling controls design.

Your value is in troubleshooting and commissioning.

You'll be expected to connect to a machine, look at what's actually happening in real time, follow the logic, understand the sequence, analyze the signals, and determine why the machine isn't behaving as it should.

The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys the challenge of a machine that isn't working correctly and wants to understand the entire system before deciding what needs to be fixed.

What We're Looking For

Required

• Bachelor's degree + 3+ years of industrial automation/controls experience, OR
• 7+ years of strong hands-on automation/controls experience without a degree
• Strong experience troubleshooting PLCs and automated machinery
• Hands-on experience with structured logic, including sequencing, interlocks, state logic, and fault handling
• Ability to perform online PLC diagnostics and monitor live signals
• Experience troubleshooting I/O, motion systems, and industrial networks
• Previous experience with commissioning, machine startup, and/or Site Acceptance Testing
• Strong electrical troubleshooting ability
• Comfortable working directly with customers and field technicians
• Willingness to travel approximately 50-60%
• Valid driver's license
• Valid passport or ability to obtain one
• Ability to work from a home office when not traveling

PLC Experience

B&R is strongly preferred, but candidates with hands-on experience using other major platforms will be considered, including:

• B&R
• Beckhoff
• Siemens

The most important factor is being able to troubleshoot PLC logic and diagnose a machine online, not simply having a particular PLC listed on a resume.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• B&R Automation Studio
• Python and/or C++
• Servo and motion-control systems
• VFDs
• Safety PLCs and safe I/O
• Light curtains and machine safety systems
• Press brakes or metal-forming equipment
• Coil processing or fabrication equipment
• CNC or machine‑tool systems
• Experience remotely supporting Field Service Technicians
• Experience with machine builders or industrial automation integrators

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for a true troubleshooter.

Someone who:

• Doesn't immediately assume every problem is a PLC problem
• Can methodically work through an entire machine
• Uses data and live machine information to isolate problems
• Can distinguish between software, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and safety issues
• Stays calm when equipment is down and a customer needs answers
• Can independently own a difficult technical problem
• Communicates technical information clearly to customers and engineers
• Enjoys working in the field rather than sitting behind a desk
• Is comfortable adapting to changing schedules during commissioning and critical service events

Travel

This is a 50-60% travel position, but the travel is structured around customer projects.

Most service trips are approximately 2-3 days.

New machine commissioning projects can occasionally run for approximately 3 weeks, depending on the project and customer requirements.

Travel will primarily be throughout the United States, with occasional trips to:

• Canada
• Mexico
• Sweden – approximately once per year at most

When you're not traveling, you'll work from your home office.

The company provides:

• Airfare and rental vehicles as needed
• Hotel accommodations
• Company travel/expense card
• Laptop
• Service tools and travel case
• Other necessary office equipment

Work With Sophisticated Industrial Equipment

The company designs and manufactures large, custom-engineered machinery used to process metal and other industrial materials.

Its equipment includes advanced systems for:

• Cutting
• Punching
• Coil processing
• Automated material handling

You’ll be working with equipment that combines PLC controls, motion systems, electrical components, hydraulics, safety systems, networking, and mechanical machinery - making this a great environment for someone who enjoys complex, multidisciplinary troubleshooting.

This is a newly created position within a growing U.S. automation/service organization.

The team is expanding its technical capabilities and needs someone who can take ownership of difficult automation problems while helping field technicians and customers get machines back into production.

You’ll have significant independence in the role while working closely with an international engineering organization.

If you’re an automation engineer who enjoys commissioning, troubleshooting, travel, and being the person everyone calls when the machine won’t run, this is an opportunity worth exploring.

Interview Process

• Two virtual interviews
• Potential final onsite interview
• Company will arrange and cover travel for an onsite interview if required

Projected Start: ASAP

Salary: $120,000-$150,000 + per diem and travel benefits