Automation Mechanical Engineer III

Jobtailor; Alabama; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in the United States seeks an experienced Automation Controls Engineer to design and integrate industrial control systems. Collaborate with applications engineers on manufacturing equipment, develop PLC/HMI architectures, and ensure safe, reliable operation across complex lines.

You will analyze system behavior, build offline simulations, support on-site commissioning, create operation sequences and I/O lists, and work with fabricators to deliver turnkey automation solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Controls, or related engineering field.
• Minimum 4 years of hands-on experience developing or integrating industrial controls and automation systems, including PLC and HMI programming.
• Exposure to industrial automation platforms such as robots, gantries/AGVs/conveyors, CNC 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 (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Responsibilities

• 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

Skills

Industrial controls

PLC programming

HMI programming

Safety systems design

Electrical drawings

Robotics/automation

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical/Mechanical/Mechatronics/Controls

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 4 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)


• 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 integrating industrial controls and automation systems, ensuring compliance with safety standards and effective documentation practices.