Controls design manager

Cognify Global; Harrisburg (Dauphin County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognify Global in Harrisburg, PA, seeks a Controls Design Manager to lead the Controls Design department, drive staffing, prioritization, and adherence to NFPA 70, NFPA 79, UL 508A and customer standards.

You will mentor designers, coordinate with project managers and other departments, maintain design libraries, and ensure quality, consistency, and timely delivery of control panel designs.

Qualifications

• Demonstrate experience leading or mentoring technical teams.
• Strong understanding of industrial control systems and control panel design practices.
• Ability to balance technical oversight with people and process management.
• Strong organizational, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to pass a drug and alcohol test and possess a valid Driver’s License.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop Controls Designers and Senior Controls Designers through coaching, performance management, onboarding, and training.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team environment.
• Plan departmental workload, staffing, priorities, and work assignments to meet business and project needs.
• Ensure design deliverables meet scope, schedule, quality, and compliance requirements.
• Balance project execution with long-term team development and identify skill gaps and training opportunities.
• Coordinate with project managers, engineering, panel building, and other departments to support successful project execution and resolve design-related issues.
• Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards, including NFPA 70, NFPA 79, UL 508A, company and customer requirements.
• Maintain and enforce controls design standards, procedures, best practices, and documentation requirements.
• Review and approve drawings, design packages, redlines, and release documentation for accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
• Oversee part selection, standardization, substitutions, and maintenance of design libraries and databases.
• Drive continuous improvement in design quality, standardization, workflows, documentation, and engineering tools.
• Provide technical leadership and serve as the escalation point for complex electrical documentation standards.
• Serve as the primary representative for the Controls Design department, communicating priorities, supporting customer interactions, and aligning departmental objectives with company strategy.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support departmental and organizational objectives.

Skills

Team leadership

Industrial controls

Oversight management

Communication

Prioritization

Drug test & license

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or technical discipline

Associate degree in engineering or technical discipline

Tools

AutoCAD

EPLAN

Job description

The Controls Design Manager is responsible for leading the Controls Design department,

ensuring the effective execution of control panel design projects through proper staffing,

prioritization, and adherence to company and customer standards. This role focuses on

people leadership, workload management, process improvement, and cross-functional

coordination, while maintaining sufficient technical oversight to ensure quality and

consistency of design deliverables.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead, mentor, and develop Controls Designers and Senior Controls Designers through coaching, performance management, onboarding, and training.


• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team environment.


• Plan departmental workload, staffing, priorities, and work assignments to meet business and project needs.


• Ensure design deliverables meet scope, schedule, quality, and compliance requirements.


• Balance project execution with long-term team development and identify skill gaps and training opportunities.


• Coordinate with project managers, engineering, panel building, and other departments to support successful project execution and resolve design-related issues.


• Ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards, including NFPA 70, NFPA 79, UL 508A, company and customer requirements.


• Maintain and enforce controls design standards, procedures, best practices, and documentation requirements.


• Review and approve drawings, design packages, redlines, and release documentation for accuracy, consistency, and compliance.


• Oversee part selection, standardization, substitutions, and maintenance of design libraries and databases.


• Drive continuous improvement in design quality, standardization, workflows, documentation, and engineering tools.


• Provide technical leadership and serve as the escalation point for complex electrical documentation standards.


• Serve as the primary representative for the Controls Design department, communicating priorities, supporting customer interactions, and aligning departmental objectives with company strategy.


• Perform other duties as assigned to support departmental and organizational objectives.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrate experience leading or mentoring technical teams.


• Strong understanding of industrial control systems and control panel design practices.


• Ability to balance technical oversight with people and process management.


• Strong organizational, communication, and decision-making skills.


• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.


• Must be able to pass a drug and alcohol test and possess a valid Driver’s License.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or technical discipline with a minimum of six (6) years of related experience, or


• Associate degree in engineering or technical discipline with a minimum of eight (8) years of related experience.


• Prior experience managing or leading an engineering or controls design team.


• Strong working knowledge of AutoCAD, EPLAN, and industrial control standards.


• Experience with UL 508A compliance and interpretation.


• Experience driving process improvement or standardization initiatives.