Controls Engineer

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc.; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 75,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc. is seeking a Controls Engineer to design and implement machine and process control systems for extrusion plastics and converting operations.

The role involves hands-on engineering from concept to signoff, working with Rockwell/Siemens PLCs, drives, HMIs, and automation software. You will collaborate with project managers, panel shop, and customers to meet cost, schedule, and performance targets, while leading startup activities and supporting troubleshooting

Qualifications

• Two-year degree in automation or motion control or equivalent
• Minimum 3 years of related controls or automation experience
• Knowledge of electrical and mechanical components
• Experience working directly with customers and vendors
• Strong communication and time management skills
• Familiarity with Rockwell or Siemens PLCs and SCADA/HMI systems

Responsibilities

• Deliver consistently positive customer experiences and earn repeat requests
• Juggle multiple projects and prioritize customer needs
• Communicate openly with customers throughout projects
• Assist project managers from inception through installation and acceptance
• Track project cost and schedule against quotes and delivery
• Develop and maintain milestones, parts lists, and electrical schematics
• Coordinate with customers, panel shop, account managers and internal teams
• Lead or support system start-ups in shop and at customer sites
• Program and develop PLC, temperature, drive, and HMI systems
• Be a technical leader in at least one core automation technology
• Lead customer training in your area of expertise
• Contribute to a positive P&L through engineering decisions
• Participate in after-hours support and on-call duties

Skills

Customer communication

Time management

Problem solving

Electrical design

SCADA/HMI

PLC programming

Education

Two-year degree in automation or motion control

Tools

Rockwell/Siemens PLCs

SCADA/HMI

AutoCAD/ePlan

SolidWorks

Job description

Controls Engineer - Own Complete Machine & Process Control Systems

Design the brains behind high-performance manufacturing

You’ll be the go-to Controls Engineer designing, developing, and implementing machine and process control systems for extrusion plastics and converting operations.

From motion control to web handling to converting equipment, you’ll turn complex production challenges into clean, reliable automation that customers depend on every day.

Your work will be seen, felt, and requested by name.

You’ll partner closely with project managers, panel shop, account managers, and customers to deliver safe, efficient systems that hit cost, schedule, and performance targets.

If you live for PLCs, drives, HMIs, and plant-floor problem solving, and you want high impact without living on the road, we want to talk to you.

What You'll Work On

You’ll own controls across fast-paced industrial environments, especially in:

• Machine and process control systems for extrusion plastics
• Converting and web handling equipment controls
• PLC, drive, temperature, and HMI systems integration
• System start-ups in the shop and at customer sites
• Project cost, schedule, and performance tracking
• Electrical schematics and panel-related documentation
• Customer-facing troubleshooting and optimization
• Technical leadership in your core automation discipline

You’ll be working with Rockwell and Siemens PLCs, Rockwell Powerflex and SSD drives, Wonderware, Ignition, FactoryTalk, Red Lion Crimson HMIs/SCADA, Eurotherm and RKC controllers, AutoCAD/ePlan, and Microsoft Office.

This is hands-on industrial control engineering from first concept to final customer signoff.

What You'll Be Doing

• Deliver a consistently positive customer experience that earns repeat requests and top survey scores
• Prioritize your work schedule to juggle multiple projects and customer needs
• Communicate openly and professionally with customers throughout the project lifecycle
• Assist project managers from project inception through installation and customer acceptance
• Track project cost and schedule against quoted price and delivery commitments
• Develop and maintain project milestones, parts lists, ordering, and electrical schematics
• Coordinate and communicate with customers, panel shop employees, account managers, and internal team members
• Lead and/or support system start-ups in the shop and at customer sites
• Program and develop PLC systems, temperature control systems, drive systems, and HMI systems
• Act as a technical leader in at least one core control or automation technology
• Lead customer training classes in your area of technical expertise
• Assist fellow associates and contribute to a positive P&L through effective engineering decisions
• Participate in after-hours support and be on-call 2-3 weeks per year

What We're Looking For

• Two-year degree in automation or motion control, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum 3 years of related controls or automation engineering experience
• Knowledge of mechanical and electrical components
• Experience working directly with customers and vendors
• Strong communication skills including listening, questioning, and speaking
• Strong time management and ability to prioritize multiple demands
• Comfort with basic financial concepts such as markup, margin, and discounts
• Computing/software skills including Microsoft Office Suite and electrical design software
• Exposure to Rockwell or Siemens PLCs, drive systems, SCADA/HMI, and industrial controls
• Ability to troubleshoot systems and apply relevant industry standards (NEC, NFPA 79, NFPA 70, UL, ANSI)

The Experience That Will Really Get Our Attention

You’ve spent years in the field making automation behave—building PLC and HMI applications from scratch, tuning drives and temperature loops, and walking into messy situations that you methodically bring back under control.

You’re the engineer others turn to for Rockwell or Siemens questions, you’re comfortable mentoring engineers, and you’re just as effective in front of a whiteboard or a classroom as you are on the plant floor.

Why This Opportunity?

This is a chance to own full lifecycle industrial controls projects—design through startup—in a role where customers will ask for you by name.

You’ll work across multiple technologies and industries, keeping your skills sharp and your workday varied, with much lower travel than similar controls roles.

You’ll have the opportunity to lead technically, teach customers, and influence both project outcomes and the bottom line.

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