Controls Engineer

Worthington Steel; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Worthington Steel in Porter, Indiana, is seeking a highly skilled Controls Engineer to join Plant Operations. You will work hands-on with PLCs, HMIs, and drives, coordinating with Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering to troubleshoot, optimize equipment performance, and lead automation improvements.

Applicants should have 3–5 years in industrial environments, strong Rockwell/AB experience, and a record of coordinating small to mid-sized projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or associate degree in electrical field or related experience.
• 3–5 years in an industrial/steel environment preferred.
• Strong PLC, HMIs, VFDs, networks, instrumentation knowledge.
• Experience with Rockwell/AB systems (RSLogix, FT View, PowerFlex).
• ABB/Siemens drives experience is a plus.
• Strong troubleshooting, PM, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead technical resource for PLCs, HMIs, drives, and networks.
• Troubleshoot and improve PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, and instrumentation.
• Collaborate with Operations and Maintenance to boost uptime and safety.
• Diagnose complex electrical/controls issues and implement fixes.
• Support new equipment installs, upgrades, and capital projects.
• Manage small- to mid-sized process improvement projects.
• Identify aging automation systems and plan modernization.
• Maintain control programs, drawings, backups, and standards.
• Support OT infrastructure and industrial networks/SCADA-related tasks.
• Participate in Lean and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

PLC programming

HMIs

VFDs

Industrial networks

Troubleshooting

Project management

Communication

Education

Associate or Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering / related field

Equivalent practical experience

Tools

RSLogix

FactoryTalk View SE/ME

PowerFlex Drives

Rockwell/Allen-Bradley systems

ABB/Siemens Drives

Job description

Controls Engineer - Plant Operations

Porter, Indiana

Join our Porter, Indiana team as a Controls Engineer and play an important role in keeping our steel processing operations running safely, reliably, and efficiently. This hands‑on technical role works directly with plant equipment and partners with Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering to troubleshoot complex issues, improve equipment performance, and support automation and controls improvements.

You’ll work with PLCs, HMIs, drives, instrumentation, industrial networks, and other automation systems while supporting equipment reliability, continuous improvement, and capital projects throughout the plant.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a lead technical resource for PLCs, HMIs, drives, instrumentation, and industrial networking.
• Troubleshoot and improve PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, instrumentation, industrial networks, and automated processing equipment.
• Partner with Operations and Maintenance to improve equipment uptime, throughput, quality, and safety.
• Diagnose complex electrical and controls issues, identify root causes, and implement permanent solutions.
• Support new equipment installations, controls upgrades, capital projects, commissioning, and startups.
• Manage small- to medium-sized process improvement and capital projects from scope through implementation.
• Identify aging or at‑risk automation systems and help develop modernization and replacement strategies.
• Maintain controls programs, backups, electrical drawings, documentation, and technical standards.
• Support industrial Ethernet networks and communication between PLCs, HMIs, historians, MES, and SCADA systems.
• Provide secondary support for plant OT infrastructure, including industrial PCs, servers, virtualization platforms, and production applications.
• Participate in Lean and continuous improvement initiatives.

What You’ll Bring

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3-5 years of experience in an industrial, steel processing, or similar environment preferred.
• Strong knowledge of PLC programming and troubleshooting, HMIs, VFDs, motor controls, industrial networks, sensors, instrumentation, and electrical schematics.
• Experience with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley systems, including RSLogix, FactoryTalk View SE/ME, and PowerFlex Drives.
• ABB and/or Siemens Drives experience is a plus.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem‑solving, project management, and communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and other technical resources.
• Flexibility to provide technical support during equipment startups, shutdowns, and critical equipment issues when needed.

The Opportunity

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys being close to the operation-not just designing systems from behind a desk. You’ll have the opportunity to solve challenging equipment problems, influence automation strategy, lead improvements, and make a visible impact on the performance and reliability of our Porter operation.