Controls Engineer

General Motors Company; Iowa; On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors is seeking Controls Engineers to design, integrate, commission, and sustain industrial automation systems across manufacturing operations, including vehicle assembly, powertrain, robotics, and plant-floor networks.

This role emphasizes safety, quality, and continuous improvement, applying GM standards to deliver robust control solutions and drive manufacturing excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Automation Engineering, or related discipline.
• Experience with industrial controls, automation, manufacturing equipment, systems integration, or related engineering.
• Ability to read electrical schematics, controls architecture, equipment layouts, and related documentation.
• Demonstrated analytical, troubleshooting, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross‑functional teams, suppliers, plant personnel, and distributed engineering organizations.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, planning, and project execution skills.
• Commitment to a safe, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, integrate, commission, validate, and sustain industrial controls and automation systems used in manufacturing operations.
• Translate manufacturing, equipment, safety, quality, delivery, and production requirements into practical controls solutions.
• Develop or review controls hardware and software designs, including PLCs, HMIs, robots, drives, safety systems, industrial networks, machine vision, error proofing, and plant-floor interfaces.
• Support equipment and process development from early concept, investment studies, and supplier design reviews through build, offline testing, installation, commissioning, production launch, and steady‑state support.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, plant operations, maintenance, quality, safety, information technology, suppliers, and other cross‑functional teams.
• Troubleshoot complex equipment and process issues, perform root‑cause analysis, and drive corrective actions through closure.
• Review supplier deliverables and support equipment buyoffs, system integration, reverification, acceptance testing, and production readiness activities.
• Apply GM standards, templates, engineering tools, and standardized work to improve safety, quality, cost, timing, maintainability, and commonality across programs and facilities.
• Coordinate project scope, timing, risks, issues, technical deliverables, and stakeholder communications.
• Document designs, decisions, lessons learned, and standardized work; share knowledge with engineers, suppliers, and plant teams.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, technology development, emulation, simulation, digital manufacturing, and factory‑of‑the‑future initiatives as applicable.
• Provide technical direction, mentoring, training, or work coordination for less‑experienced engineers and project resources as appropriate to the role.

Skills

Analytical problem‑solving

Troubleshooting

Cross‑functional collaboration

Communication

Project execution

Safety & inclusion

Reading electrical schematics

Education

Electrical/Controls Engineering degree

Tools

Rockwell/Allen‑Bradley

Siemens

PLC/HMI/Robot technologies

Industrial Ethernet/Fieldbus

Job description

Job Description

General Motors is building a pipeline of Controls Engineers to support the design, integration, launch, production, and continuous improvement of advanced manufacturing systems. Opportunities may exist across vehicle assembly, body, paint, powertrain, battery, casting, stamping, propulsion, robotics, conveyors, plant-floor systems, and other manufacturing engineering organizations.

What you will do

• Design, develop, integrate, commission, validate, and sustain industrial controls and automation systems used in manufacturing operations.
• Translate manufacturing, equipment, safety, quality, delivery, and production requirements into practical controls solutions.
• Develop or review controls hardware and software designs, including PLCs, HMIs, robots, drives, safety systems, industrial networks, machine vision, error proofing, and plant-floor interfaces.
• Support equipment and process development from early concept, investment studies, and supplier design reviews through build, offline testing, installation, commissioning, production launch, and steady‑state support.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, plant operations, maintenance, quality, safety, information technology, suppliers, and other cross‑functional teams.
• Troubleshoot complex equipment and process issues, perform root‑cause analysis, and drive corrective actions through closure.
• Review supplier deliverables and support equipment buyoffs, system integration, reverification, acceptance testing, and production readiness activities.
• Apply GM standards, templates, engineering tools, and standardized work to improve safety, quality, cost, timing, maintainability, and commonality across programs and facilities.
• Coordinate project scope, timing, risks, issues, technical deliverables, and stakeholder communications.
• Document designs, decisions, lessons learned, and standardized work; share knowledge with engineers, suppliers, and plant teams.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, technology development, emulation, simulation, digital manufacturing, and factory‑of‑the‑future initiatives as applicable.
• Provide technical direction, mentoring, training, or work coordination for less‑experienced engineers and project resources as appropriate to the role.

Areas of opportunity

• Vehicle assembly, body, paint, general assembly, stamping, and conveyance
• Powertrain, engine, transmission, propulsion, and electric motor manufacturing
• Battery cells, battery systems, energy storage, and electrification manufacturing
• Casting, components, material handling, automated storage, and logistics systems
• Robotics, machine vision, error proofing, plant‑floor systems, and manufacturing applications
• Manufacturing networks, industrial controls infrastructure, and related cybersecurity initiatives
• Automation standards, emulation, simulation, virtual manufacturing, and advanced technology development

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered where applicable.
• Experience with industrial controls, automation, manufacturing equipment, systems integration, or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, controls architecture, equipment layouts, and related technical documentation.
• Demonstrated analytical, troubleshooting, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross‑functional teams, suppliers, plant personnel, and geographically distributed engineering organizations.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organization, planning, and project execution skills.
• Commitment to a safe, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with automotive, battery, powertrain, aerospace, consumer products, logistics, or other high‑volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience with PLC, HMI, robot, drive, safety, industrial Ethernet, fieldbus, machine vision, MES, error proofing, or plant‑floor systems.
• Experience with Rockwell/Allen‑Bradley, Siemens, or comparable controls platforms.
• Experience with controls hardware and software design, supplier management, equipment build, offline testing, commissioning, production launch, or plant support.
• Familiarity with manufacturing engineering standards, common controls architectures, structured troubleshooting, and change management.
• Experience with emulation, simulation, digital manufacturing, programming, scripting, data interfaces, or engineering automation tools.
• Project management experience, including scope, schedule, risk, issue, budget, and stakeholder management.
• Professional Engineer license, advanced degree, technical certification, or demonstrated leadership of engineering work.

GM does not provide immigration‑related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This role is categorized as onsite. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location on a full‑time basis. Relocation benefits are available for candidates who qualify under company policy.

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