Controls Engineer

Actalent; Minnesota; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a senior Controls Engineer in Minnesota to design, program, and commission advanced automation systems for complex manufacturing processes. You will develop PLC and HMI/SCADA solutions on the Allen-Bradley Logix platform, integrate motion and safety systems, and support full lifecycle from architecture to startup and documentation.

You will work on high-performance systems, including conveyors, motion control, and web handling, collaborating with cross-functional teams to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent.
• 8–10+ years of hands-on controls engineering in manufacturing or heavy industrial environments.
• Expert Allen-Bradley PLC/HMI experience across ControlLogix/GuardLogix, Studio 5000, PanelView, FactoryTalk View.

Responsibilities

• Develop PLC and HMI/SCADA solutions on Allen-Bradley platforms.
• Program, commission, and optimize motion systems (Kinetix) and multi-axis control.
• Design and optimize conveyors, sortation, AGV/AMR interfaces, and material handling systems.

Skills

Allen-Bradley

Logix

Motion control

PLC programming

HMI/SCADA

Safety systems

ISA-88

PID tuning

Conveyors

WMS/MES integration

EtherNet/IP

Kinetix servo drives

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Studio 5000

RSLogix 5000

PanelView Plus

FactoryTalk View SE/ME

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Controls Engineer

Job Description

This role designs, programs, and commissions advanced automation and control systems for complex manufacturing, material handling, and process applications. The Controls Engineer develops PLC and HMI/SCADA solutions on the Allen-Bradley Logix platform, integrates motion, safety, and third-party equipment, and supports full project lifecycles from system architecture through startup and documentation. The position offers opportunities to work on diverse automation projects, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and contribute to high-performance industrial systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy comprehensive PLC programs using the Allen-Bradley Logix platform, including Studio 5000 and RSLogix 5000.
• Develop, configure, and maintain HMI and SCADA applications to support operator interfaces and supervisory control.
• Program and commission high-speed, multi-axis synchronized motion systems using Kinetix servo drives, virtual master axes, electronic gearing, and camming for precision manufacturing operations.
• Design, program, and optimize complex conveyor and material handling systems, including accumulation conveyors, sortation systems, palletizers, and handoffs with automated guided vehicles (AGVs) or autonomous mobile robots.
• Implement tracking, merging, diverting, and barcode or RFID scanning logic to ensure seamless product flow through high-throughput logistics and production lines.
• Design and optimize control strategies for web handling applications, including tension control, winding and unwinding, and registration for continuous weblines.
• Engineer control algorithms for extrusion processes, ensuring precise temperature regulation, pressure control, and line speed synchronization.
• Implement complex batch process sequences in alignment with industry standards such as ISA-88.
• Design, tune, and troubleshoot advanced PID control loops, including cascade loops, ratio control, and feed-forward strategies to minimize disturbances and maximize process stability.
• Integrate third-party equipment, robotics, instrumentation, and vision systems into the primary control network using industrial communication protocols such as EtherNet/IP, ControlNet, and DeviceNet.
• Plan and execute rigorous factory acceptance testing (FAT) and site acceptance testing (SAT), including system debugging, troubleshooting, and on-site commissioning.
• Design and implement hardware and software safety systems using Allen-Bradley GuardLogix controllers and safety-rated components in compliance with relevant safety standards such as ISO and ANSI B11.19.
• Create and maintain detailed engineering documentation, including functional design specifications, control philosophy documents, I/O lists, cause-and-effect matrices, and fully commented as-built code.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, vendors, and customers to clarify requirements, resolve issues, and ensure successful project delivery.
• Lead or support projects in high-pressure manufacturing environments, ensuring systems meet performance, reliability, and safety expectations.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 8–10+ years of hands-on controls engineering experience in a manufacturing, machinery builder (OEM), or heavy industrial process environment.
• Expert-level proficiency with Allen-Bradley hardware and software ecosystems, including ControlLogix, GuardLogix, Studio 5000, PanelView Plus, and FactoryTalk View SE/ME.
• Proven experience in PLC programming for Allen-Bradley platforms, including development, troubleshooting, and optimization.
• Demonstrated mastery of high-speed motion control and multi-axis coordination using Kinetix servo drives and related motion technologies.
• Direct experience with continuous web handling lines, including tension control, winding and unwinding, and registration control.
• Experience in batch processing and continuous process industries, including implementation of ISA-88-based batch sequences.
• Deep theoretical and practical knowledge of PID loop tuning, cascade control, ratio control, and feed-forward compensation.
• Extensive experience with conveyor systems and material handling automation, including architecture, product tracking, and high-throughput logistics applications.
• Familiarity with integration to WMS (Warehouse Management Systems) or MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) for material handling routing.
• Strong working knowledge of industrial networking architecture,