Controls Engineer

Oishii; Phillipsburg (NJ); On-site; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range $75k-$90k

Medical, dental, vision

401(K)

Life Insurance

Parental leave

Paid time off

Paid training

Office social events

Employee activity groups

Job summary

Oishii is seeking a Controls Engineer to design, commission, ramp up and operate our indoor vertical farming controls, supporting facilities and maintenance with documentation and SOPs.

You will design, implement and optimize PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, and data-driven maintenance models, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure cohesive operations across farming and facilities.

Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in an Engineering discipline.
• 3+ years of related professional Controls Engineering experience.
• Experience in farming, manufacturing, warehousing, production or similar environment.
• Experience with PLCs (Allen Bradley), HMIs/SCADA (Panelview 5000 and Ignition), VFDs, PID control, and Ethernet/Modbus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain existing controls systems, check programming settings and repair sensors.
• Update controls systems to meet farm team needs, e.g., add components, modify HMI screens, edit PLCs.
• Improve system resiliency with hardware and software updates.
• Design and update libraries for AOIs across installations.

Education

Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in an Engineering discipline

Tools

Allen Bradley PLCs

Panelview 5000

Ignition

VFDs

PID control

Ethernet/Modbus

Python

SQL

AutoCAD

Job description

We grow the world’s BEST Strawberries & that wouldn’t be possible without our super talented engineering team! As part of our Engineering team, a Controls Engineer will be involved with the design, commissioning, ramp‑up, and operations of our indoor vertical smart farms and will support Facilities and Maintenance teams in preparing preventative maintenance and standard operating procedures documentation. Our Controls Team work on everything from our PLCs, SCADA system development, process implementation, to optimization across multiple infrastructure systems.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

• Maintain existing controls systems; this includes checking programming settings and repairing/troubleshooting sensors.
• Perform updates to existing controls systems to meet the needs of our farm team; this includes, but is not limited to adding new components, changing HMI screens, and editing PLC programs.
• Continually improving the system by finding ways to increase resiliency in the system with hardware and software.
• Design and improve libraries for new and existing installations using AOIs.
• Create and update SCADA screens, alarms, and Historian.
• Develop models for prescriptive maintenance and anomaly detection using machine learning techniques on historical data.
• Work closely with cross functional partners throughout facilities to ensure a cohesive operation amongst different functions such as farming and facilities.
• Commission new facilities from IO checkout to start-up.

Qualifications

Who will love this job: Individuals who identify with our Core Values and exhibit skills within those values will thrive at Oishii.

• One Team, One Fight!
  • Ability to quickly shift priorities to meet deadlines and effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, clearly, concisely and with purpose at various levels of the organization.
  • Ability to work cross functionally at all levels including across locations, and collaborate with a focus on supporting & understanding the evolving business needs of a startup environment.
  • Ability to lead through others and develop teams with a diverse level of experience to succeed.
• Focus.
  • Ability to remove obstacles in order to prioritize which could include problem solving, working through ambiguity and using fact based or sound judgment in the absence of process or policy. We are building it, but need to manage through the process with good judgment and a bias for action.
  • Ability to synthesize information quickly to aid in the troubleshooting process.
• GSD (Get Sh** Done!)
  • Possessing an entrepreneurial mindset with the tenacity to develop ideas, process, and policy and implement them rapidly.
  • Capable of prioritizing tasks and considering the resources available when doing so.
  • A bias for action! Ability to hold yourself accountable and take ownership of driving results that impact company outcomes.
  • Track record of effectively handling complex employee relations issues, and addressing sensitive information and difficult situations with tact, discretion, and confidentiality.

What We Look For In a Controls Engineer

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in an Engineering discipline
• 3+ years of related professional Controls Engineering experience
• Experience in a farming, manufacturing, warehousing, production or similar environment.
• Experience and knowledge of multiple systems, areas and programing including PLCs (Allen Bradley), HMIs/SCADA (Panelview 5000 & Ignition Prefered), VFDs, PID control, analog & digital field components, Ethernet and Modbus communication protocols, Python programming, SQL, and AutoCAD.
• Comfortable with ambiguity with proven capabilities to provide/implement structure.
• Experience working with an organization during a time of expansion or scale is a plus!

Shift & Schedule

• This is a 5 days a week onsite role
• The role does require on-call support/troubleshooting which may include some nights and weekends rotation

Perks At Oishii

• Compensation: $75,000 - $90,000 and Equity
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(K)
• 100% Employer Paid Life Insurance + Long Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Parental leave, Paid Time Off, Paid Sick Time
• Paid Training
• Office social events including happy hours, events, and parties
• Employee activity groups for basketball players, Yoga Enthusiasts, runners...

About Us

Oishii (which means “delicious” in Japanese) is the innovative company behind the world’s largest indoor vertical strawberry farm. On a mission to transform the agriculture industry through the power of smart farming, Oishii harmoniously marries nature with state‑of‑the‑art technology to create the ideal elements—rain, air, heat, light, nourishment and natural bee pollination - for growing in‑season produce all year round. Oishii’s beloved Omakase, Koyo and Nikko Berries are grown in pesticide‑free vertical farms in the U.S. and proudly bear the Non‑GMO Project Verified seal. Founded in 2016, Oishii’s investors include SPARX Group, NTT, Yaskawa, McWin Capital Partners, and Resilience Reserve. Oishii was recognized as one of Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2022. Today, Oishii operates farms and research facilities across the United States and Japan, bringing together expertise from both countries to advance the future of agriculture. As a Japanese‑founder company with global ambitions, we are building a world‑class team dedicated to transforming how premium produce is grown and delivered. For more information, visit www.oishii.com.