Controls Engineer (Engineer / Senior / Staff)

Deterrence Defense, Inc.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Deterrence Defense, Inc. in the Dallas area seeks a Controls Engineer to own PLC and HMI development for our automated manufacturing equipment. You will design, program, integrate, and commission control systems on the floor, supporting production ramp and ongoing operations.

Primary platforms: Siemens TIA Portal, Ignition SCADA, and FANUC robotics. This is an execution role requiring hands-on, on-site work across design, testing, and debugging.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or related engineering field, or equivalent experience.
• Engineer: 2+ years • Senior: 5+ years • Staff: 8+ years in industrial controls on production equipment.
• Hands-on proficiency with Siemens TIA Portal; Ignition or comparable SCADA.
• Experience commissioning equipment on a live production floor.
• Working knowledge of machine safety standards and safety-rated motion.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and panel drawings.
• Revision control experience (GitHub, Siemens Project Server, or similar).

Responsibilities

• Design and implement Siemens PLC control systems for automated production equipment.
• Develop HMI/SCADA screens, UDTs, faceplates, and alarming in Ignition.
• Design and specify industrial control panels (480VAC / 24VDC), I/O architecture, and device networks.
• Configure and integrate servos, VFDs, vision systems, sensors, and safety devices (ProfiSafe, fail-safe I/O).
• Implement safety architectures aligned with ISO 13849, IEC 61508, and ISO 10218.
• Program in ST (SCL), LAD, FBD, and SFC; maintain code under revision control.
• Integrate Profinet, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, and Ethernet/IP devices.
• Integrate and validate FANUC robot cells with PLC and safety controllers.
• Lead I/O checkout, system bring-up, FAT/SAT, and production support on the floor.
• Troubleshoot controls, network, and electromechanical faults to root cause.

Skills

Siemens TIA Portal

Ignition SCADA

HMI/SCADA

Electrical schematics

Panel drawings

Revision control

Profinet

OPC UA

Modbus TCP

Education

Bachelors in Electrical/Controls/Mechatronics

Tools

Siemens TIA Portal

Ignition

ROBOGUIDE

Job description

Summary

The Controls Engineer designs, programs, integrates, and commissions the control and safety systems that run Deterrence's automated manufacturing equipment at our Dallas-area production site. This is an execution role: you will own PLC and HMI/SCADA development for assigned equipment, bring systems up on the floor, and support production through ramp. Primary platforms are Siemens TIA Portal, Ignition SCADA, and FANUC robotics. We are hiring multiple engineers across levels; scope and independence scale with level.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement Siemens PLC control systems for automated production equipment.
• Develop HMI/SCADA screens, UDTs, faceplates, and alarming in Ignition.
• Design and specify industrial control panels (480VAC / 24VDC), I/O architecture, and device networks.
• Configure and integrate servos, VFDs, vision systems, sensors, and safety devices (ProfiSafe, fail-safe I/O).
• Implement safety architectures aligned with ISO 13849, IEC 61508, and ISO 10218.
• Program in ST (SCL), LAD, FBD, and SFC; maintain code under revision control.
• Integrate Profinet, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, and Ethernet/IP devices.
• Integrate and validate FANUC robot cells with PLC and safety controllers.
• Lead I/O checkout, system bring-up, FAT/SAT, and production support on the floor.
• Troubleshoot controls, network, and electromechanical faults to root cause.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or related engineering field, or equivalent experience.
• Engineer: 2+ years • Senior: 5+ years • Staff: 8+ years in industrial controls on production equipment.
• Hands‑on proficiency with Siemens TIA Portal; experience with Ignition or comparable SCADA.
• Experience commissioning equipment on a live production floor.
• Working knowledge of machine safety standards and safety‑rated motion.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and panel drawings.
• Revision control experience (GitHub, Siemens Project Server, or similar).

Staff additionally owns controls architecture for a full equipment line, leads design reviews, mentors engineers, and interfaces directly with the customer's controls and maintenance teams.

Preferred Skills

• FANUC robot programming (TP/KAREL) or FANUC certification.
• Ignition Core Certification or higher.
• ROBOGUIDE or other virtual commissioning tools.
• Brownfield retrofit and multi‑vendor integration experience.
• Industrial networking fundamentals (VLANs, managed switches, network diagnostics).