Controls Engineer to Department Manager — Hands‑On Leader

gpac LLC.; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

gpac LLC. is seeking a hands-on Controls Engineer in Wisconsin who can grow into the Controls Engineering Manager role. You will lead and develop the controls team while continuing to work on challenging projects, from design to startup.

You’ll work closely with senior leadership to shape the future of the organization, mentoring engineers and aligning controls with manufacturing and delivery schedules. This role blends engineering depth with leadership growth.

Qualifications

• Approximately 5–10 years of relevant controls engineering experience.
• Strong Rockwell Automation/Allen‑Bradley experience (ControlLogix, GuardLogix, Studio 5000).
• Experience with HMI development, Kinetix servo systems, motion control, and AC/DC drives.
• Ability to develop PLC programs from the ground up and troubleshoot independently.
• Previous OEM experience with custom machinery or automated equipment.
• Technical degree in electrical/controls engineering, automation, or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead the controls scope from requirements through programming, fabrication, testing, and startup.
• Develop PLC programs, HMIs, servo systems, and motion-control solutions, often from scratch.
• Work with Rockwell platforms (ControlLogix, GuardLogix, Studio 5000) and related technologies.
• Coordinate BOMs, electrical design requirements, schematics, panels with designers.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and electrical assembly to meet project needs.
• Lead or support factory and site acceptance testing, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
• Prepare operating manuals, technical docs, and training materials.
• Support estimating and apply lessons learned to future designs.

Skills

Controls design

PLC programming

HMI development

Project coordination

Mentoring

Leadership

Education

Electrical engineering degree

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Rockwell Automation

AutoCAD

Inventor

SolidWorks

Kinetix servo drives

Job description

gpac LLC. is seeking a hands-on Controls Engineer in Wisconsin who can grow into the Controls Engineering Manager role. You will lead and develop the controls team while continuing to work on challenging projects, from design to startup.

You’ll work closely with senior leadership to shape the future of the organization, mentoring engineers and aligning controls with manufacturing and delivery schedules. This role blends engineering depth with leadership growth.