Controls Engineer Working Lead

Uniloy; Tecumseh Township (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Uniloy in Michigan seeks a Lead Controls Engineer to design, develop, and document control and HMI software for blow molding equipment. You will lead control system development for new products and retrofits, provide startup and debugging support, and mentor engineering staff.

The role requires a strong background in PLC/HMI programming, OO languages (C), and multiple hardware platforms including Allen-Bradley, Siemens, and B&R systems. Travel to support production may be required.

Qualifications

• BS in electrical/controls engineering or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience.
• Experience with ground-up controls design for more than one complete machine or DCS.
• Conceptual understanding of advanced PID control.
• Experience with advanced process control a plus (internal model control, feed forward, autotuning).
• Experience with listed hardware/software: Allen-Bradley, Siemens, B&R, mappView, WinCC, etc.
• ACAD or EPLAN electrical design experience; reviewing schematics a plus.
• Knowledge of safety circuits and analog control signals.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite; able to work under pressure and communicate effectively.
• Strong OO programming knowledge (C preferred) and debugging skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and document control and HMI software for blow molding equipment.
• Lead control system development for new products and retrofits.
• Provide startup and debug assistance and mentoring.
• Guide technical activities and develop staff within engineering.
• Ensure compliance to specifications, processes, and best practices.
• Interact with manufacturing during build/startup to diagnose issues and support production.
• Develop scalable control platforms and version control practices.

Skills

Engineering leadership

PLC programming

HMI development

Control systems

PID control

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Team coaching

Education

BS in electrical/controls engineering, computer science, software engineering or other engineering

Tools

Allen-Bradley SLC/ControlLogix

FactoryTalk View HMI

PowerFlex drives

B&R Automation Studio

ACOPOS drives

mappView

Siemens S7 PLC

WinCC HMI

Ethernet/IP / ProfiNet / Profibus

EPLAN / CAD design tools

Job description

Job Summary:

This role ensures seamless execution of daily business, development of personnel, application of tools and processes, and compliance to company policies. The lead must work cooperatively with business partners to drive key business metrics.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The following responsibilities will be carried out directly by the working lead or through their team individuals in their defined areas:

Technical

• Design, develop, and document control and HMI software for blow molding equipment, using advanced concepts and design practices.
• Leads and participates in control system development for new product offerings and control retrofits.
• Provides startup & debug assistance.
• Guide technical activities and develop technical skills within the engineering discipline to ensure operational and customer needs are satisfied
• Analyze customer specifications to ensure clarity of requirements and end product application
• Maintain new and existing standard equipment designs for future use in similar types of machinery
• Ensure technical processes, procedures, and best practices are defined, documented, and followed in daily activities associated within engineering discipline
• Ensure compliance to specifications and internal design processes
• Ensure new or less experienced staff receive appropriate technical training and mentoring
• Communicate and document "institutional (tribal) knowledge" to ensure this beneficial information is shared and available to others as the company continues to grow
• Tracking of new technological developments and subsequent recommendations in new designs and retrofits
• Provides technical expertise to manufacturing personnel during build and start-up to diagnose and correct software issues. This may occasionally require time on the assembly floor to provide hands-on assistance

Financial

• Ensure realistic schedules are developed and successfully executed to approved timelines, scope, and quality constraints
• Provide estimates for timing and cost in support of development activities and other project related initiatives
• Identify, track, and drive continuous improvement with KPI’s for the department

Personnel

• Directs software engineers in the design and startup of controls projects, including PLC programs, HMI programs, Motion programs and Network communications and may personally perform such duties
• Assist in coaching employees and provide feedback with respect to outlined goals and procedures
• Assist in conducting Performance Reviews
• Assist in directing development, and training of personnel

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in electrical/controls engineering, computer science, software engineering or other engineering
• Minimum of 10 years of experience
• Experience with ground-up controls design for more than one complete machine or DCS
• Demonstrable conceptual understanding of advanced PID control
• Experience with advanced process control a plus (internal model control, feed forward, autotuning of PID parameters)
• Experience with some or all of the following hardware and software: Allen Bradley - SLC and ControlLogix Platforms, FactoryTalk View HMI, PowerFlex drives; B&R Automation Studio, ACOPOS drives, mappView; Siemens - S7 Series PLC, WinCC HMI; Ethernet IP, ProfiNet, and Profibus communication protocols
• ACAD or EPLAN electrical design experience. Several years reviewing and troubleshooting electrical schematics an acceptable substitute
• Knowledge of safety circuits
• Knowledge of analog control signals
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)
• Candidate should be able to work confidently under pressure without direct supervision
• Good communication skills- both written and verbal
• Specific Technical Qualifications:
• In depth knowledge of at least one object-oriented programming language or C. Will need to be experienced with pointers or delegates
• Working knowledge of hydraulic/electric control systems
• Experience with hydraulics, Servo Drives/Motors and Servo Hydraulics
• Experience with B&R control systems and software IDE tools a plus
• In-depth knowledge of object-oriented programming tools and techniques
• Experience in debugging software/hydraulic/electrical systems. Ability to work with version control a plus
• Experience using Microsoft Visual Studio a plus
• Experience with mappView or other widget-based GUI design software a plus

Work Environment

Office / Manufacturing environment. Employee may be occasionally exposed to moving equipment, mechanical parts in motion, risk of shock and other hazards associated with a manufacturing environment such as overhead cranes, welding, machining, painting etc.

Travel / Customer Support. Employee will occasionally provide customer support and guidance remotely or onsite. Aside from technical capability, the employee must have interpersonal skills commensurate with expectations for a field service technician who also promotes product sales and further services.

Ideal candidate will be enthusiastic to participate in development of an entirely new control platform to be standardized on all product lines. Will participate in development of scalable controls platform with best practices related to deployment, archiving, and version control/ bug fixes. Candidate should be able to quickly adapt to new programming languages and platforms and be self-motivated to continually improve their professional skillset.