CONTROLS ENGINEERING MANAGER

PRAB, Inc.; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

PRAB, Inc. is seeking a Controls Engineering Manager to lead and grow the Controls Engineering team, directing electrical design, PLC programming, and HMI development for standard products and engineered solutions.

You will drive engineering standards, tool modernization, and AI-enabled productivity while collaborating with Sales, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Purchasing, and Engineering to deliver reliable automation and exceptional customer experiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Automation Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years of industrial controls engineering experience, preferably with custom equipment or process automation.
• Previous engineering leadership experience or demonstrated ability to lead technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of PLC programming, HMI development, industrial networking, controls architecture, and electrical system design.
• Experience with electrical panels, component selection, documentation, and applicable electrical codes.
• Experience supporting quotations, estimating, and customer-facing technical discussions.
• Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop engineers.
• Proficient using AI tools to improve research, engineering productivity, and technical problem solving.
• Experience developing AI-enabled engineering tools or applications is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Controls Engineering team.
• Oversee electrical design, PLC programming, HMI development, testing, and implementation.
• Establish engineering standards for controls architecture, programming, documentation, reusable software, and component selection.
• Drive standardization to improve quality, manufacturability, serviceability, and profitability.
• Manage department priorities, schedules, resources, and project execution.
• Provide technical leadership on complex customer applications, product development, and troubleshooting.
• Support Sales through estimating, proposal development, scope definition, and technical presentations.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Purchasing, and Sales to improve products and processes.
• Recruit, develop, and retain engineering talent while building future department capabilities.
• Champion engineering productivity through automation, AI, and modern engineering tools, including internal AI applications.
• Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and technology partners.
• Travel as needed to support customer meetings, FATs, commissioning, and strategic projects.
• Build a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Balance innovation with practical, standardized engineering solutions.
• Improve engineering efficiency through better processes, automation, AI, and reusable designs.
• Develop future engineering leaders through coaching and delegation.
• Stay current on automation technologies, AI capabilities, and industry trends.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Automation Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)

5+ years of industrial controls engineering experience

Engineering leadership experience

Strong knowledge of PLC programming

HMI development

Industrial networking

Controls architecture

Electrical system design

Experience with electrical panels and codes

Quotations and estimating experience

Customer-facing technical discussions

Project management, communication, organization

Mentoring engineers

AI tools for engineering productivity

AI-enabled tooling experience

Tools

PLC programming tools

HMI development tools

Electrical design software

Job description

The Controls Engineering Manager leads Hapman\'s Controls Engineering team in designing and supporting electrical control systems for standard products and engineered material handling solutions. This role provides technical and people leadership across electrical design, controls architecture, PLC/HMI programming, product development, project execution, estimating, and engineering standards. The position partners closely with Sales, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Customer Service, and Purchasing to deliver innovative, reliable automation solutions and an exceptional customer experience. This leader also drives engineering efficiency by implementing modern engineering tools, automation, and AI where they improve productivity and quality.

Reports To

Director of Engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Automation Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5+ years of industrial controls engineering experience, preferably with custom equipment or process automation
• Previous engineering leadership experience or demonstrated ability to lead technical teams
• Strong knowledge of PLC programming, HMI development, industrial networking, controls architecture, and electrical system design
• Experience with electrical panels, component selection, documentation, and applicable electrical codes
• Experience supporting quotations, estimating, and customer-facing technical discussions
• Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop engineers
• Proficient using AI tools to improve research, engineering productivity, and technical problem solving
• Experience developing AI-enabled engineering tools or applications is a plus

General Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Controls Engineering team.
• Oversee electrical design, PLC programming, HMI development, testing, and implementation.
• Establish engineering standards for controls architecture, programming, documentation, reusable software, and component selection.
• Drive standardization to improve quality, manufacturability, serviceability, and profitability.
• Manage department priorities, schedules, resources, and project execution.
• Provide technical leadership on complex customer applications, product development, and troubleshooting.
• Support Sales through estimating, proposal development, scope definition, and technical presentations.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Purchasing, and Sales to improve products and processes.
• Recruit, develop, and retain engineering talent while building future department capabilities.
• Champion engineering productivity through automation, AI, and modern engineering tools, including internal AI applications.
• Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and technology partners.
• Travel as needed to support customer meetings, FATs, commissioning, and strategic projects.
• Leadership Expectations
• The Controls Engineering Manager will:
• Build a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Balance innovation with practical, standardized engineering solutions.
• Improve engineering efficiency through better processes, automation, AI, and reusable designs.
• Develop future engineering leaders through coaching and delegation.
• Stay current on automation technologies, AI capabilities, and industry trends.
• What Excellence Looks Like in the Role
• Build a strong, engaged engineering team.
• Delivers reliable controls solutions on time and with high quality.
• Continuously improves engineering standards and productivity.
• Helps Sales win business through technical expertise.
• Drives innovation while maintaining practical, serviceable designs.
• Leverages AI and modern engineering tools to improve engineering effectiveness.