Director of Controls

Invio Automation; New Baltimore (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Invio Automation in Michigan seeks an experienced Director of Controls based in New Baltimore, MI. You will build and lead the Controls Engineering organization, establish engineering standards, allocate resources, and ensure safe, accurate project execution within budget.

The role requires deep expertise in custom automation, PLC/HMI, robotics, vision, and electrical controls, with collaboration across PM, Mechanical, Manufacturing, and Field Service to deliver reliable automation solutions and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Controls Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in controls engineering with leadership experience.
• GM controls experience is a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the Controls Engineering team including managers and engineers.
• Establish strategic direction and standards for the controls function.
• Plan capacity, staffing, and resource allocation for current and future projects.
• Recruit onboarding training and performance management.
• Establish and improve controls standards, instructions, and design methods.
• Provide technical leadership on PLC/HMI, robotics, vision, motion control, and networking.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet schedules and budgets.
• Support safety compliance and customer acceptance activities.

Skills

Industrial automation controls

Leadership

PLC/HMI programming

Robotics & vision systems

Electrical schematics

Project lifecycle management

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical/Controls Engineering

Tools

EPLAN

Allen-Bradley/Rockwell

Siemens

Job description

The Company

Invio Automation is a leader in Industry 4.0, delivering high-value automation solutions that help customers accelerate growth in specialized markets such as medical devices, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. With deep domain expertise and extensive engineering capabilities, Invio partners with clients from early-stage product design and R&D through to full-scale automation. Customers value Invio’s commitment to precision, quality, efficiency, and safety, and rely on its innovative, scalable solutions to support long-term growth. Headquartered in Michigan, Invio Automation is supported by a vast design library, a growing North American presence with global reach, and a team of over 600 experienced professionals across the Midwest and northeast.

The Company

Invio Automation is a leader in Industry 4.0, delivering high-value automation solutions that help customers accelerate growth in specialized markets such as medical devices, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. With deep domain expertise and extensive engineering capabilities, Invio partners with clients from early-stage product design and R&D through to full-scale automation. Customers value Invio’s commitment to precision, quality, efficiency, and safety, and rely on its innovative, scalable solutions to support long-term growth. Headquartered in Michigan, Invio Automation is supported by a vast design library, a growing North American presence with global reach, and a team of over 600 experienced professionals across the Midwest and northeast.

Invio operates through two integrated segments:

• The Solutions Segment delivers engineered systems for precision manufacturing, including robotic cells, multi-station assembly lines, and other automation solutions.
• The Technologies Segment focuses on advanced autonomous systems and ergonomic tooling, including heavyweight Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), turnkey assembly solutions, and custom lift-assist tools for safety-critical applications.

Together, these segments enable Invio to deliver tailored automation solutions that improve performance and achieve high efficiency across the production lifecycle.

Visit https://invioautomation.com/ for more information.

THE ROLE

Invio Automation is seeking an experienced Director of Controls to provide strategic and technical leadership for the Controls Engineering function. This role will be based in New Baltimore, MI. This leader will be responsible for developing the controls organization, establishing consistent engineering standards and processes, allocating resources across projects, and ensuring controls work is executed safely, accurately, on schedule, and within budget.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in custom automation or special machine building and a strong understanding of the complete machine lifecycle, from proposal and concept development through design, programming, integration, startup, commissioning, and customer acceptance. This role will partner closely with Project Management, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Business Development, Field Service, and Operations to deliver reliable, cost-effective automation solutions and an exceptional customer experience.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable the Controls Engineering team, including Controls managers, engineers, and other controls resources.
• Establish the strategic direction, priorities, and operating standards for the Controls Engineering function.
• Lead controls resource planning, capacity forecasting, workload allocation, and staffing strategies to support current and future project demands.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, training, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning for Controls Engineering personnel.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve controls engineering standards, work instructions, programming practices, design methodologies, and reusable tools.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance related to PLCs, HMIs, robotics, vision systems, motion control, servo systems, VFDs, industrial networking, electrical controls architecture, and other automation technologies.
• Lead and participate in controls design reviews throughout the project lifecycle, including proposal, concept, standards, detailed design, integration, and project reviews.
• Review customer requirements, specifications, Statements of Work, and controls standards; ensure requirements and deviations are appropriately documented and managed.
• Partner with Applications and Business Development during proposal development to evaluate technical requirements, controls architecture, labor assumptions, risks, and cost-effective solutions.
• Collaborate closely with Project Management, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Field Service, and Operations to ensure project requirements, schedules, budgets, and customer commitments are achieved.
• Ensure controls engineering deliverables are completed accurately, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with customer specifications and Invio standards.
• Provide leadership and escalation support for complex technical issues, system integration challenges, code incidents, startup, commissioning, troubleshooting, and customer acceptance activities.
• Drive technical solutions that improve system reliability, standardization, maintainability, and cost effectiveness.
• Identify and implement new technologies, architectures, tools, and integration strategies that improve engineering efficiency and strengthen Invio's automation capabilities.
• Establish and monitor Controls Engineering performance metrics related to quality, schedule, budget, utilization, rework, standardization, and project execution.
• Support continuous improvement and lessons-learned activities to reduce engineering risk, improve execution, and prevent recurring issues.
• Build strong relationships with customers and participate in technical discussions, project reviews, and escalations as required.
• Serve as a safety leader by modeling safe behaviors, reinforcing safety expectations, and ensuring controls designs and project execution support applicable safety requirements and standards.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, technical excellence, customer focus, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be a strong technical and people leader who is professional, proactive, collaborative, and customer-focused. The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability required.

Other Skills And Abilities

• Extensive experience with industrial automation controls systems and custom automation or special machine building.
• Demonstrated success leading Controls Engineering teams and managing technical resources across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong working knowledge of PLC/HMI programming, with experience in platforms such as Allen-Bradley/Rockwell and Siemens.
• Strong understanding of robotics, vision systems, motion control, servo systems, VFDs, industrial networking, and machine controls architecture.
• Working knowledge of electrical design standards and the ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, controls narratives, and controls architecture drawings.
• Strong troubleshooting and root‑cause problem‑solving skills related to automation systems and controls integration.
• Knowledge of applicable industry standards, including IEC, ISO, NFPA, NEC, and UL; familiarity with automotive customer standards is beneficial.
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, organizational, and decision‑making skills.
• Demonstrated ability to establish standards, improve processes, and drive consistency across an engineering organization.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance technical requirements, customer expectations, project risk, resource constraints, and financial objectives.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across Engineering, Project Management, Manufacturing, Operations, Business Development, and Field Service.
• Ability to lead through changing priorities and work effectively in a fast‑paced, project‑based environment.
• Willingness to travel to Invio facilities and customer sites as business needs require

Education And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering Technology, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent combination of education and significant relevant controls engineering experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, machine building, or a related engineering environment.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing controls engineering teams, technical resources, or engineering functions preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the full automation project lifecycle from concept and design through integration, startup, commissioning, and customer acceptance.
• GM controls experience is a bonus
• EPLAN experience is a bonus
• Travel to customers + Invio sites required.

INVIO AUTOMATION'S CORE VALUES

• We take pride in the reliability of our team and the difficult problems we solve for customers.
• We deliver real customer value that positively impacts the lives of those around us.
• We are dependable. Relationships and trust matter.
• Our ingenuity and desire to improve lives will complement our suite of solutions.
• We strive to demonstrate that our attention to detail does not start or end with the solutions we engineer and deliver.
• We believe exceptional service is better demonstrated than said.