Electrical Controls Engineer — Build Custom Automation

Surterre Properties Luxury Real Estate Brokerage; Concord Township (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Incentive opportunities

Medical, dental, vision insurance

HSA

EAP

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Steven Douglas Corp. (SDC) in the United States is seeking a senior controls engineer to own the controls portion of multiple automation projects from concept through customer acceptance.

You will design electrical control systems, develop PLC/HMI programs, lead panel builds, FATs, and startup, collaborating with mechanical, electrical, and project management teams to deliver reliable, scalable machines for diverse industries.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on controls engineering experience designing custom industrial machinery or complex automated systems.
• Experience designing electrical control systems, including electrical schematics, panel layouts, and I/O lists using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar software.
• Strong PLC and HMI programming experience, primarily Allen-Bradley (Logix family, GuardLogix, PanelView, FactoryTalk View, or similar platforms).
• Solid experience implementing complex motion control including servo systems, coordinated multi-axis motion, and high-speed automation.
• Experience leading controls work through the complete project lifecycle—from concept and design reviews through programming, debug, machine runoff, customer FAT, installation, and startup.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or equivalent hands-on industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Own the controls portion of multiple automation projects from concept through customer acceptance.
• Define control architectures alongside mechanical and electrical engineers to develop reliable, maintainable automation systems.
• Develop, test, and debug PLC, HMI, motion control, and safety programs using standardized, scalable programming practices.
• Lead controls debug during panel build, machine assembly, runoff, FAT, installation, and startup.
• Work directly with customers during design reviews, FATs, startups, and technical discussions.
• Collaborate daily with Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Assembly, Project Management, Purchasing, and Service to deliver successful projects.
• Apply and continuously improve SDC's controls standards, reusable code libraries, and engineering best practices.
• Troubleshoot complex technical issues using a calm, systematic, root-cause approach.
• Work with modern automation technologies including robotics, machine vision, servo motion, industrial networking, and advanced manufacturing software.
• Travel approximately 10% to support customer startups and project implementation.

Skills

hands-on controls engineering

Electrical control systems

PLC programming

HMI programming

motion control

project lifecycle leadership

team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Mechatronics

Tools

AutoCAD Electrical

EPLAN

Job description

Steven Douglas Corp. (SDC) in the United States is seeking a senior controls engineer to own the controls portion of multiple automation projects from concept through customer acceptance.

You will design electrical control systems, develop PLC/HMI programs, lead panel builds, FATs, and startup, collaborating with mechanical, electrical, and project management teams to deliver reliable, scalable machines for diverse industries.