Experienced Controls Engineer

PAR Systems UK Ltd; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) & matching

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

Paid PTO & Holidays

Parental Leave

Job summary

PAR Systems designs and builds custom automation systems for medical devices, aerospace, and defense. We seek Controls Engineers at multiple levels to translate customer requirements into a controls architecture and technical approach, and to design, program, and integrate PLC, HMI, motion, robotics, and vision solutions.

You will bring equipment to life through power-up, debugging, commissioning, and process optimization, while collaborating with mechanical, electrical, software, project

Qualifications

• A relevant engineering, computer science, automation, or technical background through education and/or equivalent experience.
• Experience developing and commissioning controls or software for automated equipment.
• The ability to troubleshoot problems across hardware, software, and machine processes.
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary engineering or project team.
• Increasing ownership of controls projects or systems appropriate to your career level.
• Openness to use of AI in your workflow.
• Ability to travel to customer sites for installation and commissioning, typically 0–10%, with occasional variation based on project needs.
• US Persons

Responsibilities

• Translating customer and system requirements into a controls architecture and technical approach.
• Designing, programming, and integrating PLC, HMI, motion, robotics, vision, and other automation technologies.
• Bringing equipment to life through power-up, debug, commissioning, and process optimization.
• Troubleshooting complex hardware, software, and system-level problems.
• Supporting design reviews, Factory Acceptance Testing, installation, and Site Acceptance Testing.
• Partnering with mechanical, electrical, software, project management, operations, and quality teams throughout the project lifecycle.
• At more senior levels, owning controls execution for entire production lines, providing technical direction, mentoring other engineers, and helping teams solve their toughest automation challenges.

Skills

System design

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional teamwork

Leadership potential

Education

Engineering/CS background

Tools

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000

Siemens TIA Portal

Omron Sysmac Studio

Beckhoff TwinCAT

FactoryTalk View

Inductive Automation Ignition

FANUC

KUKA

Cognex

Keyence

Visual Studio

C#

Job description

Controls Engineer – Multiple Career Levels

PAR Systems designs and builds custom automation systems that solve complex manufacturing challenges across industries including medical device, aerospace, and defense. Our solutions are engineered to solve our customers’ most complex challenges, not pulled from a catalog. You will have the opportunity to work on technically challenging systems incorporating robots, vision, complex motion, lasers, and more.

We're looking for Controls Engineers across multiple career levels. Levels are based on the experience, technical depth, independence, and leadership each candidate brings, not whether they've worked with every technology or tool we use. If your background is in custom automation and you enjoy figuring out how to make complex machines work, we'd like to hear from you, even if your experience doesn't match every technology listed below.

What You'll Own

• Translating customer and system requirements into a controls architecture and technical approach.
• Designing, programming, and integrating PLC, HMI, motion, robotics, vision, and other automation technologies.
• Bringing equipment to life through power-up, debug, commissioning, and process optimization.
• Troubleshooting complex hardware, software, and system-level problems.
• Supporting design reviews, Factory Acceptance Testing, installation, and Site Acceptance Testing.
• Partnering with mechanical, electrical, software, project management, operations, and quality teams throughout the project lifecycle.
• At more senior levels, owning controls execution for entire production lines, providing technical direction, mentoring other engineers, and helping teams solve their toughest automation challenges.

Experience & Requirements: What You Bring

Requirements

• A relevant engineering, computer science, automation, or technical background through education and/or equivalent experience.
• Experience developing and commissioning controls or software for automated equipment.
• The ability to troubleshoot problems across hardware, software, and machine processes.
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary engineering or project team.
• Increasing ownership of controls projects or systems appropriate to your career level.
• Openness to use of AI in your workflow.
• Ability to travel to customer sites for installation and commissioning, typically 0–10%, with occasional variation based on project needs.
• US Persons

Some of the platforms and tools you may work with include:

• PLC & Controls: Allen-Bradley Studio 5000, Siemens TIA Portal, Omron Sysmac Studio, Beckhoff TwinCAT
• HMI/SCADA: FactoryTalk View, Inductive Automation Ignition
• Robotics: FANUC, Epson, KUKA
• Vision: Cognex, Keyence
• Software: Visual Studio, C#, VB
• Motion: Servo and multi-axis motion control systems
• Electrical Design: AutoCAD Electrical, ePLAN, or similar tools
• Simulation: Ability to envision and pursue virtual commissioning

Technical Careers at PAR Systems - Where You Could Fit

Great engineering careers are not one-size-fits-all. At PAR Systems, engineers grow by taking on bigger challenges, expanding their technical expertise, and increasing their impact. Whether you are building your foundation, leading complex technical work, solving problems across teams, or shaping the future of our capabilities, there is room to grow and contribute at every stage of your career.

Our engineering career path includes Engineer, Advanced Engineer, Senior Engineer, and Principal Engineer, with increasing scope, independence, technical leadership, and impact at each level. Progression is based on demonstrated technical capability, problem‑solving, leadership, and impact, not simply years of overall experience.

For our experienced engineering opportunities, you don't need to determine where you fit before applying. We encourage you to start with a conversation. Together, we'll explore your experience, technical depth, and career interests to determine how they align with our engineering levels and opportunities.

Benefits

• Global team recognized for their passion of inventing
• First-of-a-kind product culture and project exposure
• Training and development from industry-leading experts
• Cutting edge benefit programs that include: 401(k) & matching; Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance; Disability & Life Insurance; PTO, Paid Holidays, & Parental Leave for both Parents; Tuition Reimbursement

PAR Systems is an equal opportunity employer and we value individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or any other status protected by applicable law. We use AI to assist with sorting applications, but real humans do all the evaluating and deciding. If selected for an interview, please advise our Human Resources department if you require accommodation during the interview or assessment process and we will support your accessibility needs. We offer market competitive pay and benefits based upon the candidate’s skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity. Our starting rate of pay for these salaried positions range from $110,000-160,000 annually.

#AreaOfInterest:Engineering