Hardware Engineering Manager — Lead Industrial Automation

Knobelsdorff Enterprises; Eagan (MN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental coverage (employer‑p

HSA contributions

Company‑paid life insurance

401(k) with company match

Performance‑based incentives

Weekly pay and competitive wages

PTO and six holidays; education reimb

Job summary

Knobelsdorff Enterprises is hiring an Hardware Engineering Manager in Minnesota to lead and develop the Hardware Engineering team across industrial automation projects. You will manage resources, improve engineering processes, and support panel manufacturing to deliver quality hardware on schedule and within budget.

The role emphasizes developing people, driving accountability, and implementing standardized practices while aligning with KE's safety and performance values.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of industrial automation hardware engineering experience.
• 3+ years of engineering leadership or people management.
• Experience designing industrial control panels and automation systems.
• Proficiency with EPLAN Electric P8.
• Experience with AutoCAD Electrical or similar.
• Strong PLC-based control systems, industrial networking, instrumentation, VFDs, and safety systems.
• Experience supporting panel fabrication and manufacturing operations.
• Working knowledge of UL508A, industrial electrical standards, and control panel design practices.
• Experience developing electrical schematics, panel layouts, wiring diagrams, and bills of materials.
• Strong organizational, resource planning, and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Hardware Engineering team through coaching, performance management, and career development.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
• Manage hardware engineering resource planning and workload balancing across active projects.
• Partner with Project Managers to ensure engineering deliverables align with project schedules and customer expectations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance engineering quality, efficiency, and consistency.
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, templates, libraries, and best practices.
• Identify and implement opportunities to automate repetitive engineering tasks and improve productivity.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to quality, schedule performance, and engineering efficiency.
• Collaborate with the Panel Shop to improve manufacturability, drawing quality, BOM accuracy, and production efficiency.
• Support Lean Manufacturing and 5S initiatives through improved engineering processes and standards.
• Review and approve hardware designs to ensure quality, compliance, and consistency.
• Provide technical leadership for industrial control systems, including PLCs, control panels, instrumentation, networking, and safety systems.
• Support project teams with technical problem-solving during execution and commissioning activities.
• Monitor engineering effort against project budgets and proactively address risks, constraints, and variances.
• Stay current with evolving automation technologies, engineering tools, and industry best practices.

Skills

Industrial automation

Engineering leadership

Panel design

EPLAN Electric P8

AutoCAD Electrical

PLC-based control systems

Project management

UL508A knowledge

Electrical schematics/BOMs

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

EPLAN Electric P8

AutoCAD Electrical

Job description

Knobelsdorff Enterprises is hiring an Hardware Engineering Manager in Minnesota to lead and develop the Hardware Engineering team across industrial automation projects. You will manage resources, improve engineering processes, and support panel manufacturing to deliver quality hardware on schedule and within budget.

The role emphasizes developing people, driving accountability, and implementing standardized practices while aligning with KE's safety and performance values.