Manager, Ride & Show Engineering - Controls

Universal Creative; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Universal Orlando is seeking a Controls Engineer to lead Siemens-based control projects for major attraction systems. This role manages budgets, schedules, and vendor coordination, translating creative intent into reliable ride and show controls.

Candidates should have 5+ years in show/control environments, with experience in ladder logic, drives, and motion control; knowledge of Siemens is highly valued, with Rockwell/AB a plus. This is a hands-on leadership role in a dynamic theme-park setting.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of projects experience in scenic/entertainment/theme park industry.
• Experience with show/ride systems design or fabrication preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee in-field installation, testing and adjustment of ride/show systems to meet contract specs.
• Review vendor designs and conduct acceptance testing to ensure conformance.
• Develop scopes of work and manage vendor progress from design to installation within schedule and budget.
• Lead design and production reviews with vendors to ensure quality and timeliness.

Skills

Theme park experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in technical field

Job description

Job Summary

What if your next industrial automation project wasn’t a factory, warehouse, or data center, but one of the biggest and most exciting attraction projects at a Universal park in the U.S.? We’re looking for a talented Controls Engineer / Controls Engineering professional who knows industrial automation but wants to apply that expertise in an environment that’s anything but ordinary. This is a Siemens-based controls environment, so Siemens industrial controls experience would be highly valuable. Coming from a Rockwell/Allen-Bradley background? We’re open to that too, particularly if you have the technical foundation and curiosity to transition your expertise into Siemens. This role provides technical management, inclusive of budget and schedule, for an attraction or attractions under an area of responsibility. Responsible for the successful specification, bid/award, design, production, installation, and acceptance testing of Ride and/or Show systems, to include Ride Control or Show Control Systems.

Major Responsibilities

• Manages in-field installation, test and adjustment of scenic systems to ensure compliance with contract specifications. Works with Facility & Construction team and vendors to ensure a clear line of communication regarding installation, test, and adjust activities.
• Reviews designs and documentation from vendors, ensuring compliance with contractual requirements and specifications. Oversees vendor's mock-up, prototype, and acceptance testing efforts to ensure final installed systems meet scope of work and contract specifications.
• Creates scope of work documentation and awards contracts to vendors based on quantitative requirements derived from interpreting creative intent and employing Universal Specifications.
• Leads design and production reviews at vendor locations, ensuring product quality, specification conformance, and schedule accuracy.
• Develops and oversees project schedules and budgetary demands. Produces scopes of work and manages vendor progress from design through installation, ensuring alignment with schedule and budget.
• Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UO policy, procedures, training and team member involvement activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 3+ Years: Projects experience within the scenic/entertainment/theme park industry required. Any experience in Theme park development, construction, show and ride systems design or fabrication is preferred.

A successful candidate would be able to perform the following to include, but not be limited to:

• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to organize and manage a complex series of tasks and vendor(s) to develop and implement show and ride systems.
• Strength in schedule analysis and contract management required.
• Comfortable Influencing decisions of major nature. High degree of tact & diplomacy to obtain favorable decisions or maintain good will.
• Comfortable working in a non-routine environment with frequently changing situations.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in applicable technical field required (examples include, but are not limited to, electrical engineering, computer science, computer programming, software engineering, mechatronics) or equivalent demonstrated skill and experience; Advanced Degree preferred.

Experience

5+ years' experience in direct theme park-specific technical/engineering roles supporting show control equipment required (examples include, but are not limited to, ladder logic, variable frequency drives, motion control systems, control theory) or similar experience in related technical field.

Your talent, skills and experience will be rewarded with a competitive compensation package.

Universal is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Universal Orlando via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from Universal Orlando HR/Recruitment will be deemed the sole property of Universal Orlando. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Universal Orlando as a result of the referral or through other means.

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