Principal Controls Engineer

Alliance Automation, LLC; Van Wert (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation

Sick time

Medical insurance

Dental/Vision/Life/Disability

401k with company match

Parental leave

Safe, climate-controlled environment

Job summary

Alliance Automation is seeking a Principal Controls Engineer to serve as a senior, hands-on technical leader within our Controls Engineering team. This role solves complex problems, leads challenging projects, mentors engineers, and advances programming standards.

It covers concepting through installation and requires travel to customer facilities. The position emphasizes technical leadership over people management, with a focus on architecture, programming, troubleshooting, and ensuring project

Qualifications

• Ten+ years of controls engineering and industrial automation experience.
• Engineering degree or equivalent technical education.
• Expert-level capability with at least one major PLC/PAC platform.
• Advanced experience with robotics and machine-vision systems.
• Strong knowledge of industrial networking, motion control, safety, data collection, and MES integration.
• Ability to estimate programming, commissioning, and site-support labor requirements.
• Strong project-execution, analytical, and root-cause problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to stay hands-on with programming, commissioning, and troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Mentoring and Technical Development: mentor engineers and technicians through hands-on guidance, code reviews, commissioning support, and knowledge sharing.
• Advanced Programming, Architecture, and Troubleshooting: design, program, commission, and troubleshoot complex automation systems with PLC/PAC, robotics, vision, motion control, networks, safety, data collection, and MES integration.
• Standards, R&D, and Continuous Improvement: develop programming standards, reusable code, templates, and commissioning practices; research and implement technologies.
• Technical Project Leadership: provide leadership from concept through customer acceptance; identify risks and support scheduling and budgeting.
• Concepting, Estimating, and Customer Support: assist with concept development, system architecture, labor estimating, and technical risk evaluation; represent company in meetings.
• Additional responsibilities: lead complex programming, commissioning, debugging, and system performance improvements; travel to customer facilities.

Skills

PLC/PAC programming

Robotics & vision systems

Industrial networking & MES

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

Job description

Alliance Automation began operations in August 2008, seizing an opportunity to provide automation solutions to underserved industries. Our innovative thinkers design and build robotic automation systems that optimize production processes. We provide automation solutions for a multitude of industries; each helping upgrade efficiency, increase throughput and guarantee reliability in production.

Job Description

Alliance Automation is seeking a Principal Controls Engineer to serve as a senior, hands‑on technical leader within our Controls Engineering team. This position is designed for an experienced automation professional who can solve complex technical problems, lead challenging projects, mentor other engineers, and help advance our programming standards and technical capabilities. It is a technical leadership position—not primarily a personnel‑management role.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Principal Controls Engineer supports projects from concept and estimating through system architecture, programming, commissioning, runoff, installation, and customer acceptance. The position works closely with Controls Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Designers, Machine Assembly, Applications, Project Management, and customers.

Top 5 Responsibilities

• Mentoring and Technical Development: Mentor Controls Engineers and technicians through hands‑on guidance, code reviews, commissioning support, troubleshooting assistance, and knowledge sharing.
• Advanced Programming, Architecture, and Troubleshooting: Design, program, commission, and troubleshoot complex automation systems involving PLC/PAC platforms, robotics, vision, motion control, industrial networks, safety systems, data collection, and MES integration.
• Standards, R&D, and Continuous Improvement: Develop programming standards, reusable code, templates, and commissioning practices. Research and implement technologies that improve equipment performance, reduce project labor, and expand Alliance Automation’s capabilities.
• Technical Project Leadership: Provide technical leadership from project concept through customer acceptance. Identify technical risks, support project planning, and help teams meet budget, schedule, and performance commitments.
• Concepting, Estimating, and Customer Support: Support controls concept development, system architecture, technology selection, labor estimating, and technical‑risk evaluation. Professionally represent Alliance Automation during customer meetings, runoff, installation, training, and machine acceptance.

Additional Responsibilities / Duties

• Lead complex programming, commissioning, debugging, and system‑performance improvement activities.
• Develop machine‑control architectures, network diagrams, and controls interfaces.
• Lead projects at Alliance Automation and customer facilities.
• Conduct code reviews and technical design reviews.
• Assist with the recovery of projects experiencing technical or execution challenges.
• Lead root‑cause analysis for difficult or recurring equipment issues.
• Work with Mechanical Design, Electrical Design, and Machine Assembly to improve equipment performance and reduce project labor.
• Support Applications with controls concepts, quotations, and labor estimates.
• Develop and support data‑collection and MES interfaces.
• Travel to customer facilities for installation, commissioning, training, troubleshooting, and machine acceptance.

Minimum Qualifications/Experience

• Ten or more years of controls engineering and industrial automation experience preferred.
• Related engineering or technical degree, or equivalent technical education and work experience.
• Expert‑level capability with at least one major PLC/PAC platform.
• Advanced experience with industrial robotics and machine‑vision systems.
• Strong knowledge of industrial networking, motion control, machine safety, data collection, and MES integration.
• Demonstrated ability to design, program, commission, and troubleshoot complex automation systems.
• Ability to estimate programming, commissioning, and site‑support labor requirements.
• Strong project‑execution, analytical, and root‑cause problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly to engineers, leadership, customers, and other departments.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to mentor engineers and technicians.
• Willingness to remain hands‑on with programming, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to adapt to shifting priorities and travel to customer facilities as required.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Principal Controls Engineer does more than solve difficult technical problems. This person develops other engineers, improves standards and reusable solutions, reduces technical risk, strengthens project execution, and increases the overall capability of Alliance Automation’s Controls Engineering team.

SALARY

$140,000-160,000

What We Offer

• Hourly/Salary Wage Based on Experience
• Paid Vacation
• Sick Time
• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life/Disability
• 401k & Company Match
• Parental Leave
• We provide our employees with a safe, clean, climate‑controlled work environment.