Principal Industrial Controls Engineer

Symbotic LLC; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 248,000; Full time

Job summary

Symbotic is seeking a Principal Industrial Controls Engineer to lead architecture and roadmap for PLC controls and simulation platforms. You will provide hands-on expertise and technical leadership across Rockwell Automation, motion control, safety systems, OT networking, and HMI/SCADA.

You will mentor engineers, influence product and program decisions, and drive platform health through versioning, diagnostics, cybersecurity, and deprecation planning. Travel up to 60% may be required.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of related experience or equivalent work experience.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation Engineering, or related field.
• Expert‑level knowledge of Rockwell Automation PLC platforms, motion control, safety PLC systems, OT networking, and industrial protocols.
• Experience defining controls architectures and reusable platform capabilities across multiple products/sites.
• Experience with simulation and virtual commissioning (digital twins, SIL/IOL testing, regression).
• Strong knowledge of HMI/SCADA architecture; Ignition preferred.
• Experience lifecycle management: roadmaps, releases, obs, cybersecurity, deprecation.
• Strong software engineering practices: modular design, version control, CI/CD, testing.

Responsibilities

• Define and own architecture, strategy, and lifecycle roadmaps for industrial controls and simulation platforms.
• Establish modular, reusable PLC platform capabilities, libraries, templates, and interfaces.
• Lead Rockwell PLCs, motion control, safety systems, OT networking, industrial protocols, and HMI/SCADA.
• Lead simulation and virtual‑commissioning strategy, digital twins, and testing.
• Manage platform health: versioning, release governance, observability, cybersecurity, and debt reduction.
• Mentor engineers and drive cross‑team collaboration; may manage 1–2 engineers.

Skills

Rockwell PLC

Motion control

OT networking

HMI/SCADA

Digital twins

Software engineering

CI/CD

Ignition

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical/Computer/Mechatronics/Automation

Tools

Ignition (Inductive Automation)

Job description

Who we are

With its A.I.-powered robotic technology platform, Symbotic is changing the way consumer goods move through the supply chain. Intelligent software orchestrates advanced robots in a high-density, end-to-end system – reinventing warehouse automation for increased efficiency, speed and flexibility.

What we need

Symbotic is seeking for a Principal Industrial Controls Engineer to join our Industrial Control Systems R&D team within our Engineering organization. Your job will be to serve as a technical authority for the architecture, evolution, and management of our PLC controls and simulation platforms. Reporting to the Director of Industrial Control Systems R&D, this role combines deep hands‑on controls expertise with enterprise-level technical leadership. The Principal Engineer will drive simplification and standardization, create reusable platform capabilities, shape multi‑year technical roadmaps, and influence execution across products, programs, and sites. The role may directly manage one or two engineers, but its primary accountability is technical direction, platform health, and organizational impact.

What we do

The Industrial Control Systems R&D team develops and supports the controls and simulation platforms that power Symbotic's automated systems. We partner closely with software, robotics, electrical, systems, deployment, and operations teams to deliver scalable, reliable, and innovative automation solutions. Our team is responsible for PLC architecture, motion and safety systems, industrial networking, simulation and virtual commissioning, platform standardization, and lifecycle management across Symbotic products and customer deployments.

What you'll do

Define and own the architecture, technical strategy, and lifecycle roadmap for industrial controls and simulation platforms across Symbotic products and deployments. Establish modular, reusable PLC platform capabilities, libraries, templates, interfaces, and configuration standards that accelerate delivery and improve consistency. Drive simplification by reducing one‑off solutions and platform variants, clarifying system boundaries, eliminating duplication, and leading practical migration plans. Provide deep, hands‑on technical leadership for Rockwell Automation PLCs, motion control, safety systems, OT networking, industrial protocols, and HMI/SCADA solutions. Lead the simulation and virtual‑commissioning strategy, including digital twins, software‑in‑the‑loop and hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, automated regression, and deterministic scenario coverage. Manage platform health through versioning, compatibility, release governance, diagnostics, observability, cybersecurity, quality metrics, technical‑debt reduction, and deprecation planning. Architect and govern interfaces among PLC controls, electrical systems, robotics, embedded systems, simulation, and higher‑level software. Lead architecture and design reviews, document key decisions, and communicate risks and technical tradeoffs clearly to engineering and business stakeholders. Prototype and de‑risk new controls concepts, then guide their transition into supported, production‑ready platform capabilities. Lead troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis for complex, cross‑system, or high‑impact issues and convert findings into systemic improvements. Mentor engineers and raise technical capability across teams through coaching, standards, technical forums, and reusable guidance. May directly manage one or two engineers, including regular 1:1s, goal setting, performance feedback, and career development, while remaining primarily accountable for technical leadership. Influence portfolio priorities and partner with product, systems, software, electrical, test, deployment, and operations leaders to align platform investments with business needs.

What you'll need

Minimum of 12 years of related experience or equivalent work experience. Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation Engineering, or a related field. Expert‑level knowledge of Rockwell Automation PLC platforms, motion control, safety PLC systems, OT networking, and industrial communication protocols. Demonstrated experience defining controls architectures and reusable platform capabilities deployed across multiple products, programs, or sites. Deep experience with simulation and virtual commissioning, including digital twins, software‑in‑the‑loop or hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, automated regression, and scenario‑based validation. Strong knowledge of HMI/SCADA architecture and development; experience with Inductive Automation Ignition is preferred. Experience managing platform lifecycles, including roadmaps, release and compatibility strategies, configuration management, observability, cybersecurity, technical debt, and deprecation planning. Strong software engineering practices applied to PLC development, including modular design, version control, code review, automated testing, CI/CD, diagnostics, and documentation. Ability to simplify complex systems, make sound architectural tradeoffs, and lead across organizational boundaries without relying on direct authority. Excellent communication, mentoring, and stakeholder‑management skills; prior direct people‑management experience is beneficial but not required.

Our environment

Up to 60% of travel may be required. Employees must have a valid driver's license and the ability to drive and/or fly to client locations and company HQ. Employees may be required to use a personal credit card for business travel expenses, which are reimbursed based on the program guidelines. Eligible employees may receive a corporate credit card based on role and travel requirements, but a personal credit card may be needed during onboarding until the corporate card is issued.

About Symbotic

Symbotic is an automation technology leader reimagining the supply chain with its end-to-end, AI-powered robotic and software platform. Symbotic reinvents the warehouse as a strategic asset for the world’s largest retail, wholesale, and food & beverage companies. Applying next-gen technology, high-density storage and machine learning to solve today's complex distribution challenges, Symbotic enables companies to move goods with unmatched speed, agility, accuracy and efficiency. As the backbone of commerce the Symbotic platform transforms the flow of goods and the economics of supply chain for its customers. For more information, visit www.symbotic.com.

We are a community of innovators, collaborators and pioneers who embrace our differences, because we know unique perspectives make us stronger and smarter. Every perspective matters. We depend on the collective voices of our employees, customers and community to help guide us as we build a better place to work – for you and the world. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or genetic information.

The base range for this position in the posted location is $180,000.00 - $247,500.00 however, base pay offered may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. The compensation package includes medical, dental, vision, disability, 401K, PTO and/or other benefits.

Symbotic is an automation technology leader reimagining the supply chain with its end-to-end, AI-powered robotic and software platform. Symbotic reinvents the warehouse as a strategic asset for the world’s largest retail, wholesale, and food & beverage companies. Applying next-gen technology, high-density storage and machine learning to solve today's complex distribution challenges, Symbotic enables companies to move goods with unmatched speed, agility, accuracy and efficiency. As the backbone of commerce the Symbotic platform transforms the flow of goods and the economics of supply chain for its customers. For more information, visit www.symbotic.com.