Ride Control Technician - $28/HR

Canada's Wonderland; Gurnee (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Canada’s Wonderland is seeking a Ride Control Technician to maintain and enhance park ride control and safety systems. You will work on PLC platforms (AB and Siemens STEP 7), develop HMI interfaces, and ensure regulatory compliance for control circuits and safety devices.

The role involves diagnostics on drive systems, sensors, and field wiring, with documentation of changes and preventive maintenance records.

Qualifications

• Candidate has formal education or apprenticeship in industrial controls and relevant experience.
• Two+ years programming and troubleshooting industrial PLCs in an industrial environment.
• Experience with both current and legacy Allen-Bradley platforms required.
• Knowledge of industrial networks and SCADA configuration is preferred.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and ladder logic; NFPA 72 knowledge is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Program, maintain, troubleshoot, and modify ride control programs on multiple Allen-Bradley platforms.
• Program and troubleshoot Siemens STEP 7 control systems.
• Configure safety-rated control systems and develop HMI applications.
• Maintain control system drawings and version control; document changes.
• Troubleshoot ride drive systems, sensors, and field wiring; support downtime reduction.
• Test fire alarm and life safety systems per NFPA 72; assist inspections.

Skills

Industrial controls experience

PLC programming

Electrical schematics literacy

NFPA 72 knowledge

Driver's license

Education

Associate degree in electronics technology or related field

Apprenticeship in industrial controls

Four years of related experience in place of degree

Tools

STEP 7

Allen-Bradley platforms: PLC-5, SLC 500, MicroLogix, CompactLogix, Compact GuardLogix, ControlLogix

Ignition/SCADA

Test equipment: multimeters, oscilloscopes

Job description

The Ride Control Technician maintains, troubleshoots, programs, and modifies the control and safety systems that govern ride operation throughout the park. The position works at the component level on programmable controllers, safety circuits, drive systems, and field devices, and holds responsibility for systems subject to regulatory inspection.

The park operates control platforms spanning approximately thirty-five years of technology. Both current and legacy systems are in active service and both must be supported.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Programmable control systems

• Program, maintain, troubleshoot, and modify ride control programs across the following Allen-Bradley platforms: PLC-5, SLC 500, MicroLogix, CompactLogix, Compact GuardLogix, and ControlLogix safety processors.
• Program, maintain, and troubleshoot Siemens control systems using STEP 7.
• Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot safety-rated control systems on Compact GuardLogix and ControlLogix safety processors, including safety relays, safety-rated I/O, and dual-channel monitored circuits.
• Develop, modify, and troubleshoot HMI applications and operator interface terminals.
• Interpret and modify ladder logic, function block, and structured text programs. Maintain program version control and document all changes.

Ride safety and field systems

• Troubleshoot and repair electronic and electro-mechanical ride systems, including drive systems, proximity switches, photo-eyes, encoders, limit switches, and associated field wiring.
• Inspect, test, and verify ride restraint and braking control circuits, including restraint locking and release logic.
• Perform ride control inspections and record results in Mobaro. Maintain accurate preventive maintenance documentation and inspection records.
• Support the Electric Shop and Mechanical departments in reducing ride downtime.

Fire alarm and life safety systems

• Maintain, test, and troubleshoot fire alarm and life safety systems in accordance with NFPA 72, including devices, panels, notification appliances, and associated documentation.
• Support inspections conducted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction and maintain records required for those inspections.

SCADA and industrial networks

• Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot the park-wide Ignition SCADA platform, including tag configuration, screen development, alarming, historian functions, and database connectivity.
• Maintain and troubleshoot industrial network infrastructure across EtherNet/IP, ControlNet, DeviceNet, Profibus, and AS-Interface, including media, addressing, segmentation, and diagnostics.
• Maintain managed switch configuration and network documentation for control system segments.

General

• Maintain control system drawings, schematics, and program documentation, and update them as modifications are made.
• Adhere to all department and company safety policies, including electrical safety and lockout/tagout requirements, and wear required personal protective equipment.
• Support the company mantra of providing Friendly, Clean, Fast and Safe service to our Guests.
• Complete projects and assignments as assigned.

Qualifications:

Skills and Qualifications:

Required Qualifications

• Associate degree in electronics technology, industrial controls, or a related field; OR completion of an accredited technical program or apprenticeship in industrial controls; OR four years of directly related industrial controls experience in place of the degree.
• Minimum two years of experience programming and troubleshooting programmable logic controllers in an industrial or equivalent environment.
• Demonstrated experience with Allen-Bradley control platforms. Experience across both current platforms (CompactLogix, ControlLogix) and legacy platforms (PLC-5, SLC 500, MicroLogix) is required, as both remain in active service.
• Working knowledge of the industrial network protocols in service at the park: EtherNet/IP, ControlNet, DeviceNet, Profibus, and AS-Interface.
• Experience with SCADA platform configuration and maintenance.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot control systems to the component level.
• Ability to read, interpret, and modify electrical schematics, control drawings, and ladder logic.
• Working knowledge of the National Electrical Code as it applies to control circuits and equipment.
• Working knowledge of NFPA 72 as it applies to fire alarm system maintenance and testing.
• Competence with test equipment used to service complex control systems, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, loop calibrators, and network diagnostic tools.
• Ability to work independently on safety-critical systems and to exercise judgment on whether a ride is fit to return to service.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ignition SCADA development experience, including scripting and database integration.
• Siemens STEP 7 experience.
• NICET certification in fire alarm systems.
• Experience with safety-rated control architectures and familiarity with ISO 13849 or IEC 62061.
• Experience with AutoCAD or equivalent for drawing maintenance.
• Amusement industry or other regulated-equipment maintenance experience.

Physical and Schedule Requirements

• Must possess the mental and physical capacities necessary to perform the primary job duties, including standing, walking, climbing stairs and ladders, bending, kneeling, squatting, twisting, pushing, pulling, reaching overhead, and lifting and carrying a minimum of 50 lbs.
• Must be able to perform work functions at heights in excess of 100 feet, including roller coaster structure.
• Must be able to work outdoors in extreme temperatures.
• Must be able to work nights, weekends, and holidays during operating season, and must be willing to work overtime as scheduled during the spring and summer months.
• Must be able to provide own hand tools and steel-toe footwear for daily use.