Senior Automation Controls Engineer

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Missouri; On-site; USD 91,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Annual bonus

Job summary

Wabtec invites applications for a Senior Controls Engineer in Advanced Manufacturing. You will lead architecture, programming, integration, commissioning, and optimization of controls across a diverse industrial environment and partner with global sites to deliver reliable automation solutions.

The role blends hands-on controls engineering with enterprise capability development, serving as a senior technical resource for PLCs, HMIs, motion control, robotics interfaces, networks, and data

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Automation, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of industrial controls, automation, systems integration, or advanced manufacturing experience.
• Demonstrated leadership of significant controls and capital automation projects.
• Advanced PLC and HMI programming experience with strong knowledge of structured software development practices.
• Strong understanding of machine safety, motion control, robotics integration, industrial networking, instrumentation, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience developing controls architectures, functional specifications, standards, test plans, and commissioning documentation.
• Project leadership, technical mentoring, structured troubleshooting, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to travel as required to support enterprise manufacturing sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead controls projects from concept and architecture through production launch.
• Develop controls architectures, functional specifications, programming standards, and preferred solutions.
• Program, review, and troubleshoot PLC, HMI, motion, safety, and industrial communication applications.
• Lead controls design reviews and verify compliance with technical, safety, maintainability, and cybersecurity requirements.
• Develop capital estimates, controls scopes, test plans, and technical requirements for RFQs.
• Lead/support vendor selection, panel and software reviews, FAT, SAT, commissioning, and startup.
• Diagnose complex controls, network, motion, robotics interface, and manufacturing data issues.
• Optimize existing systems for reliability, cycle time, diagnostics, maintainability, and production performance.
• Identify and replicate successful controls solutions across manufacturing sites.
• Support Automation & Advanced Manufacturing roadmap, governance, and technology strategy.
• Evaluate emerging controls, connectivity, simulation, and AI-enabled manufacturing technologies.
• Mentor site controls resources and provide senior technical leadership during project execution and issue resolution.

Skills

Industrial controls

PLC/HMI programming

Robotics integration

Motion control

Industrial networks

Safety systems

Leadership

Cybersecurity coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Controls/Automation/Mechatronics/Computer Engineering

Tools

Rockwell ControlLogix/CompactLogix

Siemens TIA Portal

EtherNet/IP

PROFINET

Modbus TCP

OPC UA

Safety PLCs

Job description

Wabtec invites applications for a Senior Controls Engineer in Advanced Manufacturing. You will lead architecture, programming, integration, commissioning, and optimization of controls across a diverse industrial environment and partner with global sites to deliver reliable automation solutions.

The role blends hands-on controls engineering with enterprise capability development, serving as a senior technical resource for PLCs, HMIs, motion control, robotics interfaces, networks, and data