Senior Control Systems Engineer

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising; Pennington (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee ownership

Inclusive work environment

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

A leading engineering firm is seeking a Senior Control Systems Engineer in Pennington, NJ, to lead the planning and design of automated control systems. The role involves coordinating with multidisciplinary teams and creating accurate construction documents. Ideal candidates will have a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, a PE license, and at least 10 years of relevant experience. Opportunities for growth include mentorship and developing into project management roles.

Qualifications

• 10 years of applicable experience required.
• Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license is a must.
• Experience in food & beverage or industrial sectors is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning, design, and implementation of automated control systems.
• Develop biddable and accurate construction documents.
• Coordinate with specialists for design requirements.

Skills

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming

SCADA HMI programming

Data management

Artificial intelligence

Cybersecurity considerations

Education

Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related

Job description

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story: ' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'

HDR is looking for a Senior Control Systems Engineer to serve in a project leadership role in support of our national Control Systems practice which includes full-service capabilities. Our practice provides assessment, planning, design, automation programming/configuration, testing & commissioning, and maintenance for control systems in multiple industries.

We believe building engineering is more than systems and structures, it’s about powering progress and enabling innovation. As part of HDR’s Building Engineering Services Group, you’ll help design the critical infrastructure that supports the digital age and shapes the spaces where people work, connect, and thrive. From high-performance data centers driving the future of AI to dynamic commercial environments, your work will directly support technological advancement, sustainability, and human experience. We bring together mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering experts to solve complex design challenges with precision, creativity, and collaboration. Whether you\'re optimizing energy efficiency, integrating resilient systems, or engineering the backbone of next-generation facilities, your contributions will help define the future of the built environment. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of excellence.

The primary role of this position is to lead the planning, design, and implementation of automated industrial control systems in coordination with clients and multidiscipline teams to develop solutions for construction and implementation in multiple market sectors including food & beverage; oil & gas; logistics, manufacturing; mining; general industrial; transportation; and water/wastewater.

This position involvesexercising judgment in evaluation and selection of equipment and system components and coordinating closely with multidiscipline design teams through all stages of design including schematic, design development, and construction documents. They will be responsible for creating biddable and technically accurate construction documents including drawings and specifications, as well as conducting reviews of documents for areas of conflict with all disciplines. They will also be involved in coordination during construction phase activities including the review of shop drawings and construction observation.

Primary responsibilities and duties include:

• Travel to client facilities to participate in field activities to assess and document the current state of installed control systems.
• Participate in and lead design review and planning meetings with the client.
• Lead the development of preliminary engineering reports and studies focused on recommending and developing solutions for improvements to client control systems.
• Serve as Engineer of Record in responsible charge for the development of biddable and technically accurate control system construction documents.
• Coordinate with project manager and section manager to update workplans for control systems staff assigned to your project, and to track budget and schedule performance for the control systems team.
• Interface with Electrical, Process, and Cybersecurity specialists to fully coordinate design requirements for network, power, control, and instrumentation.
• Participate in joint scoping and proposal development working with clients and marketing staff.
• Participate in the planning and specification of applied technology solutions including instrumentation and control, advanced automation and control, artificial intelligence, networking, data management & analytics, augmented reality, and vision control.
• Lead the selection and specification of facility and process instrumentation, control panels, and network equipment.
• Lead the development of biddable and technically accurate control system construction documents including P&IDs, process flow diagrams, network architecture diagrams, control panel layouts and wiring diagrams, installation details, loop drawings, and technical specifications.
• Provide Quality Control (QC) reviews of control system designs.
• Participate in system testing and commissioning activities.
• Contribute to Control System Technical Leadership Team and drive corporate initiatives for quality and strategic growth within the Control Systems Discipline.
• Active participation in industry professional societies to contribute to the development of standards, participate in the development and delivery of presentations and whitepapers at industry trade shows and conferences, and develop article content for general industry and market sector specific newsletters and periodicals.

Growth opportunities:

• Exposure to multiple market sectors and core services of our global control systems program.
• Training and development to build skillset to serve as market sector and core service subject matter expert (SME).
• Mentor junior staff and assist section manager in identifying development opportunities to achieve team goals and objectives.
• Develop skillset to serve as Design Manager on mid-scale, large scale, or complex control systems projects, responsible for leading day-to-day design activities to achieve project milestones.
• Develop skillset to serve as Project Manager on control systems projects with responsibility to lead multi-discipline teams to achieve project objectives including scope, schedule, budget, and quality.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming and configuration a plus.
• Distributed Control System (DCS) programming and configuration a plus.
• SCADA HMI programming and configuration a plus.
• Experience with data management and analytics a plus.
• Experience with artificial intelligence a plus.
• Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES) a plus.
• Experience in food & beverage, general industrial, mining, manufacturing, or logistics a plus

Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or Control Systems related field.

• Hands on experience designing instrumentation and control systems, including schematics and loops required.
• Network design experience for industrial control or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.
• Knowledgeable of remote site telemetry communications.
• Knowledgeable of cybersecurity considerations for industrial control or SCADA systems.
• Knowledgeable of network, PLC or DCS hardware and software.

Knowledgeable of SCADA/Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software and capabilities.

Preference is given to local candidates

#LI-JC7

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor\'s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related field.
• Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must
• A minimum of 10 years applicable experience

What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other\'s life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

Primary Location

Primary Location: United States-New Jersey-Pennington

Other Locations

Other Locations: United States-New York-New York

Schedule

Schedule: Full-time

Employee Status

Employee Status: Regular

BusinessClass : Control Systems and OT Cybersecurity

Job Posting

Job Posting: Jan 28, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity.

We are an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.

Ready to learn more? Let\'s work together to make great things possible.

We design solutions to the world\'s greatest challenges. We\'re always looking for great talent to join our global teams.