Senior Controls Engineer

PAR Systems; Shoreview (MN); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

PAR Systems seeks an Electrical Controls Design Engineer to join the Advanced Manufacturing team in Minnesota. You will turn machine requirements into complete electrical designs for procurement, panel fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and service.

Collaboration with controls software, mechanics, and project teams ensures safe, reliable equipment. Experience with AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN is highly valued, with EPLAN experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related discipline.
• Three+ years of electrical controls design experience for industrial machinery.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN for complete design packages.
• Experience selecting and integrating control components, motor controls, instrumentation, and safety hardware.
• Knowledge of NFPA 79, NFPA 70, UL 508A standards.
• Ability to translate equipment interfaces into accurate schematics.

Responsibilities

• Develop electrical control schematics, power distribution drawings, panel layouts, field wiring diagrams, and installation documentation.
• Specify controls hardware including PLCs, I/O, safety devices, servo drives, VFDs, power supplies, sensors.
• Perform design calculations for loads, sizing, protection, and enclosure thermal requirements.
• Create and maintain BOMs, cable schedules, terminal plans, and wire numbering.
• Define electrical interfaces with mechanical systems and vendor software; verify drawings reflect requirements.
• Coordinate layouts and wiring across panels, boxes, and field devices.
• Participate in design reviews and apply standards and PAR practices.
• Prepare design packages and releases to support schedules and procurement.
• Maintain consistency between schematics, layouts, BOMs, and revisions through changes.
• Support panel fabrication, assembly, checkout, and commissioning; resolve design questions.
• Contribute to EPLAN templates, macros, data, and reusable content.

Skills

Electrical controls design

Industrial machinery

Power distribution

Attention to detail

Communication

Independent work

Systematic problem solving

Systems integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field

Tools

AutoCAD Electrical

EPLAN

EPLAN Electric P8

Job description

Design the electrical systems behind custom machines that solve demanding manufacturing challenges.

PAR Systems is seeking an Electrical Controls Design Engineer to join our Advanced Manufacturing team. Our systems support aerospace and defense applications, including precision cutting and trimming, robotic and configurable fixtures, drilling, and friction stir welding. In this role, you will turn machine requirements into complete electrical designs that support procurement, panel fabrication, machine assembly, commissioning, and long-term service. You will work closely with controls software, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and project teams to deliver safe, reliable, and maintainable equipment.

Experience in AutoCAD Electrical and EPLAN is highly valued, with EPLAN experience preferred.

What you’ll do

• Develop electrical control schematics, power distribution drawings, panel layouts, field wiring diagrams, and installation documentation for custom automated equipment.
• Select and specify controls hardware, including PLCs, I/O, safety devices, servo drives, VFDs, power supplies, sensors, instrumentation, and electrical protection devices.
• Perform design calculations for electrical loads, conductor sizing, circuit protection, power supplies, and enclosure thermal requirements.
• Create and maintain bills of material, cable schedules, terminal plans, device identification, and wire numbering.
• Define electrical interfaces with mechanical equipment, vendor-supplied systems, and controls software. Verify that drawings accurately reflect selected components and machine requirements.
• Coordinate layouts and wiring across control panels, junction boxes, and field devices.
• Participate in design reviews and apply customer specifications, applicable electrical standards, and PAR engineering practices.
• Prepare design packages and component releases to support project schedules and procurement needs.
• Maintain consistency between schematics, panel layouts, BOMs, and released revisions through engineering changes.
• Support panel fabrication, machine assembly, electrical checkout, and commissioning by resolving design questions and incorporating verified changes into final documentation.
• Help develop EPLAN templates, macros, parts data, reports, and reusable design content.
• Share technical knowledge and contribute to improvements in electrical design quality and efficiency.

What you bring

• A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, electrical engineering technology, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant education and experience will also be considered.
• Three or more years of electrical controls design experience for industrial machinery, automation systems, or custom equipment.
• Proficiency producing complete electrical design packages using AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN.
• Experience selecting and integrating industrial control components, motor controls, instrumentation, and safety hardware.
• Working knowledge of power distribution, grounding and bonding, conductor sizing, circuit protection, and control panel design.
• Familiarity with applicable machinery and industrial control panel standards, such as NFPA 79, NFPA 70, and UL 508A.
• Ability to evaluate vendor documentation and translate equipment interfaces into accurate schematics.
• Strong attention to detail, clear communication, and disciplined management of drawings, BOMs, and revisions.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating decisions with a multidisciplinary project team.
• Willingness to support equipment checkout and occasional customer-site activities as project needs require.

Experience that would strengthen your application

• EPLAN Electric P8 experience is strongly preferred, particularly delivery of complete machine electrical designs.
• Experience working in both EPLAN or AutoCAD Electrical.
• EPLAN project structures, device tagging, cross-references, macros, parts management, and automated reports.
• EPLAN Pro Panel and three-dimensional control panel layout.
• Experience establishing electrical CAD standards, maintaining component libraries, or supporting a CAD platform transition.
• Multi-panel systems with interconnected wiring and coordinated device identification.
• Servo systems, coordinated motion equipment, robotics, and precision manufacturing machinery.
• Machine safety circuit design and participation in safety reviews.
• Short-circuit current rating evaluation and control panel thermal analysis.
• Engineering change control and integration of electrical design data with ERP, PDM, or PLM systems.
• Hands-on panel assembly, wiring, troubleshooting, or commissioning.

Strong AutoCAD candidates who are interested in developing EPLAN expertise are encouraged to apply.