Senior Controls Engineer (Automation)

General Motors; Bedford (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

General Motors in Bedford, Indiana, seeks a Senior Controls Engineer to lead design, implementation, and continuous improvement of automated manufacturing systems. You will guide teams across projects, defining architecture, mentoring engineers, and collaborating with operations, maintenance, and quality to achieve safety, quality, and productivity targets.

The role requires deep automation expertise in high‑volume production, hands-on experience with PLC/HMI, robotics, CNC, and cyber

Qualifications

• Experience across multiple manufacturing engineering and/or plant-based automation roles (typically 4+ years).
• Strong engineering, critical thinking, and analytical skills for solving difficult problems in high‑volume environments.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities to influence cross‑functional teams.
• Working knowledge of plant floor systems, production monitoring, and alerting tools.
• Familiarity with PLC/HMI/robot/CNC platforms from major vendors.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes and part design interfaces with PLC/robot/CNC applications.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Proven project management skills, planning and risk/issue handling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and commissioning of automation and controls for new equipment and major upgrades.
• Serve as a technical leader for troubleshooting and root-cause analysis on production equipment.
• Define controls architecture and standards for projects, including PLCs, HMIs, robots, drives, networks, and safety systems.
• Provide direction and mentoring to engineers, technicians, and suppliers on controls best practices.
• Coordinate with cross-functional partners to align requirements and ensure project success.
• Own and improve plant floor systems including monitoring, alerting, and data collection.
• Ensure controls solutions meet safety, quality, and productivity targets, including cyber considerations.
• Develop and maintain documentation for electrical/controls designs and changes.
• Manage controls scope, estimates, progress, changes, risks, and issues.
• Collaborate with external suppliers/integrators to ensure delivered systems meet specs.

Skills

Controls experience 4+ years

Analytical problem solving

Communication

Plant floor systems knowledge

Industrial controls platforms

Manufacturing processes understanding

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Job description

At General Motors, our product teams are redefining mobility. Through a human-centered design process, we create vehicles and experiences that are designed not just to be seen, but to be felt. We’re turning today’s impossible into tomorrow’s standard —from breakthrough hardware and battery systems to intuitive design, intelligent software, and next-generation safety and entertainment features.

Every day, our products move millions of peopleas we aim to makedriving safer, smarter, and more connected, shaping the future of transportation on a global scale.

The Role

We are seeking a Senior Controls Engineer with a focus on industrial automation to lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of automated manufacturing systems. In this role, you will provide technical leadership across multiple projects and production areas, guiding teams in the delivery of safe, reliable, and highly capable equipment.

This position is a strong fit for experienced controls engineers who have deep automation experience in manufacturing environments, even if they have not previously worked with our company or our specific standards. The emphasis is on demonstrated technical leadership, problem-solving, and ownership from concept through implementation.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design, development, and commissioning of automation and controls solutions for new equipment, process changes, and major upgrades.

• Serve as a technical leader for troubleshooting and issue resolution on production equipment, driving structured root-cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions.

• Define controls architecture and standards for assigned projects or areas, including PLCs, HMIs, robots, drives, networks, and safety systems.

• Provide technical direction and mentoring to other engineers, technicians, and suppliers on controls design, programming, and commissioning best practices.

• Coordinate with cross-functional partners in engineering, operations, maintenance, and quality to align requirements, prioritize issues, and ensure successful project outcomes.

• Own and improve plant floor systems such as production monitoring, and/or alerting, data collection, material call, and related manufacturing information systems.

• Ensure that controls solutions support safety, quality, and productivity targets, including functional safety and cyber considerations where applicable.

• Lead the development, review, and maintenance of documentation for electrical/controls designs, programs, and system changes, ensuring clarity and long‑term maintainability.

• Manage the controls scope for projects, including defining work packages, estimating effort, tracking progress, and managing changes, risks, and issues.

• Partner with external suppliers and integrators, providing clear specifications and technical oversight to ensure delivered systems meet functional and performance expectations.

Required Qualifications – Your Skills & Abilities

• Experience across multiple manufacturing engineering and/or plant‑based automation roles (typically 4+ years) with a track record of successful individual and team‑based achievements in controls or automation.

• Strong engineering, critical thinking, and analytical skills with the ability to solve unusual and difficult technical problems in high‑volume production environments.

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and align cross‑functional partners and stakeholders.

• Working knowledge of plant floor systems, including production monitoring and control, andon or alert systems, upload/download and compare tools, throughput monitoring, and material call or dispatch systems.

• Prior work experience with tooling or automated manufacturing systems and solid knowledge of commonly used industrial controls hardware and software platforms (for example, PLC/HMI/robot/CNC platforms from major vendors).

• Understanding of manufacturing processes and part design interfaces, with experience applying PLC platforms, industrial robot programming, and CNC controls.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience in industrial automation or controls.

• Proven project management skills, including planning, execution, stakeholder communication, and proactive risk/issue management for controls‑related scope.

Preferred Qualifications – What Will Set You Apart

• Strong understanding of high‑volume Automotive & allied industry manufacturing processes in production shops and associated quality management systems.

• Proven experience leading new product or process launch activities, ensuring controls strategies are integrated with plant systems and aligned to launch deliverables and timing.

• Experience defining, developing and/or improving existing controls standards, templates, and best practices across multiple lines, plants, or projects.

• Demonstrated ability to coach and develop less‑experienced engineers and technicians in automation and controls disciplines.

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