Senior Controls Engineer: Precision Automation Leader

Connect Force; Commerce (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect Force Recruiting is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer for a precision machinery manufacturer in the Farmington Hills area. The role focuses on designing, programming, troubleshooting, startup, and optimizing advanced automation systems.

The ideal candidate brings strong PLC/HMI skills, experience with Siemens equipment, and a collaborative approach across engineering, service, and production teams to deliver high-precision manufacturing solutions.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of controls engineering, automation, machine controls, or related industrial equipment experience.
• Strong PLC programming and troubleshooting experience.
• Experience with HMI development, machine software support, and electrical controls troubleshooting.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and technical documentation.
• Experience supporting industrial machinery, automation systems, machine tools, or custom equipment.
• Strong hands-on troubleshooting ability in shop-floor, machine build, or field-service environments.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with engineering, service, production, and customer teams.
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain technical issues clearly.
• Safety-focused, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple technical priorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop, modify, troubleshoot, and support PLC and HMI programs for advanced industrial machinery.
• Support controls engineering activities for custom machine builds, retrofits, upgrades, and customer-specific projects.
• Troubleshoot electrical, software, automation, and machine-control issues during build, startup, commissioning, and service.
• Work with PLCs, HMIs, drives, sensors, motion systems, safety circuits, and industrial communication networks.
• Read and interpret electrical schematics, controls drawings, machine layouts, and technical documentation.
• Support machine startup, debug, validation, customer acceptance, and field commissioning activities.
• Collaborate with mechanical engineering, electrical design, service, production, and international technical teams.
• Provide technical support for customers, internal service teams, and production personnel.
• Assist with controls standards, documentation, process improvements, and troubleshooting best practices.
• Maintain a strong focus on machine safety, quality, reliability, and long-term equipment performance.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI development

Electrical schematics

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Siemens PLCs

TIA Portal

Job description

Connect Force Recruiting is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer for a precision machinery manufacturer in the Farmington Hills area. The role focuses on designing, programming, troubleshooting, startup, and optimizing advanced automation systems.

The ideal candidate brings strong PLC/HMI skills, experience with Siemens equipment, and a collaborative approach across engineering, service, and production teams to deliver high-precision manufacturing solutions.