Senior Controls Engineer: Precision Machinery & Automation

Energy Jobline ZR; Livonia (MI); On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect Force Recruiting is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer in Farmington Hills, MI to design, program, troubleshoot, and commission advanced automation systems for high-precision manufacturing environments.

The role requires strong PLC/HMI skills, extensive experience with Siemens platforms, and the ability to collaborate with mechanical, electrical, software, and service teams across projects. Occasional travel and field startup experience are expected.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of controls engineering or related industrial equipment experience.
• Strong PLC programming and troubleshooting experience.
• Experience with HMI development and machine software support.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and technical documentation.
• Experience with automation systems and machine tools.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
• Safety-focused and detail-oriented.

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

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety-focused

Tools

Siemens PLCs

Siemens HMIs

TIA Portal

Profinet

Ethernet/IP

Profibus

Job description

Connect Force Recruiting is seeking a Senior Controls Engineer in Farmington Hills, MI to design, program, troubleshoot, and commission advanced automation systems for high-precision manufacturing environments.

The role requires strong PLC/HMI skills, extensive experience with Siemens platforms, and the ability to collaborate with mechanical, electrical, software, and service teams across projects. Occasional travel and field startup experience are expected.