Senior Engineer - Warehouse Controls Engineer

Abbott (abbottcareers2 board); North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott Distribution Center (North Chicago), IL is seeking a Warehouse PLC / Controls Engineer to maintain, troubleshoot, and improve automated control systems in a warehouse environment, focusing on uptime for conveyors, sortation, and material handling.

You will diagnose PLC/HMI issues, provide real-time support to operations, develop as-built documentation, and lead preventive maintenance and upgrades in collaboration with vendors and engineering teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Controls Engineering or equivalent.
• 4–7+ years of PLC programming and troubleshooting, preferably Allen-Bradley.
• FDA-regulated manufacturing or similar experience.
• Experience with validation or commissioning documentation.
• Knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, and industrial networks (EtherNet/IP, Profibus).

Responsibilities

• Diagnose and resolve PLC, HMI, and control system issues impacting warehouse operations.
• Provide real-time support to operations teams to minimize downtime.
• Analyze system faults, alarms, and logs to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Support troubleshooting of conveyors, sorters, pick-by-light and robotics systems.

Skills

PLC programming

Troubleshooting

HMI

Root-cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Controls Engineering

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLCs

EtherNet/IP/Profibus

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people's health. We're always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology.

Our diagnostic solutions are used in hospitals, laboratories, and clinics around the globe. The crucial information derived from our tests, instruments and informatics systems are often the first step in patient care decision making for hundreds of health conditions from heart attacks to blood disorders to infectious diseases and cancers.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You'll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor's degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This is not a remote opportunity

Traveling up to 5%

This position works out of our Abbott Distribution Center (North Chicago), IL location in the Core Diagnostics Division.

What You'll Work On

The Warehouse PLC / Controls Engineer is responsible for maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving automated control systems within a warehouse or distribution environment. This role focuses on maximizing system uptime through rapid issue resolution, preventive maintenance, and continuous improvement of PLC-controlled equipment such as conveyors, sortation systems, and automated material handling systems.

• Diagnose and resolve Programmable Logic Control (PLC), Human machine interface (HMI), and control system issues impacting warehouse operations.
• Provide real-time support to operations teams to minimize downtime.
• Analyze system faults, alarms, and logs to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Support troubleshooting of automation systems including conveyors, sorters, pick by light and robotics systems.

System Documentation

Develop and maintain accurate as-built documentation for PLC programs, network architecture, and control systems.

Update electrical schematics, I/O lists, and system configurations as modifications occur.

Ensure documentation is organized, version-controlled, and easily accessible.

Troubleshooting Guides & Knowledge Sharing

Create and continuously improve standardized troubleshooting guides and procedures.

Develop training materials and provide guidance to operators and maintenance technicians.

Capture lessons learned from recurring issues to build robust knowledge bases.

Continuous Improvement & Upgrades

Identify opportunities for system improvements to enhance reliability, efficiency, and performance.

Propose and implement equipment upgrades, control logic enhancements, and process optimizations.

Collaborate with vendors and engineering teams on system modifications and new installations.

Preventive & Predictive Maintenance

Develop and execute preventive maintenance strategies for PLCs, control panels, and automation systems.

Monitor system health and implement predictive maintenance techniques to prevent failures.

Ensure compliance with maintenance schedules to maximize uptime and equipment lifespan.

Testing & Commissioning

Support commissioning of new equipment, system upgrades, and retrofit projects.

Conduct Factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) testing and validate system performance post-implementation.

Verify proper operation of safety circuits and compliance with standards.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (Electrical or Controls Engineering preferred) or equivalent work experience.
• 4-7+ years of experience with PLC programming and troubleshooting (Prefer Allen-Bradley).
• FDA regulated manufacturing, consumer packaged goods or similar experience.
• Experience with validation or commissioning documentation.
• PLCs(Programmable Logic Control), HMIs(Human machine interface), VFDs (Variable Frequency Drive), and industrial networks (EtherNet/IP, Profibus, etc.)
• Electrical systems and control p