Senior Industrial Automation & Controls Technician

Socket.dev

Blair (WI)

On-site

USD 90,000 - 120,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

PTO

401k matching

Health, dental, vision, life insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Employee assistance programs

Job summary

AMPI is seeking an Automation & Controls Engineer to own site automation, troubleshoot Rockwell PLCs and HMIs, and optimize processes across dairy manufacturing operations in Wisconsin. You will support packaging, utilities, and network infrastructure, while mentoring technicians and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.

The role requires a technical degree and 5+ years of experience with Rockwell controls; AutoCAD LT is a plus.

Qualifications

Associate degree or technical certification in Industrial Automation or related field.
5+ years of relevant work experience in automation or controls.
Experience with Rockwell PLC and HMI software/systems.
AutoCAD LT experience is a plus.
Technical knowledge of dairy processing operations is preferred.
Prior manufacturing/automation experience required.

Responsibilities

Serve as primary site SME for industrial automation, controls, PLCs, HMIs, and associated control systems.
Maintain, troubleshoot, modify, and optimize Rockwell/Allen-Bradley PLC-based control systems and HMI applications.
Diagnose complex automation issues and identify root causes affecting equipment reliability, process performance, and production capability.
Support automation and controls across fluid processing, milk handling, pasteurization, separation, standardization, cheese making, ingredient systems, CIP, utilities, and packaging operations.
Troubleshoot and optimize control loops, sensors, transmitters, valves, VFDs, motors, and related control devices.
Apply controls expertise to improve process stability, equipment performance, yield, quality, and operational consistency.
Support automation systems for fillers, packaging equipment, conveyors, case packing, palletizing, robotics, vision systems, servo/motion systems, and material handling equipment.
Troubleshoot communication and controls issues between packaging equipment and upstream/downstream process systems.
Troubleshoot industrial networks and connectivity affecting automation; support Ethernet/IP and other industrial tech.
Maintain awareness of network architecture and controls infrastructure impacting plant reliability.
Provide hands-on technical support to Maintenance and Operations personnel during failures.
Participate in on-call rotation for off-shift support.
Coach and develop maintenance technicians in automation and controls.
Respond with urgency to critical automation failures and restore safe operation.
Analyze failures to identify root causes and implement sustainable solutions.
Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and reduce variability.
Lead or support automation-focused continuous improvement initiatives.
Provide controls expertise during equipment upgrades, capital projects, and process improvements.
Participate in design reviews, testing, installation, commissioning and startup activities.
Review vendor/integrator controls solutions for alignment with plant standards.
Maintain controls documentation and troubleshooting guides to improve site capability.