Senior/Staff Controls Engineer

Deterrence Defense, Inc.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Deterrence Defense, Inc. in Dallas, TX seeks a Controls Engineer to own PLC and HMI/SCADA development for automated manufacturing equipment. You will design, implement, and commission control systems, bringing them online on the production floor and supporting ramp and operations.

Preferred candidates have hands-on Siemens TIA Portal experience, Ignition SCADA familiarity, and FANUC robotics exposure, with a track record of on-site commissioning and safety-focused design.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years in industrial controls for Engineers, 5+ years for Senior, 8+ years for Staff.
• Hands-on proficiency with Siemens TIA Portal; experience with Ignition or comparable SCADA.
• Experience commissioning equipment on a live production floor.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement Siemens PLC control systems for automated production equipment.
• Develop HMI/SCADA screens, UDTs, faceplates, and alarming in Ignition.
• Design and specify industrial control panels (480VAC / 24VDC), I/O architecture, and device networks.
• Configure and integrate servos, VFDs, vision systems, sensors, and safety devices (ProfiSafe, fail-safe I/O).
• Implement safety architectures aligned with ISO 13849, IEC 61508, and ISO 10218.
• Program in ST (SCL), LAD, FBD, and SFC; maintain code under revision control.
• Integrate Profinet, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, and Ethernet/IP devices.
• Integrate and validate FANUC robot cells with PLC and safety controllers.
• Lead I/O checkout, system bring-up, FAT/SAT, and production support on the floor.
• Troubleshoot controls, network, and electromechanical faults to root cause.

Skills

PLC programming

HMI/SCADA development

Electrical schematics reading

Industrial safety standards

Root cause analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or related engineering

Tools

Siemens TIA Portal

Ignition SCADA

FANUC robotics

Industrial protocols (Profinet, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP)

GitHub / revision control

Job description

Controls Engineer

Summary

The Controls Engineer designs, programs, integrates, and commissions the control and safety systems that run Deterrence's automated manufacturing equipment at our Dallas-area production site. This is an execution role: you will own PLC and HMI/SCADA development for assigned equipment, bring systems up on the floor, and support production through ramp. Primary platforms are Siemens TIA Portal, Ignition SCADA, and FANUC robotics. We are hiring multiple engineers across levels; scope and independence scale with level.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement Siemens PLC control systems for automated production equipment.
• Develop HMI/SCADA screens, UDTs, faceplates, and alarming in Ignition.
• Design and specify industrial control panels (480VAC / 24VDC), I/O architecture, and device networks.
• Configure and integrate servos, VFDs, vision systems, sensors, and safety devices (ProfiSafe, fail-safe I/O).
• Implement safety architectures aligned with ISO 13849, IEC 61508, and ISO 10218.
• Program in ST (SCL), LAD, FBD, and SFC; maintain code under revision control.
• Integrate Profinet, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, and Ethernet/IP devices.
• Integrate and validate FANUC robot cells with PLC and safety controllers.
• Lead I/O checkout, system bring-up, FAT/SAT, and production support on the floor.
• Troubleshoot controls, network, and electromechanical faults to root cause.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or related engineering field, or equivalent experience.
• Engineer: 2+ years · Senior: 5+ years · Staff: 8+ years in industrial controls on production equipment.
• Hands-on proficiency with Siemens TIA Portal; experience with Ignition or comparable SCADA.
• Experience commissioning equipment on a live production floor.
• Working knowledge of machine safety standards and safety-rated motion.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and panel drawings.
• Revision control experience (GitHub, Siemens Project Server, or similar).

Level Expectations

Staff additionally owns controls architecture for a full equipment line, leads design reviews, mentors engineers, and interfaces directly with the customer's controls and maintenance teams.

Preferred Skills

• FANUC robot programming (TP/KAREL) or FANUC certification.
• Ignition Core Certification or higher.
• ROBOGUIDE or other virtual commissioning tools.
• Brownfield retrofit and multi-vendor integration experience.
• Industrial networking fundamentals (VLANs, managed switches, network diagnostics).