Automation / Controls Specialist (PLC Integration - Siemens / MES / Robots)

Controls & Automation Consultants; City of Elmira (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Growth opportunities

Innovative environment

Collaborative team culture

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in the City of Elmira seeks a Senior Controls Development Engineer to lead automation projects. Responsibilities include electrical design, programming of control systems, and managing vendor relationships. Ideal candidates possess a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and extensive experience in automation. This senior contract role promotes collaboration and technical innovation within a dynamic team environment. Exceptional skills in Siemens TIA Portal and AutoCAD Electrical are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or equivalent experience.
• Minimum three to five years working on industrial automation projects.
• Expert level programming with Siemens TIA Portal using ladder logic.

Responsibilities

• Lead project coordination with external vendors and internal teams.
• Provide senior level electrical design and drafting in accordance with industry standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through troubleshooting.

Skills

Electrical design

Controls programming

Automation delivery

Project management

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD Electrical

Siemens TIA Portal

Fanuc robots

EPLAN

Job description

About the job Sr Controls Development Engineer

Overview

• In this role, you will be responsible for providing high quality leadership and execution for electrical design, controls programming, and automation delivery on industrial manufacturing projects. The Senior Controls Development Engineer will become an extension of our team to assist our customer with the design and development of new automation equipment and assembly lines in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• The consultant will work with Manufacturing Engineering leadership to define machine and process concepts, prepare detailed electrical schematics, and provide technical direction for electrical panel builds and vendor execution. Responsibilities include advanced programming of equipment code components such as PLCs, HMIs, robotics, servo drives, safety systems, and related automation platforms and leading equipment through startup, validation, and optimization to meet production and reliability targets.
• The consultant will take ownership of project documentation including scope, schedule, and budget and will drive lessons learned and best practices into engineering standards used across multiple programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead project coordination with external vendors and internal teams including ownership of scope, budget, schedule, communications, and quality.
• Provide senior level electrical design and drafting in accordance with industry standards including NFPA and UL and lead selection of hardware components.
• Architect and program equipment controls including PLCs, HMIs, robotics, motion systems, vision systems, safety controllers, SCADA integration, and industrial networking.
• Lead safety assessments, risk reduction activities, and formal equipment buyoffs in alignment with IEC standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through advanced troubleshooting and engineering analysis of cycle time, availability, and yield.
• Author and maintain technical standards and mentor junior engineering resources.
• Develop and modify electrical schematics using AutoCAD Electrical.
• Produce professional quality drawings for industrial control panels, automation systems, instrumentation and control layouts, and power distribution and wiring diagrams.
• Interpret redlines, markups, and engineering notes to create accurate CAD drawings.
• Maintain drawing standards, layering conventions, and documentation best practices.
• Support engineering teams with design revisions and documentation updates.
• Organize drawing packages and ensure version control.
• Coordinate with project engineers and customers to ensure design intent is met.

Requirements

• Education requirement includes a bachelors degree in electrical engineering or equivalent experience.
• Extensive experience managing complex automation projects with external vendors and cross functional internal teams.
• Advanced experience with electrical design and drafting using EPLAN or AutoCAD Electrical.
• Strong working knowledge of the NRTL program, NFPA 79, and UL 508A.
• Expert level programming with Siemens TIA Portal using ladder logic and graph.
• Strong familiarity with Siemens SICAR standard.
• Proven experience programming and integrating Fanuc robots.
• Deep experience with iRVision, Keyence, or Cognex vision systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading safety assessments and buyoffs.
• Working knowledge of IEC 13849 1 and ANSI/RIA R15.06.
• Strong technical writing skills and experience developing engineering standards.
• Minimum three to five years working on industrial automation projects.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting systems integrators or automation projects.
• Familiarity with industrial standards including ISA, NFPA, and UL 508A.
• Experience with panel shop documentation packages.

Why Join Us

• Growth Opportunities to work with a team that will enhance your technical development.
• Innovative Environment to engage with advanced technologies and challenging projects.
• Team Culture that values collaboration, transparency, and innovation.
• Senior contract position supporting critical manufacturing automation initiatives with full lifecycle involvement including design, panel build oversight, programming, commissioning, and production ramp.
• Direct collaboration with equipment vendors and internal engineering leadership with deliverables to include control architecture, schematics, validated code, commissioning leadership, and technical documentation.

Interview Process

• Virtual Interviews conducted via Zoom.
• On Site Interviews may be scheduled for final discussions to meet the broader team.

Additional Information

• Work performed in Upstate New York.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to any factor protected by federal, state, or local laws. Reasonable accommodations will be provided as required.