Sr Controls Engineer

The Walt Disney Company; Anaheim (CA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company in Anaheim, CA is seeking a Sustaining Controls Engineer to design, develop, and troubleshoot PLC hardware and ride-control software. You will lead technical projects, mentor junior staff, and respond to uptime events across Disneyland Resort systems.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in amusement/industrial controls, strong PLC experience, and knowledge of electrical codes and safety standards.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of controls systems experience in amusement park or industrial environment.
• Ride element performance analysis including dynamic, kinematic, hydraulic and pneumatic analysis.
• Electronic control systems and signal processing, including relays and programmable logic controllers.
• Electrical motor controls with VFDs and soft starts.
• Industrial automation PLCs including Rockwell, Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi.
• National and California Electrical Code compliance.
• NRTL certifications such as UL, TUV, ETL.
• Wiring and interconnect diagrams; ANSI/IEEE standards.
• Oral/written communication via email, Slack, Teams to update stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Respond to attraction downtime, supporting Engineering Services and Operations.
• Develop scope for reliability improvement: design, install, test, document, closeout.
• Select systems and equipment to meet design requirements and codes.
• Monitor downtime trends for reliability improvements.
• Ensure control system performance stays within criteria.
• Investigate and troubleshoot at system and detail levels.
• Plan and coordinate Sustaining Engineering tasks.
• Troubleshoot PLC software/hardware on complex ride systems.
• Understand ride interfaces and overall attraction operation.
• Collaborate with other Engineering teams on design efforts.
• Engage maintenance and operations to gather intel and improve reliability.
• Perform ride system hazard analyses including FMEA.
• Adhere to change processes and stay current with ride-control tech.

Skills

Controls systems

PLC troubleshooting

Electrical engineering

Ride system expertise

Electrical codes

ANSI/IEEE standards

C/C++

HMI/SCADA familiarity

Wiring diagrams

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (ABET-accredited)

Master of Science in a technical discipline

Tools

AutoCAD

Ladder Logic

Job description

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Job ID 10162313 Location Anaheim, California, United States Business Disney Experiences Date posted Oct. 14, 2026

As a Sustaining Controls Engineer, you will have the opportunity to work on the Ride Control aspect of Registered Attractions for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. You will be hands-on, designing, developing, and troubleshooting PLC hardware/modules as well as some smaller scale software coding as needed. This is a highly dynamic work environment with rapidly changing priorities where you will be providing technical direction; delivering troubleshooting resolution; analyzing control system/software hazards; and leading technical projects. In this senior engineer capacity, you will have minimal oversight from leadership, manage tasks independently, and mentor early career Cast.The ideal candidate is passionate about technology, service provider work environments, machine learning, and safety.

Accountable for field engineering support to the Disneyland Resort and supporting departments, including control systems engineering services for ride, show, and other ride-related control systems.These services include: planning, organizing, and leading teams in troubleshooting; problem resolution; system operational enhancements; system reliability improvement; and documentation.Must have sufficient technical knowledge and awareness of details to be able to recognize when technical problems are developing in various disciplines, and to initiate appropriate corrective actions.Respond to mechanical and control emergencies resulting from Attraction downtimes at the Resort.

This position reports to the Sr Manager, Sustaining Engineering.

This is a Full-Time role.

What You Will Do:

• Respond to attraction downtime, supporting Engineering Services and Operations' urgent needs
• Develop scope for attraction reliability improvement efforts – design, install, testing, documentation, and closeout
• Select systems and equipment that will satisfy design requirements and applicable codes and standards
• Monitor downtime trends looking for targeted areas of improvement for reliability efforts
• Monitor control system performance to ensure systems operate within established performance criteria
• Ability to investigate, troubleshoot, and communicate at the system level and be able to dive into the details when needed
• Responsible for planning, scheduling, conducting and coordinating the technical and management aspects of Sustaining Engineering tasks
• Proficient in troubleshooting PLC software and hardware on complex ride systems
• Understand ride system interfaces and how they relate to the overall operation of the Attraction
• Partner with other Engineering teams on design efforts
• Interact with maintenance teams and operations partners – gathering intel during downtime response and working cohesively on reliability improvement efforts.
• Perform ride system hazard analyses, including fault tree analysis and FMEA
• Ensure compliance with standards and codes: IEEE, NFPA, ASTM, DOSH, NEC/CEC, etc...
• Adhere to Department change process documents and procedures
• Stay apprised of the latest developments in ride control system technology, equipment and materials so that designs specify cost-effective, energy-efficient and reliable systems.
• Ability to work during off-hours/3rd shift hours as needed to support projects/attractions
• Other responsibilities as assigned

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Controls Systems experience with 5+ years in the amusement park industry or industrial/manufacturing environment
• Ride element performance analysis: dynamic, kinematic, hydraulic and pneumatic analysis and calculations
• Electronic control systems and signal processing, including familiarity with relays and programmable logic controllers
• Electrical motor controls, including variable frequency drives and soft starts
• Variety of industrial automation PLC's including Rockwell, Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Mitsubishi, etc...
• National and California Electrical Code
• Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory certifications such as UL, TUV, ETL, etc...
• AutoCAD& Ladder Logic
• Object-oriented programming, i.e., C/C++
• Wiring and interconnect diagrams
• ANSI, ASTM, and IEEE standards
• Oral and written communication skills leveraging a variety of technologies including email, text, web applications (Slack, SharePoint, Teams) to update stakeholders on task status and schedule

Preferred Qualifications:

• California Professional Registration
• Controls circuit design and/or troubleshooting
• ICL - imagineer's control language
• Safety PLCs and safety industrial controls
• Audio/Visual systems
• Systems reliability
• Scripting in C, VB, JS, etc....

Ed ucation:

• Bachelor of Science from an ABET-accredited engineering program in Electrical Engineering or equivalent with a competitive GPA.

Preferred Education:

• Master of Science in a technical discipline.

The hiring range for this position in Anaheim, CA is $130,800.00-$159,800.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

This position is withWalt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc., which is part of a business we callDisney Experiences.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs (opens in new window) . We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

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