System Engineer

CandidTalent; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Three weeks vacation

Medical, dental and vision

401(k) with company match

Relocation support

Ongoing training and certifications

Job summary

CandidTalent is hiring for a Rockwell automation engineer in the Conejo Valley area of California. This in-office role involves traveling to client sites across LA and Ventura County to deliver Rockwell-based control systems in pharma/biotech environments.

You will own multiple projects, mentor juniors, and work within a GMP quality system, with a competitive base salary and full benefits. The position requires 3–8 years of hands-on Rockwell programming, expertise with ControlLogix/Studio 5000,

Qualifications

• 3–8 years in Rockwell automation engineering.
• Experience in pharma/biotech GMP environment with change control and validation.
• US work authorization, no visa sponsorship.
• Ability to own projects, scope, run and document delivery.

Responsibilities

• Take a design from P&ID through configuration and testing to a commissioned system.
• Lead smaller projects and mentor junior engineers.
• Work on Rockwell projects for biotech/pharma manufacturers in Southern California.

Skills

Rockwell programming

HMI/SCADA

Project leadership

Mentoring juniors

GMP experience

Education

B.S. in Electrical, Chemical or Computer Engineering or Engineering Technology

Tools

Rockwell Automation

Studio 5000

PlantPAx

FactoryTalk View

Job description

Location: Conejo Valley area, California, in office with local client site travel

Salary: $130,000 base, plus performance bonus and full benefits

Schedule: Full time, in office, with travel to client sites across LA and Ventura County

If you write Rockwell code for a living and you have done it inside pharma or biotech, this is one of the better seats in Southern California right now.

You would join a life sciences engineering team in the Conejo Valley, working Rockwell projects for the biotech and pharma manufacturers up there. Real project delivery, not a ticket queue and not staff augmentation. You would own scope, run it, and bring a less experienced engineer along while you do. Small team, young office, golf course outside the door.

The company is one of the largest employee-owned automation integrators in North America, founded in 1989, and has never run a layoff in its history. Engineers tend to stay long term because the work is steady, the benefits are strong, and people are trusted to get on with their jobs.

What you'll do

The stack is Rockwell. ControlLogix and Studio 5000 for the logic, PlantPAx across the process layer, FactoryTalk View for HMI and SCADA. You would take a design from P&ID through configuration and testing to a commissioned system, documented to the standard a regulated client expects.

A typical week mixes design work in the office with time on client sites for reviews, testing and commissioning, alongside client process engineers, QA and operations. You would also lead smaller projects and mentor juniors.

What you'll need

Strong hands-on Rockwell programming, meaning code you wrote rather than maintained. ControlLogix and Studio 5000 are the core, with FactoryTalk View as the HMI layer and PlantPAx across the process side.

Pharma or biotech experience matters here, so you should be comfortable inside a GMP quality system with change control, SOPs and validation as part of the day. Some project leadership is expected too: a project you owned, a small team you led, a junior you brought along.

3 - 8 years is the core band, though more experienced engineers are welcome, and a B.S. in Electrical, Chemical or Computer Engineering or Engineering Technology is the standard expectation. US work authorization, no sponsorship.

Why this role is worth considering

The stability here is not marketing, and the client base is the local biotech cluster, which is useful on a resume in this part of the state.

Reasons engineers join include:

• Employee-owned business with no layoff in its history
• Real project ownership in life sciences rather than staff augmentation
• Leading small projects and mentoring juniors without becoming a people manager
• Performance bonus on top of base, and three weeks vacation
• Medical, dental and vision, and a 401(k) with company match
• Relocation support, ongoing training and certifications

The working setup

In office, with regular local travel to client sites across LA and Ventura County. Commissioning runs longer on site, but this is not a road warrior job. The process is short and can be done inside a week.

The kind of person who will do well

You do not need to be the most senior engineer in the market. You do need to pick up a project, scope it, run it and document it without being chased, and explain your logic to a process engineer or QA lead without losing them.

If you need constant greenfield work, heavy travel, or a fully remote schedule, this will not be the right role. If you have real Rockwell depth and life sciences behind you, it is worth a conversation.