Sr Controls Engineer

Under the direction of the Controls Engineering Manager, the Senior Controls Engineer designs electrical control systems for all thermal systems and process equipment meeting safety standards, project deadlines and project cost constraints to meet or exceed our customer’s needs.

May be required to assist in directing and coordinating activities to meet project specifications and deadlines.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Review, interpret and document customer specifications, sales agreements, and other project related information prior to the kick-off meeting with the project team.
• Attend the kick-off meeting with the project team to discuss project requirements highlighting critical design features, high risk areas, and / or areas of concern.

Generate list of questions and / or missing information required to complete the design and manufacturing of the equipment.

• Attend progress meetings, including kick-off meeting, with manufacturing personnel prior to the start of interconnect wiring and post job review meeting with the project team after commissioning of the equipment.
• Responsible for information flow on projects, not necessarily performing all related tasks but delegating those tasks and ensuring completion of tasks.
• Manage the gathering of missing information from customer, vendors, etc., and document responses.
• Provide all aspects of the equipment electrical design including necessary calculations, advance orders of long lead components, ladder logic electrical schematics, control panel layouts with complete bills of material, software design for PLC’s, software design for HMI’s using sound practical engineering principles and safety standard, while meeting project deadlines, estimated engineering hours and estimated equipment cost constraints.
• Support Quality Assurance personnel and assist in the testing of equipment prior to customer buy-offs, including trouble shooting of PLC and HMI software programs where applicable to ensure safe and proper equipment operation.
• Act as technical resource for Sales, Applications, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance and Field Service assisting in addressing and resolving questions and issues.
• Participate on cross-functional teams to address and resolve manufacturing, design and quality problems and ensure the continuous, on-going improvement of processes and methods.
• Review designs of lower level engineers to ensure design meets or exceeds customer needs while staying consistent with Company’s engineering standard practices.
• Participate in the interviewing process for all potential new hires and provide input in making final candidate selections.
• May be required to schedule, prepare, and carry out the annual coaching process for new engineers and assist lower-level engineers with this process to manage their training and development.

Ensure employees are performing up to maximum potential and that goals are set appropriately for individual success.

• Assist in documenting training procedures for new engineers and developing metrics to gauge their progress.
• Provide written sequence of operation and technical support in creating instruction manuals.
• Manage and assist in maintaining the electrical estimating workbook.
• Compile input from upper level engineers, Sales, Manufacturing, and vendors and use this information to work with lower level engineers to write and maintain engineering design standards.

This includes standard engineering drawings, standard software designs for PLC’s and HMI’s and standard engineering practices for oven design and vendor design data.

Assist upper level engineers in determining engineering resource requirements to maintain budgeted business levels.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Ability to mentor, coach, train and develop staff members with patience and understanding, providing clear and concise direction to assure successful learning and growth.
• Must have the ability to read, analyze and interpret documents such as project and customer specifications, professional codes and standards and engineering drawings.

Solid understanding of industrial controls and electrical schematics.

• Ability to provide direction and delegate effectively. Ability to independently resolve issues / problems with good judgment.
• Ability to assess situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks and make clear, timely decisions that are in the best interest of the department and the organization.

Possess the ability to see an issue or situation from different points of view.

• Ability to listen attentively, ask questions ensuring clear expectations, follow directions and provide prompt continuous follow-up.
• Highly motivated with a strong work ethic and the ability to prioritize and accomplish tasks with minimal supervision.
• Ability to build relationships, good rapport and instill confidence. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with many personality types and adapt to varying environments, tasks, people and change in general.
• Punctual, highly organized, self-motivated, self-directed, confident self-starter willing to accept responsibility for results.

Must be committed to excellence, accuracy in work and attention to details. Sets high goals and standards for self and others.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and 5-7 years of related experience or 7-10 years of progressively responsible related experience or a combination of education and experience.
8 days ago