Senior Controls Engineer, Innovation

• Find the opportunity. Work with customers and commercial, field, and engineering teams to uncover unmet needs and turn them into clear use cases and technical requirements.
• Shape the concept. Create solutions that balance customer value with feasibility, safety, reliability, cost, manufacturability, serviceability, and scale.
• Build and program prototypes. Design, integrate, and test controls using PLCs, HMIs, motion, vision, sensors, drives, safety systems, and industrial networks.
• Explore emerging technology. Assess new tools and platforms for technical fit, risk, and business value.
• Prove what works. Create test plans, run structured experiments, analyse results, and make evidence-led recommendations to advance, refine, redirect, or stop a concept.

• Integrate complete systems. Connect primary machinery with third-party equipment and optimise sequences, motion profiles, and cycle times.
• Design safety in. Apply machine-safety requirements and configure controllers, zones, guarding interfaces, light curtains, interlocks, and safety-rated monitored stops.
• Take solutions from build to start-up. Support debug, validation, FAT, installation, SAT, commissioning, and optimisation.
• Solve the hard problems. Troubleshoot complex issues, identify root causes, and implement robust fixes.

• Transfer technology. Partner with Product and Engineering Operations to convert successful concepts into reusable architectures, software modules, standards, and implementation guidance.
• Support pilots and first installations. Demonstrate prototypes, support pilot builds and customer launches, and feed real-world learning into future solutions.
• Own your delivery. Plan controls activities, meet agreed requirements and schedules, and communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs clearly.

• Connect teams. Work across Innovation, Product, Engineering Operations, Manufacturing, Project Management, Field Service, Applications, and Commercial teams to keep development focused on real customer and business value.
• Engage externally. Collaborate with customers, suppliers, and technology partners to evaluate solutions and gather feedback.
• Make knowledge usable. Keep programs, electrical documentation, configurations, test records, and backups accurate and under version control, then share learning across teams.
• Keep improving. Strengthen development methods, testing practices, reusable content, and technology standards using lessons from prototypes, pilots, and field applications.

• You anchor innovation in a clear customer, market, or operational need.
• You turn promising ideas into functional, testable prototypes.
• You use evidence to decide what to advance, reshape, or stop.
• You move winning concepts beyond proof of concept into products, platforms, standards, or reusable modules.
• You build controls architectures and software that are safe, reliable, maintainable, and ready to reuse.
• You surface technical issues early, solve them at root cause, and equip other teams to adopt and sustain the solution.

• A bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation/Controls, or a related field—or an equivalent blend of technical education and experience.
• 5+ years designing, programming, integrating, testing, or commissioning industrial automation and controls.
• Strong PLC and HMI development experience.
• Hands-on experience with servo motion, VFDs, sensors, industrial networks, and machine-safety technologies.
• The ability to read, create, and update electrical schematics, panel layouts, and bills of material using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar tools.
• Experience supporting automated equipment through debug, FAT, installation, start-up, commissioning, and SAT.
• A talent for translating customer challenges into technical requirements, experiments, and practical concepts.
• Clear communication, sound judgement, and the flexibility to make progress as requirements and priorities evolve.

• Experience with Rockwell Automation, Siemens, or Allen-Bradley platforms.
• Depth in robotics, machine vision, high-speed servo motion, simulation, data acquisition, advanced sensing, or inspection.
• Experience with FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa/Motoman, or Universal Robots.
• Knowledge of industrial connectivity and data protocols such as OPC UA or MQTT.
• Familiarity with version control for controls software and with product-development or commercialisation processes.

• Comfortable combining extended computer-based programming and testing with hands-on work around machinery.
• Able to stand, walk, bend, reach, climb, and kneel when inspecting, testing, troubleshooting, or commissioning equipment.
• Able to work across office, laboratory, manufacturing, warehouse, and customer environments.
• Able to occasionally lift and carry tools, materials, or equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Comfortable using standard office and engineering equipment, including computers, programming devices, and meters.

• You will work across engineering offices, laboratories, manufacturing and test areas, and customer sites.
• You will work safely around moving machinery and industrial electrical systems, using required PPE.
• Domestic and international travel of up to 25% is expected for projects, pilots, training, and customer support.
• Occasional extended or non-standard hours may be needed during testing, start-up, field installation, or critical project deadlines.

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