Controls Engineer

Controls Engineer

Phoenix Laser Solutions, LLC — 7799 McHenry Street, Meadville, PA 16335

Experienced engineer wanted  —  Meadville, PA

WHY PHOENIX

Phoenix Laser Solutions is the largest YAG laser welding house in North America. We run five facilities across the Midwest and serve aerospace, medical, defense, and injection mold customers — work that's harder to find under one roof anywhere else in the region. We do precision repair, modification and assembly that most weld shops can't touch. Our automation team designs and builds the custom laser-welding cells our customers run on their own floors.

What that means for you: your work is visible end-to-end. You spec the controller, write the code, commission the machine, and watch a customer run it. There's no production black box.

WHAT THIS ROLE IS

We're hiring an experienced Controls Engineer to own the electrical and software side of our custom laser-welding automation cells. You'll work the full lifecycle — from picking the controller and drives, to writing the PLC, motion, and vision code, to commissioning the system on the customer's floor.

You'll work alongside our mechanical designers, project managers, and senior Controls Engineer. Small team, real ownership, and you see your machines run.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Define the controls architecture for new automation systems — controller, I/O, motion, safety interlocks, vision — based on production and customer requirements.
• Write and commission PLC logic, motion programs, robot routines, and vision applications. Our standard stack is Rockwell Studio 5000, Codesys, and Cognex.
• Design electrical schematics and bills of materials in AutoCAD LT to NEC and NFPA 79 standards.
• Review drawings before release to manufacturing — verify they match the mechanical design and customer requirements, and that they’re practical for the panel shop to build.
• Size electrical actuators and drives, and select hardware that fits the application.
• Travel to customer sites for installation, commissioning, and field service (typically 2–4 trips per year).
• Support the shop floor when machines need debugging — yours and your teammates’.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• 4-year technical degree, or 5+ years of controls engineering experience on custom automation.
• Hands-on PLC programming (Rockwell Studio 5000 and/or Codesys).
• Comfortable specifying motion components and sizing drives and actuators.
• Schematic design experience in AutoCAD LT (or equivalent), with working knowledge of NEC and NFPA 79.
• Able to communicate clearly with mechanical engineers, shop techs, and customers in the field.

Nice to Have (not required — we can train)

• Cognex vision experience.
• Industrial robotics experience.
• Background in laser welding, machining, or aerospace, medical, or defense manufacturing.

SCHEDULE & TRAVEL

On-site at our Meadville, PA facility. Full-time, day shift, Monday–Friday. 40-hour (7:00am–3:00pm) or 45-hour (7:00am–4:00pm) weeks available.

Travel is typically 2–4 customer-site trips per year for installation, commissioning, and field service.

PAY

Depending on experience. Placement based on a skills assessment when you come in. We’d rather start you fairly than haggle.

BENEFITS

• Health coverage — Health, dental, and vision insurance — choice of two plans: a fully company-paid plan, or a premium plan with employee contribution.
• Income protection —  Life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability.
• Retirement — Simple IRA with up to 3% employer match.
• Holidays — 8 paid holidays, including the day after Thanksgiving.
• Paid time off — Paid time off that grows with tenure, up to four weeks annually. Unused PTO is paid out each year, not lost.
• Leave — Bereavement leave, jury duty pay, and military leave as needed.
• Tool Purchase Account — Get the tools you need now and pay them back through payroll over time.
• Educational reimbursement — Tuition and books for approved coursework that builds your skills.
• Work environment — Climate-controlled, well-lit shop with state-of-the-art equipment.
• Reviews — Annual performance reviews with merit-based raises.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply through our BambooHR careers page: phoenixlaser.bamboohr.com/jobs.

Tell us what you’ve worked on, the controls stack you’ve used, and the kinds of automation you’ve commissioned. If you’ve built custom production systems end-to-end and want to do the same in a small team that owns the whole machine, we want to talk.

Phoenix Laser Solutions is an equal opportunity employer.