Level 5 - Technical Lead Controls Engineer
- Position Description -
Position Overview: The Technical Lead Controls Engineer is the department's pinnacle technical role. This engineer designs andย delivers complex automation cells (PLC/HMI/robot, motion, safety, electrical and pneumatic), establishes coding and hardware standards,ย and serves as the primary technical mentor for the Controls team. In addition to executing individual projects, the Technical Leadย influences system-level architecture decisions, troubleshoots high-impact issues, and represents Controls Engineering in advancedย customer and supplier discussions. This position reports directly to the Director of Engineering.
Key Responsibilities:
- Architects and programs advanced control systems that meet or exceed performance, safety, cycle time, and quality targets.
- Manages multiple projects concurrently, drives schedules, leads design reviews, and coordinates crossfunctional debug/runoffย until customer buyoff.
- Creates, publishes, and enforces departmental coding, HMI, and electrical standards; spearheads process improvements thatย raise efficiency and repeatability.
- Coaches Senior and midlevel engineers, delivers technical training sessions, and guides interns and coops on best practices.
- Presents simulations and designs, manages technical scope changes, and specifies key components with suppliers, maintainingย professional, solutionfocused relationships.
- Institutionalizes the principles via standards, training, and architecture; sets the bar for quality and reuse; makes high-leverage, frugal decisions.
- Willing to travel approximately 10% - 20%.
- Champion Our Operating Principles: You will be expected to actively embody and uphold our ten Operating Principles, which guide our every action and decision at Axis Automation. These principles are key to our culture and success.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, or related engineering field preferred.
- Experience: Minimum of 6 years in controls/automation with proven mastery of PLC, HMI, robot (online & offline), motion, andย vision programming.
- Technical Skills:
- Highest-level competency in electrical and pneumatic schematics and safety-circuit design.
- Designs the most advanced digital twins and simulations, accurately verifying crash conditions and validating cycleย times against realworld performance.
- Indepth knowledge of PLC ladder logic, structured text, system architecture, and program execution optimization.
- Highlevel robotic programming proficiency across multiple robot manufacturers, including auxiliary andย processoriented axes.
- Proven track record of validated safety code and hardwired safety applications that meet or exceed currentย RIA/ANSI standards.
- HMI design and programming expertise spanning multiple software environments.
- Extensive experience with motioncontrol systems such as VFDs, servo systems, and auxiliary positioning robotย axes.
- Leadership: Documented track record of leading project teams, controls engineering contractors, internal mentorship, andย elevating departmental standards through continuousimprovement initiatives that elevate overall engineering quality.
- Communication:ย Communicates clearly with project teams, peers, crossfunctional groups, customers, and suppliers;ย regarded as an allaround resource for anyone interacting with Axis Automation.
- Problem-Solving: Goto expert for troubleshooting across wiring, controls theory, program execution, robotics, and generalย automation.
- Teamwork: Models collaborative behavior by proactively sharing knowledge, supporting colleagues during crunch periods,ย and fostering a culture of mutual respect and high performance.
- Reliability: Demonstrates reliability through thorough handoffs, ontime project delivery, and adherence to the highestย standard of "rightthefirsttime" quality.
Benefits: Axis offers a comprehensive benefits package to our employees with immediate eligibility upon hire.