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Controls Engineering Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

MatrixIndustrialAutomation

Controls Engineer

Bartlett, IL · On-site

$110K - $135K/yr

The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in electrical engineering and automation, with a ... in controls engineering with a focus on automation and robotics * Hands-on experience with PLCs ...

MATRIX DESIGN LLC

Controls Engineer

Bartlett, IL

$82K - $106K/yr

The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in electrical engineering and automation, with a ... in controls engineering with a focus on automation and robotics * Hands-on experience with PLCs ...

Haumiller Engineering Co

Controls Engineer II

Belvidere, IL · On-site

$90K - $115K/yr

Haumiller Engineering has an exciting opportunity for a Controls Engineer in our Belvidere, IL facility. The Controls Engineer is responsible for developing and maintaining electrical, pneumatic and ...

Generac

Senior Controls Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$115K - $155K/yr

Partner crossfunctionally with Controls Engineering, Service, Commissioning, and Sales teams to deliver strong customer outcomes * Balance handson project execution with continuous improvement of ...

AbbVie

Senior Controls Engineer

North Chicago, IL · On-site

$93K - $123K/yr

The Controls Engineer supports the development, maintenance, and integration of AbbVie ... This role is a handson individual contributor responsible for executing control engineering tasks ...

Intellectt INC

Controls Engineer

Libertyville, IL · On-site

$81K - $105K/yr

We have an urgent opening for a Controls Engineer position based in Libertyville, IL with one of ... Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering * 5+ years in manufacturing/automation * Experience with Allen ...

Intellectt INC

Controls Engineer

Libertyville, IL · On-site

$81K - $105K/yr

Controls Engineer Location: Libertyville, IL Seeking a Controls Engineer with 7+ years of ... Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field Preferred: * Experience in medical ...

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All JobsControls Engineering JobsControls Engineering Jobs in Illinois

Controls Engineering information

See Illinois salary details

$53.3K

$93.6K

$126.9K

How much do controls engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for controls engineering in Illinois is $93,582.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $80,900.00 and $104,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is controls engineering?

Controls engineering is a specialized field of engineering that focuses on designing, developing, and implementing systems that manage, command, direct, or regulate the behavior of other devices or systems. Controls engineers use principles from electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering to automate processes, improve efficiency, and ensure safety in industries such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and energy. Their work often involves programming controllers, designing feedback systems, and integrating sensors and actuators to achieve precise control over machinery and processes.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Controls engineers typically do not earn $500,000 annually; such high salaries are more common in executive or specialized roles within engineering fields. Senior engineers with extensive experience, advanced certifications, or leadership positions in large corporations may approach high six-figure incomes, but reaching $500,000 is rare for standard controls engineering roles.

What does a controls engineer do?

A controls engineer designs, develops, and maintains control systems that automate machinery and processes. They work with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), sensors, and actuators to ensure systems operate efficiently and safely, often using engineering software and technical skills. Their role involves troubleshooting, testing, and optimizing control systems in manufacturing or industrial environments.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior controls engineers, especially those with extensive experience, specialized skills in automation, and certifications like Professional Engineer (PE), can earn $300,000 or more annually. High-level roles in industries such as aerospace, oil and gas, or large manufacturing often offer such compensation, particularly for engineers in managerial or lead positions with advanced expertise in PLCs, SCADA systems, and robotics.

How does a Controls Engineer typically collaborate with other engineering disciplines during a project?

Controls Engineers frequently work alongside mechanical, electrical, and software engineers to ensure seamless integration of automated systems. They are responsible for developing and implementing control strategies that meet project specifications, which often involves coordinating with design, installation, and commissioning teams. Effective communication and teamwork are crucial, as Controls Engineers must align their solutions with the overall project goals and troubleshoot cross-disciplinary issues that arise during development and testing phases.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Controls engineers, especially those with extensive experience, advanced certifications, and expertise in automation, can earn $200,000 or more annually. Senior-level roles often require strong knowledge of PLC programming, industrial networks, and project management, typically in manufacturing or process industries. Compensation varies based on location, industry, and individual skill set.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Controls Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Controls Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, automation, and process control, often supported by a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with PLC programming, SCADA systems, HMI development, and industry certifications such as Certified Automation Professional (CAP) are typically required. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication help you excel in troubleshooting and collaborating with cross-functional teams. These skills are essential to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable operation of automated systems in industrial environments.
What are popular job titles related to Controls Engineering jobs in Illinois? For Controls Engineering jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Controls Engineering jobs in Illinois look for? The top searched job categories for Controls Engineering jobs in Illinois are:
Controls Engineering jobs near you
Fleet Software & Controls Engineering Lead

Fleet Software & Controls Engineering Lead

Intelligent Generation

Oak Brook, IL • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 7 days ago

Job description

Benefits:
  • Warrants
  • Annual bonus
  • 401(k)
  • 401(k) matching
  • Competitive salary
  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off

Fleet Software & Controls Engineering Lead
Full Time | Hybrid | Chicago Metro Area

Build the software layer that operates and optimizes a distributed battery fleet
Intelligent Generation’s mission is to empower businesses to engage the clean energy grid. 
Intelligent Generation builds and operates POWR:Suite, a software platform that helps battery energy storage assets make highly profitable economic decisions.
POWR:Suite connects distributed energy assets to wholesale power markets while also optimizing behind-the-meter value: reducing utility bills, managing demand charges, improving asset performance, supporting resilience, and helping customers capture the full economic value of their energy assets.
Our work sits at the intersection of energy markets, grid operations, virtual power plants, customer savings, software automation, telemetry, and AI-assisted decision-making.
We are looking for a software engineering leader to own and scale the fleet software and controls-adjacent application layer of POWR:Suite.
This is a leadership role. You will be hands-on early, but the expectation is that you will grow into leading engineers, shaping architecture, and orchestrating AI agents that support software delivery, testing, documentation, monitoring, and operational workflows.
Why this role matters
POWR:Suite operates in the real world. The software affects physical assets, market participation, customer bills, demand charge outcomes, operator decisions, asset performance, resilience, and revenue confidence.
As IG scales, we need fleet software that makes economic decisions more repeatable, explainable, observable, and optimized across market and customer-side value streams.
You will help build that layer.
What you will lead and own
Fleet operations software
Lead the software services that support dispatch, state-of-charge management, availability, asset readiness, market participation, customer bill optimization, demand charge management, resilience use cases, and operational decision-making across a growing BESS fleet.
Operator applications
Own the tools operators and field teams use every day: control panels, fleet dashboards, workflow tools, alerts, status views, exception handling, and operational decision support.
Event-driven services
Design and operate the service layer that moves telemetry, commands, statuses, and operational events across POWR:Suite. Build for reliability, observability, ordering, failure recovery, and real-world operating conditions.
Controls-adjacent software
Develop deep fluency in how software decisions affect physical asset behavior and economic outcomes. Partner across controls, operations, and platform teams to make fleet behavior safer, clearer, and more repeatable.
Economic decisioning workflows
Build software that helps determine when assets should charge, discharge, preserve state of charge, participate in market programs, reduce customer demand charges, or support resilience needs.
Commissioning and configuration workflows
Build software that reduces manual steps in asset onboarding, configuration, commissioning, testing, and readiness tracking.
Software agents
Build, maintain, evaluate, and govern agents that support software delivery and operations, including code review agents, test agents, regression agents, documentation agents, commissioning support agents, and operator workflow assistants.
People and agent orchestration
Over time, build and lead a software engineering function. Define how engineers and agents work together to improve delivery speed, review quality, test coverage, documentation, operational support, and system reliability.
What success looks like
First 90 days

  • Understand POWR:Suite’s current fleet software, dispatch workflows, operator tools, economic decisioning logic, and controls-adjacent processes
  • Own a defined improvement in the fleet or operator workflow
  • Document key system flows, dependencies, decision points, and failure modes
  • Identify high-value agent-assisted opportunities in development, testing, operations, or operator support
First 6 months

  • Take primary ownership of selected fleet software services or operator applications
  • Improve usability, reliability, and observability of dispatch-related workflows
  • Build tools that reduce manual operational steps
  • Deploy or improve agents that assist with code review, testing, documentation, commissioning, or operator support
First 12 months

  • Lead the software function for fleet operations and controls-adjacent applications
  • Reduce dependency on tribal knowledge by codifying workflows, tests, and operational logic
  • Improve the scalability and resilience of POWR:Suite’s fleet software layer
  • Build the foundation for a team that can scale software delivery with agent leverage
What we are looking for
Required

  • 8+ years in software engineering, systems engineering, full-stack engineering, back-end engineering, or controls-adjacent software
  • Experience leading technical work across teams or mentoring engineers
  • Strong Python experience in production systems
  • Experience building APIs, services, event-driven systems, and operational applications
  • Experience with real-time, high-reliability, hardware-adjacent, industrial, or operational software
  • Ability to build practical internal tools for operators, field teams, or technical users
  • Strong debugging instincts across software, data, infrastructure, and system behavior
  • Hands-on experience using AI tools as part of engineering work
  • Ability to build, maintain, evaluate, govern, or orchestrate agents that support engineering and operational workflows
  • Strong curiosity about physical systems and how software affects real-world and economic outcomes
Strongly preferred

  • GCP experience, especially Cloud Run, Pub/Sub, Cloud SQL, or similar managed services
  • Experience with WebSockets, real-time dashboards, event streams, or operational interfaces
  • BESS, SCADA, EMS, DER, energy management, inverter, or industrial controls exposure
  • Familiarity with DNP3, Modbus, ICCP, or similar protocols
  • Familiarity with LabVIEW
  • Experience with state machines, deterministic logic, simulation, or control-adjacent systems
  • Experience building or leading a software engineering team
Why this is exciting
You will build software that matters in the physical world and in the customer’s economics. Your work will help IG operate a growing distributed energy fleet, improve market participation, reduce customer bills, manage demand charges, support resilience, reduce operational drag, and turn complex energy workflows into scalable software and agent-assisted execution.
This is a hybrid position and will require remote and in-person (Oak Brook/Chicago) work.
Intelligent Generation participates in the E-Verify process for all new hires.

Flexible work from home options available.