Entry Level Controls Engineer Jobs in Reading, PA

NOW HIRING: INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS & AUTOMATION ENGINEERS

Entry-Level to Senior Industrial Electrical Engineering Opportunities

Department: Engineering (Electrical)

Location: On-site only | 531 Old Swede Road – Douglassville, PA 19518 (No remote work available)

Schedule: Monday–Friday | 8:00AM–4:30PM | Full-time hours

Compensation: Competitive salary based on experience, technical capability, education, and market data. Compensation level will align with demonstrated electrical engineering knowledge, applicable experience, and ability to contribute independently

Looking for real engineering work, hands-on problem solving, and projects that actually get built?

At American Crane & Equipment Corporation (ACECO), we are looking for Electrical Engineers with strong industrial controls and automation experience – particularly professionals who have programmed, commissioned, or supported automated equipment using Beckhoff Structured Text or comparable IEC 61131-3 programming platforms.

Direct overhead-crane experience is valuable, but it is not the only path into this role.

We are especially interested in engineers from industries that design, build, integrate, or support:

• Conveyor and sortation systems
• Automated material-handling equipment
• Distribution and fulfillment centers
• Packaging and processing machinery
• Robotics and motion-control systems
• Custom industrial machinery
• Warehouse automation
• Manufacturing automation
• Systems integration
• Heavy industrial equipment

If you have designed controls for equipment that moves, positions, lifts, transfers, sequences, or automates material, your experience may translate directly to our work.

This is not a purely theoretical engineering position. Your controls logic, electrical designs, and troubleshooting decisions will support equipment that is manufactured, tested, installed, and operated in real industrial environments.

You will not get lost here. Your work will be seen, and it will matter.

This is a hands-on industrial electrical engineering and controls role focused on custom crane, hoist, motion-control, and automated material-handling systems.

You will work across the full equipment lifecycle from electrical design and controls programming through manufacturing support, testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and field performance.

Depending on experience, you may support projects under mentorship or independently own the electrical and controls scope for complex engineered systems.

This role requires more than creating drawings. Success depends on understanding how hardware, software, motors, drives, sensors, safety systems, and mechanical equipment work together as one operating system.

You will do well here if you:

• Enjoy programming and troubleshooting real industrial equipment
• Can connect controls logic to physical machine behavior
• Take ownership of technical decisions and system performance
• Are comfortable working across electrical design, software, manufacturing, and testing
• Enjoy custom-engineered projects rather than repetitive product work
• Can communicate effectively with engineers, technicians, electricians, manufacturing employees, and customers
• Want your designs to be built, tested, and used

This role is likely not a fit if you:

• Prefer software development with little interaction with physical equipment
• Want a highly segmented role limited to one narrow engineering task
• Avoid hands-on troubleshooting or manufacturing-floor involvement
• Prefer repetitive controls projects with limited customization
• Do not want accountability for how the completed system performs

Early-Career Engineers

• Learn ACECO electrical standards, controls architecture, products, and engineering workflows
• Support electrical schematics, hardware selection, software documentation, and system testing
• Develop familiarity with PLCs, VFDs, motor controls, sensors, safety circuits, and crane operating sequences
• Build working relationships with Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing, Field Service, and Project Management
• Begin contributing to controls-programming and troubleshooting activities under guidance

Experienced Engineers

• Review existing industrial-controls architecture with minimal ramp-up
• Contribute independently to Structured Text programming, electrical design, and system troubleshooting
• Begin owning the electrical and controls scope for assigned projects
• Support manufacturing and field teams during equipment testing and issue resolution
• Identify opportunities to improve controls standards, reusable code, documentation, and engineering workflows
• Serve as a technical resource for less experienced engineers where appropriate

Controls Work With Physical Impact

Your software and electrical designs directly control large, highly customized industrial equipment.

Complex Automation Challenges

Work with motors, drives, feedback devices, motion systems, safety circuits, operator interfaces, sensors, and coordinated equipment sequences.

Transferable Industry Experience

Engineers from conveyor, warehouse automation, packaging, robotics, systems integration, and custom machinery environments can apply their experience to new and technically challenging equipment.

Full-System Exposure

Participate in design, programming, manufacturing support, testing, commissioning, and field troubleshooting.

Technical Ownership

Engineering judgment matters here. You will be expected to solve problems, contribute ideas, and take responsibility for the performance of your designs.

Stability and Growth

ACECO combines the resources and stability of an established manufacturer with continued investment in automation, connected equipment, and advanced control systems.

Industrial Controls Programming

• Develop, modify, test, and troubleshoot PLC-based control systems for cranes, hoists, and material-handling equipment
• Program industrial automation applications
• Develop sequenced operations, interlocks, permissives, alarms, diagnostics, and fault-handling logic
• Support reusable programming standards, function blocks, libraries, and controls architecture
• Develop or support operator-interface and HMI functionality
• Document controls logic, software revisions, operating sequences, and system behavior
• Support software simulation, testing, debugging, and commissioning activities

Electrical Design and Engineering

• Design industrial electrical and control systems for custom cranes and hoists
• Create and review electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, control-panel layouts, and bills of material
• Select PLCs, drives, motors, sensors, relays, protective devices, operator controls, and related components
• Apply electrical engineering principles to motor control, power distribution, industrial automation, and machine safety
• Coordinate electrical requirements with mechanical and structural system designs

Motion Control, Drives, and Equipment Integration

• Configure and support variable-frequency drives and motor-control systems
• Integrate sensors, encoders, limit switches, operator controls, and feedback devices
• Support coordinated equipment movements, speed control, positioning, and operating sequences
• Evaluate system response and make programming or hardware adjustments to improve performance
• Support integration between controls software, electrical hardware, and mechanical equipment

Testing, Troubleshooting, and Commissioning

• Troubleshoot electrical and controls issues during manufacturing, testing, installation, and field operation
• Identify root causes involving software, wiring, hardware, drives, sensors, communication networks, or mechanical interaction
• Work directly with electricians, technicians, manufacturing employees, and Field Service personnel to resolve system issues
• Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing and customer-required testing
• Support commissioning and field troubleshooting when required

Standards, Quality, and Documentation

• Support compliance with applicable requirements, including NEC, NFPA, UL 508A, ASME, and internal engineering standards
• Create clear engineering documentation, software records, test procedures, and technical reports
• Participate in design reviews and continuous improvement initiatives
• Help improve electrical standards, programming practices, documentation quality, and system reliability

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an ABET/EAC-accredited program required
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation, or a related discipline is a plus

Experience

We will consider candidates across multiple experience levels; however, this search is particularly focused on engineers who bring demonstrated controls-programming experience.

Experienced Candidate Priority

• Three or more years of professional experience programming industrial equipment using IEC 61131-3 Structured Text, including platforms such as Beckhoff, TwinCAT, Codesys, Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, B&R, or similar controls
• Experience designing, programming, commissioning, or troubleshooting automated industrial equipment
• Experience integrating PLCs, VFDs, motors, sensors, HMIs, industrial networks, safety circuits, and mechanical systems
• Experience in conveyor systems, warehouse automation, distribution centers, automated machinery, packaging equipment, robotics, material handling, systems integration, or custom equipment manufacturing strongly valued

Early-Career Consideration

Early-career engineers may be considered when they demonstrate meaningful academic, co-op, internship, project, or professional exposure to:

• Structured Text or PLC programming
• Industrial automation
• Motor controls and VFDs
• Mechatronics
• Machine controls
• Robotics
• Conveyor or material-handling systems
• Custom equipment design

Technical Skills

Ideal candidates should be able to demonstrate experience in several of the following areas:

• IEC 61131-3 programming concepts
• PLC architecture and industrial controls
• VFD configuration and motor control
• Industrial communication networks and fieldbus systems
• HMI development and operator-interface design