Lead Robotics & Controls Engineer – Custom Automation
Up to $120,000 Base Salary + Dynamic Bonuses • Waukesha, WI Area • 1st Shift • Onsite / Up to 30% Travel • Direct-Hire
- PROJECT VARIETY: Lead the total system architecture for unique, custom automated machinery and robotic cells from initial design to floor commissioning—no repetitive factory lines
- COMPENSATION: Up to $120,000 Base Salary + Performance Bonuses + Full Benefits Package + Paid Travel Expenses
- CONTROLS & ROBOTICS: Deep proficiency in Allen-Bradley PLCs (Studio 5000 / RSLogix) combined with mastery of ABB RobotStudio and native RAPID coding
- SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE: Total cell ownership including industrial safety design (RIA/ISO), machine vision (Cognex/Keyence), servo drives, and fieldbus communications
- TRAVEL & MOBILITY: Up to 30% domestic and international travel for high-visibility client installations, site commissioning, and acceptance testing (Valid U.S. Passport required)
- REQUIREMENTS: US Citizen or Green Card holder residing within a comfortable daily driving radius of the Waukesha, WI area
If you are an elite controls and robotics engineer feeling stifled by rigid corporate structures or repetitive plant maintenance, this direct-hire engineering seat is your ticket to true technical autonomy. The employer is a certified, premier custom industrial automation systems integrator in the Waukesha area with a robust backlog of custom contracts spanning aerospace, medical, and consumer goods sectors.
Instead of repetitive production lines, you will own and architect custom, first-of-their-kind machinery tailored to complex application requirements. Operating out of a tech-driven facility where design engineering and physical assembly live under one roof, you will lead projects from blank-screen simulations and PLC logic architecture all the way to watching your physical machinery drive dynamic production on the floor.
What You Will Be Doing (Daily Responsibilities)
- Serve as the Lead Controls & Robotics Engineer, owning full automation project lifecycles from concept and software architecture through shop-floor assembly, debugging, and final commissioning.
- Develop, simulate, and optimize complex robotic programs from scratch utilizing ABB RobotStudio and RAPID code architectures.
- Design, program, and integrate master PLC logic and HMIs (primarily Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 / FactoryTalk) to control entire automated cells.
- Establish seamless industrial network communications, mapping fieldbus networks (EtherNet/IP, PROFINET) between robots, PLCs, safety controllers, and peripheral hardware.
- Design and configure comprehensive machine safety networks (Category 3/4 safety PLCs, light curtains, interlocks) to meet RIA/ISO standards.
- Partner cross-functionally with mechanical design teams to integrate machine vision systems (Cognex, Keyence), servo drives, and custom End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT).
- Travel up to 30% domestically and internationally to lead cell installations, execute Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and provide client handoffs.
What We Are Looking For (Requirements & Qualifications)
- 5+ years of verifiable experience designing, programming, and commissioning custom industrial automation systems within a systems integration or custom OEM environment.
- Strong Dual Competency: Proven experience writing PLC logic (Allen-Bradley Studio 5000) combined with hands-on ABB robotics programming (RobotStudio & native RAPID code).
- Hardware & Safety Architecture: Deep knowledge of servo motion control, machine vision integration, industrial networks, and RIA/ISO safety standards.
- Degree & Experience Balance: Bachelor’s degree in Automation, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering preferred (equivalent hands-on systems integration expertise strongly considered).
- Global Mobility: Valid U.S. Passport and full willingness to travel up to 30% worldwide for deployment and client commissioning.
- Local Proximity: Residing within a dependable daily driving radius of the Waukesha, WI area.
Please apply here or at impactsolutions.com/opportunities where you can see and apply for any of our open positions.