Weekend Principal Controls Engineer Jobs in California

Join a Top Engineering Firm That’s 100% Employee-Owned

Wunderlich-Malec Engineering (WM) is one of the largest and most well-established engineering firms in the U.S., with over 40 years of industry leadership. As a 100% employee-owned ESOP company, we’re proud to be ranked among the Top 5 Systems Integrators and an ENR Top 500 Firm.

We’re looking for a Senior Controls Engineer to join our Irvine, CA office. In this leadership role, you’ll design and implement innovative automation solutions across industries like Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, and Manufacturing.

What You’ll Do

As a Senior Controls Engineer, you’ll lead projects from concept to commissioning, working directly with clients and internal teams. Your responsibilities will include:

???? Automation & Controls Engineering

• Design and implement control systems using PLC, HMI, SCADA, and DCS platforms (DeltaV experience is a plus)
• Develop control system architecture, select components, and create detailed schematics
• Program controllers (Ladder, SFC, Structured Text) and visualization systems (HMI/SCADA)
• Build databases for historical data archiving and display
• Utilize programming languages like VBA, .NET, SQL, and Python for advanced HMI/SCADA development

???? Industrial Networking

• Design and implement fiber, wired, and wireless networks using industrial protocols (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, IT/OT)

???? Project Leadership & Management

• Lead engineering teams and mentor junior staff
• Manage project execution plans, budgets, schedules, and reporting
• Oversee daily operations of projects up to $1M and ensure profitability
• Act as technical lead and occasionally serve as Project Manager

What You Bring

???? Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience in controls engineering, including:
• PLC-5 to ControlLogix conversions
• Rockwell Automation platforms (FactoryTalk, PlantPAX)
• Inductive Automation Ignition
• DCS platforms like Emerson DeltaV (preferred)
• S88 Batch/Recipes, OEE, MES, ERP systems
• Electrical schematics and control panel design
• AutoCAD proficiency

???? Leadership & Collaboration

• Proven ability to lead teams and mentor engineers
• Strong communication and client-facing skills
• Professional references from a manager, peer, and subordinate

✈️ Travel

• Up to 25% out-of-state travel; regular visits to client sites in Southern California

 Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Hybrid mix of standard office environment and work-from-home leadership (at least 3 days of office work, discretionary 2 days of remote work, and on-site job walks as needed per week), up to 25% level of travel to client sites in the US; diverse industrial environments; flexible for out-of-region candidates but Southern California Region (specifically Orange County, Inland Empire, and San Diego) preferred.

  *Job Descriptions are not exhaustive lists of all skills, responsibilities, or efforts associated with a job.  They reflect principal job elements essential for performing the job and evaluating performance.

• Physical demands include seeing, hearing, speaking clearly, manual dexterity, driving, lifting, and equipment access

Why Join WM?

We offer a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employee-owners, including:

Ready to lead cutting-edge automation projects and grow with a company that invests in you?

Physical Demands of Position: Seeing, color perception, hearing, clear speech, dexterity in hands, driving, lifting, ability to mount/dismount equipment, pushing and pulling.

*Job Descriptions are not exhaustive lists of all skills, responsibilities, or efforts associated with a job.  They reflect principal job elements essential for performing the job and evaluating performance.

Wunderlich-Malec is proud to offer a comprehensive employee-owner benefit package. Full-time employees may be eligible for the following benefits: Medical • Dental • Vision • Basic and Supplemental Life and AD&D • Long Term Disability • Voluntary Short Term Disability • Healthcare & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts • Health Savings Account • Paid Time Off (PTO) • Paid Holidays • Tuition Reimbursement • Referral Bonus Program • 401(k)/Profit Sharing • 100% ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) • Employee Assistance Program • Will Preparation Resources • Worldwide Travel Assistance.

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