Senior Automation Engineer​/Senior Mechatronics Engineer

Senior Automation Engineer / Senior Mechatronics Engineer

Cogito Automation — Anaheim, CA
Full-time | In person
Pay: $155,000 - $195,000 per year, depending on experience
Exceptional candidates with aerospace, advanced manufacturing, safety, motion, or high-complexity commissioning experience may be considered above range.

Cogito Automation is hiring a Senior Automation Engineer or Senior Mechatronics Engineer for our Anaheim, California office.

This role is built for an engineer who has worked in demanding technical environments such as aerospace, advanced manufacturing, robotics, machine automation, defense manufacturing, test systems, or complex electromechanical systems — and wants more ownership, more variety, and a direct impact on real-world automation projects.

This is not a narrow corporate engineering role. You will not own one small piece of one large system. You will work across the full automation lifecycle: system architecture, electrical design review, PLC programming, HMI development, VFDs, motion, industrial networks, FAT, commissioning, troubleshooting, and customer support.

Our projects are custom, fast-moving, and often one-of-a-kind. We need someone who can take a complex machine, process, or control system and make it work.

You are a hands-on engineer with strong technical judgment.

You can look at a machine, a panel, a set of drawings, a PLC program, or a commissioning issue and start building a path forward. You do not need every answer handed to you. You are comfortable working through ambiguity, identifying risk, and making practical engineering decisions.

You may come from aerospace, advanced manufacturing, robotics, industrial automation, machine design, test stands, production equipment, or a high-reliability engineering environment.

You are curious, disciplined, and accountable. You communicate clearly. You can work with technicians, engineers, customers, vendors, and leadership. You understand that good engineering is not just writing code — it is making the full system operate safely, reliably, and repeatedly.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or a closely related technical field
• 5+ years of professional experience in automation, controls, mechatronics, machine control, advanced manufacturing, aerospace manufacturing, robotics, test systems, or industrial control systems
• Strong PLC programming experience
• Experience with HMI development and operator interface design
• Experience with VFDs, motor control, sensors, instrumentation, and field devices
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, control panel drawings, mechanical layouts, and technical documentation
• Strong troubleshooting skills in both office and field environments
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Valid driver’s license
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as project needs require, typically up to 25-30%

• Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation PLCs, Studio 5000, Factory Talk View, Power Flex drives
• Siemens PLCs, TIA Portal, WinCC, SINAMICS drives
• Safety PLCs, safety-rated sensors, safety relays, STO, functional safety concepts, and machine safety design
• Motion control, servo systems, robotics, conveyors, automated machinery, or electromechanical systems
• Aerospace manufacturing equipment, production test systems, factory automation, or high-reliability machine control
• Industrial Ethernet, Ether Net/IP, PROFINET, managed switches, VLANs, remote access, and controls network troubleshooting
• Ignition, SCADA systems, SQL databases, reporting, or industrial data systems
• Control panel design, BOM development, load calculations, heat calculations, SCCR awareness, and UL 508A concepts
• FAT/SAT execution, field commissioning, startup support, and customer-facing technical troubleshooting

• Develop control system architectures for custom automation projects
• Program PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, safety systems, and related automation equipment
• Review and contribute…