Controls Engineer , II, or III

Why join the IPS Team?

IPS Custom Automation is a leading provider of advanced manufacturing solutions for the defense and energetics industries. We specialize in the design, engineering, and integration of turnkey production lines for energetics materials and munitions. Our solutions serve government agencies, military contractors, and defense OEMs worldwide.

We are seeking a Controls Engineer (I, II or III level) who can independently lead complex automation and controls work supporting commercial and U.S. Department of War (DoW) programs. This role applies broad technical experience to design, integrate, commission, and improve industrial control systems while meeting ISO standards, federal regulations, company policies, and customer requirements. The Controls Engineer III serves as a senior technical contributor, leads defined project scopes, reviews the work of other engineers, and mentors less experienced team members.

• Works with the Controls Engineering Manager and project leadership to define Controls Engineering scope, develop estimates and schedules, own assigned work packages, and track commitments through completion
• Develops hardware-agnostic controls solutions that support machine safety, functionality, cycle time, quality, maintainability, cybersecurity, reliability, and total installed cost
• Leads controls design reviews for assigned systems and clearly communicates architecture, sequence of operations, design rationale, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations
• Works with Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, and Field Service to coordinate interfaces, component selection, procurement, assembly, testing, and installation
• Analyzes customer, process, safety, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, network, and cybersecurity requirements and converts them into complete controls specifications, functional descriptions, and test criteria
• Applies and improves controls architecture, programming standards, reusable software, code-review practices, simulation methods, and engineering tools
• Designs, programs, integrates, and validates PLC and safety PLC systems, HMI and SCADA applications, motion control, VFD and servo systems, industrial networks, instrumentation, machine vision, robotics, and data interfaces appropriate to the assigned scope
• Maintains accurate project records and supports controls-related Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), and Engineering Change Notices (ECNs)
• Leads targeted improvements to controls workflows in alignment with ISO 9001, configuration management, functional safety, validation, and continuous-improvement principles
• Creates and updates electrical and controls deliverables using AutoCAD Electrical or equivalent tools, including control panel schematics, network drawings, I/O lists, bills of material, cable schedules, and installation details; maintains revisions in the Product Data Management (PDM) system
• Creates and updates Operations and Maintenance (O&M) content for controls systems, including sequences, alarm descriptions, backup and restore procedures, troubleshooting guidance, and recommended spare parts
• Leads panel checkout, software integration, FAT, SAT, commissioning, startup, and production support for assigned systems; diagnoses and resolves complex controls issues
• Provides technical direction, reviews software and drawings, mentors junior engineers, and ensures assigned deliverables meet design intent, project requirements, and applicable standards
• Performs other job duties as assigned and deemed appropriate by management
• Travels as required
• Has the ability to…