Controls Engineer Lead

ROLE SUMMARY

The Controls Engineer Lead will take on a leadership role in overseeing power and control systems, equipment specifications, maintenance, troubleshooting, and technician development to ensure plant reliability targets are met or exceeded. This position is responsible for optimizing systems, ensuring compliance, promoting personnel safety, and enhancing technician skills in relation to plant electrical power and process control systems.

• Act as the primary administrator and troubleshooter for plant power and control systems, playing a crucial role in the plant's technical leadership team.
• Provide input to the Engineering Projects Manager to establish and uphold power and control standards across all projects and upgrades.
• Lead the implementation of the site masterplan for power and controls systems, including developing a replacement strategy for obsolete equipment and technologies.
• Develop and maintain a structured program for skill enhancement among Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) technicians, offering guidance on skill assessment and departmental operations.
• Supervise Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) technicians and provide daily direction.
• Ensure technician compliance with local and national regulatory codes (NFPA 70, NFPA 70e, NFPA 79, and OSHA) and enforce safety practices in the assigned area.
• Validate MES data from PLCs and assist Process Engineers in refining PLC data for effective analysis and application development.
• Assist in designing and implementing machine control and process automation applications, such as control strategies, HMI design, MES applications, and KPI development.
• Collaborate with engineering and operations to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in safety, quality, reliability, and cost.
• Take ownership of key elements related to power and control systems, including electrical safety and Quality / CCP compliance.
• Work closely with engineering and operations leaders on the installation and start-up of new equipment, serving as the technical expert on control systems.
• Provide power and controls engineering support for capital projects.
• Offer support to other areas of the plant on a daily basis as needed.
• Apply control, simulation, and process modeling technologies to enhance overall process and packaging operations.

• Required :
  Bachelor's Degree in Engineering;
  Preferred :
  Degree in Electrical Engineering

• Minimum 5 years of relevant controls experience
• Manufacturing experience is a plus
• Mechanical and electrical experience in food manufacturing is desirable

• Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment
• Strong knowledge of machine and process control hardware, instrumentation, and software, including Allen Bradley PLC and Rockwell Factory Talk platforms
• Familiarity with NFPA and OSHA guidelines for electrical equipment and practices
• Proficiency in plant historian software
• Understanding of technical systems and terminology
• Experience with integrating new technologies
• Demonstrated success in leading equipment installations in a food manufacturing setting
• Experience with plant systems software
• Self-motivated with the ability to motivate others
• Strong organizational, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities
• Effective presentation, verbal, and written communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite applications
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Willingness to work off-shifts, weekends, and respond to off-shift support calls
• Experience in effective leadership, teaching, or management
• Some travel required
• Able to engage in moderate physical activity, including time on the manufacturing floor and equipment maintenance