Automation Controls Engineer

Concord Township, OH (Greater Cleveland)

At Steven Douglas Corp. (SDC), we design, engineer, and build custom automation systems that solve complex manufacturing challenges for customers across medical, consumer products, industrial, automotive, and other industries.

No two projects are the same. Our engineers work on high-performance custom equipment from concept through startup, solving new technical challenges every day instead of maintaining the same production line. If you enjoy building machines from the ground up, collaborating with a talented team, and seeing your work come to life on the customer's floor, we'd love to talk with you.

We’re looking for engineers who are strong in both of the following areas and can walk us through specific machines where they did this work.

• Writing PLC code from scratch: Proven ability to take a new machine from a blank Studio 5000 project to a fully working program, including program structure (tasks, routines, UDTs, and Add-On Instructions), machine sequencing and state logic, fault and alarm handling, and I/O mapping. Experience limited to modifying or troubleshooting existing code is not sufficient for this role.
• Programming and integrating servo motors: Hands-on experience configuring, programming, tuning, and commissioning servo axes (e.g., Allen-Bradley Kinetix), including drive and motor setup, homing, motion instructions, and integrating servo motion with machine logic and safety over Ether Net/IP.

Relocation assistance available.

• 5–10 years of hands‑on controls engineering experience designing custom industrial machinery or complex automated systems.
• Experience designing electrical control systems, including electrical schematics, panel layouts, and I/O lists using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar software.
• Strong PLC and HMI programming experience, primarily Allen‑Bradley (Compact Guard Logix, Control Logix, Guard Logix, Panel View, Factory Talk View, or similar platforms).
• Experience with complex motion control beyond basic servo integration, including coordinated multi‑axis motion, electronic gearing and camming, and high‑speed automation.
• Experience leading controls work through the complete project lifecycle— from concept and design reviews through programming, debug, machine runoff, customer FAT, installation, and startup.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or equivalent hands‑on industry experience.

This position is best suited for engineers who have designed and commissioned new automation equipment. While maintenance and manufacturing experience is valuable, this role focuses on creating new machines—and the PLC programs that run them—from the ground up.

• Experience integrating industrial robots such as FANUC, Yaskawa, Epson, ABB, or similar platforms.
• Experience with industrial vision systems including Cognex, Keyence, or equivalent technologies.
• Familiarity with C# or other object‑oriented programming languages.
• Experience with Ignition, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Beckhoff, or other industrial controls platforms.
• Knowledge of industrial safety systems, functional safety, and machine risk assessments.

• Own the controls portion of multiple automation projects from concept through customer acceptance.
• Define control architectures alongside mechanical and electrical engineers to develop reliable, maintainable automation systems.
• Develop, test, and debug PLC, HMI, motion control, and safety programs using standardized, scalable programming practices.
• Size, configure, program, and tune servo axes, and integrate them with machine sequencing, safety, and HMI.
• Lead controls debug during panel…