Senior Controls Engineer

Senior Controls Engineer

Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Employment Type: Full-Time
Industry: Precision Machinery / Industrial Automation / Machine Tools
Travel: Occasional travel may be required
Sponsored by: Connect Force Recruiting

Connect Force Recruiting is partnering with a well-established precision machinery manufacturer in the Farmington Hills area. This organization designs, builds, installs, and supports advanced manufacturing equipment used in high-precision industrial and automotive production environments.

This is a confidential search for a hands‑on Senior Controls Engineer who enjoys working with complex automated machinery, supporting custom equipment builds, and solving technical challenges in a high-precision manufacturing setting.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Controls Engineer to support the design, programming, troubleshooting, startup, and optimization of advanced industrial machinery and automation systems. This role is ideal for someone with strong PLC, HMI, electrical controls, and machine commissioning experience who enjoys working closely with mechanical, electrical, software, service, and customer teams.

Candidates with experience supporting European or German-engineered machinery, Siemens automation platforms, precision machine tools, grinding, honing, CNC, robotics, or custom automation systems may find this opportunity especially aligned with their background.

This is a strong fit for someone who takes pride in technical precision, structured engineering standards, and building reliable equipment for demanding manufacturing environments.

• Develop, modify, troubleshoot, and support PLC and HMI programs for advanced industrial machinery.
• Support controls engineering activities for custom machine builds, retrofits, upgrades, and customer‑specific projects.
• Troubleshoot electrical, software, automation, and machine‑control issues during build, startup, commissioning, and service.
• Work with PLCs, HMIs, drives, sensors, motion systems, safety circuits, and industrial communication networks.
• Read and interpret electrical schematics, controls drawings, machine layouts, and technical documentation.
• Support machine startup, debug, validation, customer acceptance, and field commissioning activities.
• Collaborate with mechanical engineering, electrical design, service, production, and international technical teams.
• Provide technical support for customers, internal service teams, and production personnel.
• Assist with controls standards, documentation, process improvements, and troubleshooting best practices.
• Maintain a strong focus on machine safety, quality, reliability, and long‑term equipment performance.

• Minimum of 6 years of controls engineering, automation, machine controls, or related industrial equipment experience.
• Strong PLC programming and troubleshooting experience.
• Experience with HMI development, machine software support, and electrical controls troubleshooting.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and technical documentation.
• Experience supporting industrial machinery, automation systems, machine tools, or custom equipment.
• Strong hands‑on troubleshooting ability in shop‑floor, machine build, or field‑service environments.
• Comfortable working cross‑functionally with engineering, service, production, and customer teams.
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain technical issues clearly.
• Safety‑focused, detail‑oriented, and capable of managing multiple technical priorities.

• Experience with Siemens PLCs, Siemens HMIs, drives, motion control, or TIA Portal
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• Experience with German-engineered, European OEM, or internationally designed machinery
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• Background with precision machine tools, honing, grinding, CNC equipment, robotics, or automated manufacturing systems
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• Experience supporting machine commissioning, field service, customer acceptance testing, or equipment installations.
• Familiarity with industrial communication networks such as Profinet, Ethernet/IP, Profibus, or similar platforms.
• Experience collaborating with international engineering teams or supporting…