Controls Engineer III – Robotics Integration Team

Location:

Painted Post NY

10% (Travel is typically for customer acceptance activities; may include overnights)

No

Yes, this position is eligible for relocation assistance

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field is strongly preferred (candidates with 8+ years of directly related experience may be considered in lieu of a degree).

Minimum of 4 - 6 years controls engineering in robotics‑enabled industrial automation
, with proficiency in Allen‑Bradley or Siemens plus at least one major robot family (e.g., FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, UR). Strong troubleshooting skills.

The Robotics Integration team delivers robot‑centered automation cells where the robot is the primary motion element—machine tending, assembly, welding, material transfer, and more. These systems require tight PLC–robot coordination, precise motion, robust safety, and integration with vision, sensors, and EOAT. Unlike warehouse‑scale automation, this work is high precision, cell‑level, and interaction‑heavy
, focused on cycle time, repeatability, and coordinated machine‑to‑robot behavior.

• Review and validate sales and project documentation to ensure robotics concepts are feasible.
• Translate specifications into PLC architectures
  , I/O mapping, sequencing, interlocks, and recovery logic.
• Design and implement industrial communication networks (Ether Net/IP, Profinet, Modbus, etc.).
• Review electrical schematics and identify discrepancies or improvements.

• Configure and tune servo motion systems and VFDs for coordinated robotic and machine motion.
• Develop and validate safety PLC logic per risk assessment requirements.
• Ensure compliance with robot cell safety standards through interlocks, zone control, and safe I/O design.

• Navigation structure
• Diagnostics and fault messages
• Alarms, trending, recipes, and data logging
• Ensure operators have intuitive tools for startup, recovery, and troubleshooting.

• Execute full commissioning lifecycle:
• Debug and machine bring‑up
• Robot path verification
• FAT and SAT execution
• Troubleshoot complex system issues quickly and effectively during startup.
• Develop operation manuals, training materials, and full system documentation.
• Contribute to standardization initiatives: reusable AOIs/FBs, robot templates, HMI templates, code libraries.
• Provide informal mentoring to Level II engineers on robot programming, controls design, and debug best practices.

• 4–6 years of hands‑on controls engineering experience in custom industrial automation with robotic integration (robot‑centric cells, machine‑to‑machine interaction).
• PLC/HMI platforms:
  Allen‑Bradley (Studio 5000/Factory Talk) and/or Siemens (TIA Portal/Simatic);
  Beckhoff (TwinCAT) is a plus.
• Robot brands: Proficiency with at least one major platform (FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa/Motoman, UR), including payloads, frames, paths, I/O, and fault recovery.
• Programming:
  Ladder
  , Structured Text
  , SFC/FBD
  ; strong code organization, sequencer logic, alarms, diagnostics, and fault‑tolerant recovery
  .
• Motion & drives: Servo tuning, coordinated motion, and VFD configuration.
• HMI development: Advanced features—navigation, diagnostics, alarms, trending, recipes, and data logging.
• Industrial networks: Ether Net/IP, Profinet, Modbus, and safety networks.
• Safety & risk assessment: Experience implementing safety PLC logic, interlocks, guarding, and validation informed by risk assessments (robot cell safety practices).
• EOAT & peripherals: Familiarity with grippers, tooling, part presentation/fixturing, sensors, pneumatics/hydraulics, and vision tools.
• Electrical design literacy: Interpret electrical schematics;
  AutoCAD Electrical familiarity preferred.
• Troubleshooting: Efficient root‑cause analysis during debug and startup; strong customer‑facing communication.
• Ownership mindset; able to work independently within a collaborative, multi‑disciplinary team.
• Clear communicator with customers and internal teams; organized and responsive.