Controls Programmer – C#​/.NET

Bring Your Software Expertise to Steven Douglas Corp. (SDC)

At 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. As a family-owned and growing business, we are committed to delivering innovative solutions by blending proven engineering principles with creative approaches to automation.

We are looking for a Controls Programmer who combines strong C#/.NET development skills with a hands-on understanding of industrial hardware. In this role, you will work primarily on advanced test and process equipment we build for one of our key customers in the solar manufacturing industry. Most of these systems are PC-controlled, meaning the application you build is the sole controller, directly driving sensors, motors, drives, and data acquisition hardware in real time.

We are looking for team players who enjoy working side by side with our controls engineers and technicians to design, build, and deploy software that keeps this equipment running reliably.

Why Join SDC?

• Software That Runs Real Machines: Your applications won’t sit on top of the equipment; they’ll be the controller, running machines on the plant floor and through months-long tests.
• Collaborative Environment: Work closely with our controls engineers, technicians, and project managers from design through debug, runoff, and customer startup.
• Family-Owned Culture: Experience a supportive and agile environment that values technical excellence and personal growth.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, test, and deploy C# Windows applications that run on industrial machinery and interface directly with sensors, motors, drives, data acquisition devices, and other controls hardware.
• Build and support applications where the PC serves as the primary controller in the system, managing real-time I/O and device communication.
• Work directly with controls engineers to understand machine behavior, hardware interfaces, and operator workflows, and translate them into clean, maintainable software.
• Support deployment and troubleshooting of your applications during machine debug, runoff, and customer Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
• Maintain and improve existing software tools and code libraries, applying good source control and documentation practices.
• Collaborate with the controls team to identify where custom software can improve machine reliability, data visibility, or troubleshooting speed.
• Travel approximately 10% to support customer startups and project implementation.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience designing, developing, and deploying C# Windows applications in a .NET environment.
• Hands-on experience developing applications that interface directly with industrial hardware, such as sensors, motors, drives, data acquisition devices, or instrumentation, on machinery or manufacturing/test equipment.
• Experience building applications where the PC is the primary controller in the system, handling real-time I/O, device communication, and control logic.
• Solid understanding of software fundamentals, including object-oriented design, application architecture, debugging, and version control workflows.
• Comfortable working on the plant floor alongside engineers and technicians to understand machine behavior and translate it into usable software.
• Ability to use AI tools and code generation to work more efficiently while maintaining full responsibility for all output.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SQL or other databases for storing and retrieving machine or…