Controls Engineering Manager

Job Description

The Controls Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the strategy, performance, and development of all automation, controls, and SCADA systems within a highly automated food manufacturing facility. This role ensures maximum equipment uptime, system reliability, and continuous improvement of automation platforms to support world-class safety, quality, and operational efficiency.

This leader is a critical driver of OEE, downtime reduction, and digital plant capability, partnering closely with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, and OpEx & CI.

• Own the site-wide automation strategy aligned to production and reliability goals
• Standardize PLC, HMI, SCADA, and network architecture across the facility
• Drive long-term roadmap for:
  • System modernization
  • Obsolescence mitigation
  • Digital integration (data, MES, analytics)

• Ensure 24/7 controls system support model is in place
• Escalation owner for major automation failures and chronic downtime issues
• Partner with Maintenance to reduce MTTR for controls-related failures
• Define and implement:
  • Troubleshooting standards
  • Root cause analysis for automation failures

• Lead team of:
  • Controls Engineers
  • SCADA Engineers
  • (Indirect) Automation Technicians
• Set performance expectations, development plans, and technical standards
• Build bench strength for a multi-shift automated environment

• Partner with Reliability Engineering to:
  • Eliminate repeat failure modes
  • Build predictive and preventative automation strategies
• Support TPM initiatives:
  • Focused improvement (FI)
  • Autonomous maintenance (AM) enablement via automation

• Lead automation scope for capital projects:
  • Line installations
  • System upgrades
  • Process improvements
• Ensure:
  • Design standards
  • Commissioning excellence
  • Seamless startup performance

• Own SCADA/MES data accuracy and availability
• Enable real-time visibility into:
  • Downtime
  • Performance
  • Process control parameters
• Partner with CI and data teams to convert data into actionable insights

• Work closely with:
  • Operations → support throughput and line stability
  • Maintenance → ensure execution capability
  • Reliability → eliminate root causes
  • CI/OpEx → implement improvements
• Participate in daily/weekly performance reviews and loss elimination processes

• Line OEE improvement (automation-driven losses)
• MTTR reduction (controls-related issues)
• Automation-related downtime (% of total downtime)
• Project delivery (on-time, on-budget, startup performance)
• Controls system standardization compliance
• SCADA/data integrity and uptime

• Strong hands-on experience with:
  • PLCs (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, etc.)
  • HMI/SCADA systems
  • Industrial networks (Ether Net/IP, Profinet, etc.)
• Experience with:
  • Motion control, vision systems, robotics (preferred)
  • System integration and commissioning
• Understanding of:
  • CMMS systems
  • Reliability/TPM principles

• Systems thinker (understands end-to-end process flows)
• Bias for action in high-pressure downtime situations
• Strong cross-functional influencer
• Ability to translate technical issues into business impact
• Builds and develops technical talent pipelines

Within 12 months, this leader:

• Establishes stable, standardized control systems across all lines
• Reduces automation-driven downtime by 25–40%
• Implements 24/7 automation support model
• Fully integrates controls into:
  • Reliability strategy
  • Daily performance management
• Builds a high-performing controls + automation team

• Reports to:
  
  Plant Engineering Manager
• Direct Reports:
  • Sr. Controls Engineers
  • SCADA Engineer
• Indirect Influence:
  • Automation Technicians
  • Maintenance Supervisors
  • Reliability Engineers

In a plant of this size and automation level:

The Controls Engineering Manager is the single biggest lever for uptime, throughput, and operational stability.

This role directly determines whether the facility operates at:

• Average performance (reactive, unstable), or
• Top-quartile performance (predictable, optimized, data-driven

Quali…