Lead Controls Engineer - HYBRID

Lead Controls Engineer – Hybrid – Direct Hire/Perm

Manpower Engineering is partnering with a well-established, industry‑leading company in Portage, WI. This hybrid, highly visible role offers strong professional development and growth opportunities.

• Base salary up to $140,000 plus yearly bonus
• Full benefits package:
  Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance; 401(k) with company match; vacation time and paid holidays, etc.
• Relocation assistance available.

The Lead Controls Engineer is the head of controls and serves as the primary technical resource responsible for the reliability, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the company’s PLCs, HMIs, and power distribution systems. This role supports daily plant operations and capital or improvement projects.

• Maximize uptime and minimize interruptions to plant control systems and production equipment.
• Improve the reliability, performance, and stability of plant PLC, HMI, and industrial systems.
• Deliver the electrical and controls scope of projects on time and within approved budgets.
• Travel between Portage and Appleton sites to support, maintain, and improve all control systems.
• Design, implement, and manage plant electrical power distribution systems, PLC control systems, and HMI applications.
• Identify and implement projects to address control system component obsolescence and reliability improvements.
• Manage control system service contracts to return the best value.
• Develop and recommend electrical specifications in compliance with applicable industry standards, codes, and best practices.
• Review, approve, and release detailed electrical drawings for production, construction, and installation.
• Assign and coordinate project work for internal and external engineers, programmers, and CAD designers, providing technical direction and oversight.
• Communicate project status, risks, mitigation strategies, and improvement opportunities through written reports, presentations, and conference calls.
• Manage project execution through routine status reviews and coordination with stakeholders.
• Prepare written capital project requests that clearly define scope, schedule, resource requirements, and business justification.
• Track project costs against approved budgets and provide regular updates to project teams and management.
• Apply Lean and Continuous Improvement principles to identify and implement enhancements to control systems and communications that reduce cycle time, improve quality, and reliability.
• Evaluate equipment maintenance strategies and recommend appropriate spare parts inventories to support reliable operations.
• Participate in quarterly capital planning meetings to support long‑term site investment planning.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field is a plus.
• 2+ years of relevant industrial electrical or controls engineering experience; 5+ years of experience in electrical engineering and industrial control systems with application in a manufacturing environment is a plus.
• Substantial hands‑on experience in:
  • PLC programming – ladder logic. Experience with Allen‑Bradley / Rockwell Automation PLC platforms is a plus.
  • HMI development.
  • Plant‑level electrical power distribution systems.
  • Process integration and optimization.
• Demonstrated understanding of industrial instrumentation with the ability to specify instrumentation requirements for capital projects.
• Proficiency with Rockwell Studio 5000 and Factory Talk software applications is a plus.
• Familiarity with Plant Pax 5.0 and OSI PI product is a plus.
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, and Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Project.
• Experience in chemical, pharma, and/or liquid food processing facilities is a plus.
• Strong project management capabilities, including prioritization, organization, resource allocation, multitasking, and use of business or cost analytics.
• Kaizen‑focused mindset with demonstrated ability to promote, lead, and sustain continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ability to travel to the Appleton, WI facility up to 25% of the time.
• Experience interfacing with customers, senior…