Electrical Controls Designer

Controls Design Development|Estimating|Production Design Coordination

Location: Portland, Oregon metro area

Employment: Full-Time

Reports To: Principal Engineer

Compensation: Salaried, based on experience and demonstrated capability

The Controls Designer turns an established controls architecture and customer input into a complete, well-supported quotation and, after award, a buildable production design. This person develops the details: clarifying requirements, selecting and pricing components, preparing BOMs and basic sequences of operation, coordinating programming estimates, and directing the preparation of schematics and panel layouts.

This is an individual-contributor position with no direct reports. The Controls Designer will usually direct and review the work of an in-house drafter rather than perform the core drafting, but must be able to create or revise drawings in Draft Sight and Solid Works when schedules or project needs require it. The Principal Engineer provides the basic architecture and retains final technical and commercial approval;

the Controls Designer owns the accuracy and completeness of the package through final as-built documentation.

A typical assignment

“Use a Mitsubishi FX5U communicating with four MR-J5 servo systems over CC-Link IE Field Basic. Use a 17-inch Hope Industrial touchscreen driven by a Raspberry Pi running CODESYS. Assume 480 VAC, three-phase power with Start and Stop push buttons on the enclosure door. Develop a basic sequence of operation from the customer's input, obtain a programming-hour estimate, and prepare the quotation package for review.”

Quotation and concept development

• Translate the architecture provided by the Principal Engineer and the customer's stated requirements into a defined, internally consistent basis of design.
• Identify missing, conflicting, or risky requirements; communicate directly with customers and vendors as needed to close technical and pricing gaps, and clearly document unresolved assumptions.
• Develop a basic sequence of operation, preliminary I/O list, network architecture, power distribution concept, safety approach, and major component selections appropriate to the quotation stage.
• Build accurate quotation BOMs and material costs; obtain vendor pricing and lead-time information; estimate panel design, drafting, assembly, testing, and outside-service effort.
• Coordinate with the assigned programmer or engineering specialist to obtain realistic programming, integration, and startup estimates rather than estimating outside personal expertise.
• Prepare a review-ready quotation package with clear scope, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, deliverables, and technical risks.

Order engineering and production documentation

• After award, validate the quoted basis against the final order and customer requirements; finalize component selections, BOMs, design calculations, and drawing instructions.
• Provide clear direction, marked-up sketches, and design inputs to the in-house drafter for electrical schematics, panel layouts, wiring details, and associated documentation.
• Review drawings and BOMs carefully for technical accuracy, internal consistency, standards compliance, manufacturability, serviceability, labeling, and agreement with the quoted scope before submitting them for final approval.
• Create or revise schematics and layouts in Draft Sight and Solid Works when necessary to meet project needs or unblock the work.
• Support purchasing, panel fabrication, testing, and field personnel by answering design questions promptly; evaluate deviations and incorporate approved changes into the final as-built package.
• Maintain disciplined revision control and organized design records…