Controls Engineer – Advanced Manufacturing & Automation

Controls Engineer – Advanced Manufacturing & Automation

Redwood City, CA, USA

Posted Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM

Chemelex is a global leader in electric thermal and sensing solutions, protecting the world’s critical processes, places and people. With over 50 years of innovation and a commitment to excellence, we develop solutions that ensure safety, reliability, and efficiency in diverse environments – from industrial plants and data centers to people’s homes. We deliver future-ready technologies, advanced engineering capabilities and local expertise backed by global standards.

Our offering includes a leading portfolio from our trusted brands:
Raychem, Tracer, Nuheat and Pyrotenax.

POSITION SUMMARY

Chemelex is seeking a highly driven Controls Engineer to design, implement, and scale advanced automation and data-driven control systems within our Redwood City manufacturing facility. This role sits at the intersection of controls engineering, software, AI/data science, and manufacturing operations, and will play a critical role in improving equipment reliability, throughput, quality, and real-time decision making.

The ideal candidate is equally comfortable programming PLCs, architecting data pipelines, and leveraging analytics and AI to transform raw manufacturing data into actionable insights. This engineer will partner closely with operations, manufacturing engineering, quality, IT, and leadership to build intelligent, resilient, and scalable manufacturing systems.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Controls & Automation Engineering

• Design, develop, program, and commission industrial control systems using Siemens (TIA Portal, S7) and Allen-Bradley (Control Logix, Compact Logix) PLC platforms.
• Develop and maintain HMI/SCADA systems, with a strong emphasis on Ignition for visualization, alarming, historian integration, and system scalability.
• Support new equipment installation, line expansions, retrofits, and continuous improvement projects from concept through production handoff.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical, controls, and software issues to minimize downtime and improve system robustness.
• Create and maintain controls standards, electrical schematics, network architectures, and commissioning documentation.

Data, Analytics & AI Integration

• Architect and maintain manufacturing data pipelines, integrating PLCs, SCADA, historians, and enterprise systems.
• Design and manage database structures (SQL-based preferred) to support scalable, reliable, and high-frequency data ingestion.
• Develop dashboards and analytics tools using Tableau and/or similar BI platforms to drive operational visibility and decision-making.
• Apply data science and AI techniques to manufacturing data to enable:
• Predictive maintenance
• Anomaly detection
• Yield, throughput, and quality optimization
• Early fault detection and root cause analysis
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate operational problems into data-driven solutions.

Electrical & Systems Engineering

• Design and review electrical control panels, I/O layouts, power distribution, and safety circuits in compliance with applicable codes and standards.
• Support safety systems including interlocks, E-stops, light curtains, and safety PLCs as required.
• Ensure systems meet reliability, cybersecurity, and maintainability requirements.

Operational Excellence & Collaboration

• Partner with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, and Maintenance teams to define requirements and deliver solutions that improve OEE, uptime, scrap, and labor efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement through standardization, automation, and advanced analytics.
• Mentor technicians and junior engineers on controls systems, data tools, and best practices.
• Support 24/7 manufacturing operations as needed during critical launches or escalations.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls/Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
  Master’s degree preferred but not required.
• 3–7 years of experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, or advanced manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on expertise in PLC programming , including Siemens…