Lead Robotics Controls Engineer – Custom Systems Integration

Job Order

Employment Type:

Permanent

Salary: $120000/Yr

Web Publication Date: 7/23/2026 12:00:00 AM

Job Location:

Waukesha, WI 53186

Job Function:

Up to $120,000 Base Salary + Dynamic Bonuses
• Waukesha, WI Area
• 1st Shift
• Onsite / Up to 30% Travel
• Direct-Hire

• PROJECT VARIETY:
  Build unique, custom automated machinery and advanced robotic cells from initial simulation to floor commissioning—no repetitive factory lines
• TECHNICAL DEPTH: 5+ years of dedicated, hands-on experience designing, programming, and integrating custom industrial automation systems and robotics
• ROBOTICS & CONTROLS:
  Mastery of ABB Robot Studio and native RAPID coding, coupled with 2+ years interfacing robotic cells with Allen-Bradley PLCs (Studio 5000 / RSLogix)
• TRAVEL & MOBILITY:
  Up to 30% domestic and international travel for high-visibility client installations, site commissioning, and acceptance testing (Valid U.S. Passport required)
• REQUIREMENTS: US Citizen or Green Card holder residing within a comfortable daily driving radius of the Waukesha, WI area

If you are an elite robotics engineer feeling stifled by rigid corporate structures or repetitive plant maintenance, this direct-hire engineering seat is your ticket to true technical autonomy. The employer is a certified, premier custom industrial automation systems integrator in the Waukesha area with an unyielding backlog of custom contracts spanning aerospace, medical, and consumer goods sectors.

Instead of repetitive production lines, you will design and build custom, first-of-their-kind machinery tailored to complex application requirements. Operating out of a tech-driven facility where design engineering and physical assembly live under one roof, you get the unique satisfaction of taking a project from a blank-screen 3D simulation to watching your digital code drive heavy, physical machinery right down the hall.

• Develop, simulate, and optimize complex multi-axis robotic programs from scratch utilizing ABB Robot Studio and RAPID code architectures.
• Manage automation projects across the full lifecycle, from initial concept and virtual simulation through physical shop-floor assembly, debugging, and final field commissioning.
• Configure initial robot setups and communications, mapping payload profiles and establishing fieldbus networks (Ether Net/IP, PROFINET) with PLC controllers.
• Serve as the lead technical SME to troubleshoot intricate robotic logic, motion control faults, cycle-time bottlenecks, and communication errors.
• Partner cross-functionally with mechanical and controls teams to design custom End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT), vision guidance profiles, and RIA/ISO machine safety parameters.
• Travel up to 30% domestically and internationally to lead cell installations, execute client acceptance testing, and provide high-level customer handoffs.
• Author meticulous technical documentation, system logic schematics, and client-facing operating manuals.

• 5+ years of verifiable experience programming, commissioning, and configuring ABB robotic systems within custom industrial automation or systems integration environments.
• Proven capability using ABB Robot Studio to build virtual workcells, execute reachability studies, and write native RAPID code.
• 2+ years of practical PLC integration experience establishing data handshakes with Allen-Bradley platforms (Studio 5000 / RSLogix).
• Hardware & Safety
  
  Competency:
  
  Heavy technical familiarity with servo drive systems, industrial vision networks (Cognex, Keyence), and machine safety standards.
• Degree & Experience Balance:
  Bachelor’s degree in Automation, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering preferred (deep, hands-on field integration expertise will be strongly considered in lieu of a degree).
• Global Mobility:
  Valid U.S. Passport and complete readiness to travel up to 30% worldwide for deployment and commissioning.
• Local Proximity:
  Residing within a dependable, daily driving radius of the Waukesha, WI area.

Note:

This description omits application instructions and recruiter contact blocks to comply with refinement requirements.