Automation Engineer

About the Company

Our client is a well-established, family-oriented engineering and systems integration firm specializing in automation and process controls for the food and beverage manufacturing industry. With approximately 35 employees and a collaborative team of engineers, the company supports major dairy and food manufacturers across the United States, with approximately 90% of its business focused on dairy processing, including ice cream, cheese and yogurt production. The organization offers a highly autonomous environment with minimal hierarchy, direct access to leadership and the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects rather than repetitive, office-based controls assignments. The ideal candidate will be based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, although remote flexibility may be considered for an exceptional individual. This position requires approximately 50% U.S. travel, including significant travel throughout the Midwest.

About the Role

The Automation Engineer will independently lead automation and process-controls projects from initial design through installation, startup, commissioning and completion. This is a hands-on, customer-facing engineering role requiring a strong understanding of both controls programming and the physical manufacturing processes being controlled.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage multiple automation and process-controls projects at various stages of development, potentially supporting three to four active projects at a time.
• Design, program and support process-control systems within food and beverage and dairy manufacturing environments.
• Develop electrical panel designs and support automation system architecture; experienced engineers may also contribute to portions of the manufacturing process design.
• Understand and troubleshoot the physical operation of pumps, valves, instrumentation, pneumatic systems and related process equipment.
• Work directly with customers and serve as the primary technical resource during onsite installations, testing, commissioning, startup and troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with plant operators, maintenance personnel, engineering teams, plant managers and corporate-level customer contacts.
• Begin projects in the office with design and automation development, then travel to customer facilities as needed through startup and project completion.
• Independently troubleshoot electrical, instrumentation, controls and pneumatic issues in live manufacturing environments.
• Provide informal technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers without formally managing personnel.
• Communicate project status, identify potential issues early and proactively request support when necessary.
• Support projects ranging from approximately $300,000–$400,000 process additions to large-scale greenfield projects valued at up to approximately $95 million.
• Utilize Allen-Bradley/RSLogix 5000, Rockwell Studio 5000, RSView, FactoryTalk, PanelView Plus, GE iFIX, Wonderware or similar HMI platforms, and Industrial Ethernet communications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Approximately 7–10+ years of controls or automation engineering experience; 10+ years is preferred for the senior-level hire.

Required Skills

• Demonstrated experience independently managing automation and process-controls projects from design through startup and completion.
• Strong experience with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley controls, Studio 5000/RSLogix 5000 and FactoryTalk environments.
• Practical understanding of pumps, valves, instrumentation, pneumatics and the physical manufacturing processes controlled by automation systems.
• Experience with electrical panel design, industrial communications, troubleshooting and commissioning.
• Strong customer-facing communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with plant operators, maintenance teams, engineers, plant leadership and corporate stakeholders.
• Ability to organize work, make sound decisions and operate independently without daily micromanagement.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 50% throughout the United States and fly regularly; startup assignments may involve approximately 10 days onsite followed by four days home.
• Strong problem-solving, technical troubleshooting and project ownership skills.

Preferred Skills

• Food and beverage, dairy processing, systems integration or corporate dairy controls experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience with ice cream, cheese or yogurt processing is highly desirable.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and transitioning successfully between integrator and plant environments is a plus.
• Dallas/Fort Worth-area residency is preferred.