Automation Controls Technician

ZT Systems•Secaucus, NJ

About The Position

The Automation Controls Technician serves on ZT Systems’ Advanced Automation Infrastructure team and supports automated assembly operations. The role owns the controls behind production equipment and responds to automation stoppages, troubleshooting PLCs, HMIs, sensors, I/O, networks, and safety systems while helping improve production reliability. The technician maintains controls programs and documentation, develops spare-parts and preventive-maintenance strategies, analyzes failures and downtime, and partners with OEMs, system integrators, and engineering teams to resolve issues and improve systems. The position also provides backup support for automated mechanical systems and helps build team-wide knowledge. The typical base salary is expected to be $35 per hour. Final base salary is determined individually based on experience, skills, knowledge, education, and certifications. Other rewards may include a bonus, paid time off, a 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement, and wellbeing resources. The company describes a broader benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; mental health and wellness resources; company-paid life and disability insurance; paid time off and holidays; parental leave and family care support; training; and matching gifts and volunteer programs. Benefits and eligibility vary by work location.

Requirements

Trade school certification in a technical field, at minimum.
At least 6 years of practical experience in an automated manufacturing environment.
Deep expertise in industrial automation controls, including PLCs, HMIs, I/O systems, sensors, safety circuits, industrial networks, and SMEMA machine sequencing.
Ability to troubleshoot complex controls failures from field device through PLC, network, HMI, and machine sequence without relying solely on OEM support.
Experience reading and interpreting electrical schematics, control panel drawings, I/O lists, PLC logic, network architecture, and machine documentation.
Experience with PLC programming (Festo / CodeSys / Structured Text), HMI configuration, controls integration, industrial Ethernet, sensors, and safety systems in automated manufacturing.
Ability to establish and maintain controlled PLC/HMI backups, configuration records, software versions, and machine recovery documentation.
Demonstrated ability to perform root-cause analysis on recurring controls failures and implement improvements that increase reliability and reduce downtime.
Strong technical judgment and change-control discipline; ability to make repairs independently and recognize when engineering, OEM, or system-integrator escalation is needed.
Experience with Microsoft Office tools, including Outlook, Excel, and Word.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

Own PLC, HMI, electrical controls, sensors, I/O, and automation networks supporting production equipment.
Troubleshoot controls issues across field devices, I/O, PLC logic, networks, HMIs, and machine sequences to restore equipment.
Maintain controlled PLC/HMI programs, configurations, backups, network documentation, and machine recovery files.
Develop and execute a critical controls spare-parts strategy and preventive-maintenance program based on equipment criticality and downtime exposure.
Partner with OEMs, system integrators, and engineering teams to resolve complex controls issues, implement improvements, and eliminate recurring failures.
Analyze controls-related downtime and failure data to identify root causes, reliability improvements, and opportunities to improve automation performance.
Crosstrain and provide backup support for automated mechanical systems to build team-wide knowledge and reduce single points of knowledge.