Controls Engineer

GM•Marion, IN

About The Position

General Motors is building a pipeline of Controls Engineers to support the design, integration, launch, production, and continuous improvement of advanced manufacturing systems. Opportunities may span vehicle assembly, body, paint, powertrain, battery, casting, stamping, propulsion, robotics, conveyors, plant-floor systems, and other manufacturing engineering organizations. The role involves designing, developing, integrating, commissioning, validating, and sustaining industrial controls and automation systems for manufacturing operations. Controls Engineers translate manufacturing, equipment, safety, quality, delivery, and production requirements into practical solutions, and may work on controls hardware and software involving PLCs, HMIs, robots, drives, safety systems, industrial networks, machine vision, error proofing, and plant-floor interfaces. Engineers support equipment and process development from early concepts and investment studies through supplier reviews, equipment build, testing, installation, commissioning, production launch, and ongoing production support. They collaborate with engineering, plant, maintenance, quality, safety, IT, supplier, and other cross-functional teams; troubleshoot complex problems; review supplier deliverables; and support integration, testing, acceptance, and production readiness. The position also involves applying GM standards and tools, coordinating project deliverables and communications, documenting designs and lessons learned, contributing to continuous improvement and advanced manufacturing initiatives, and providing technical direction or mentoring as appropriate. Controls Engineering opportunities may support vehicle and powertrain manufacturing, battery and electrification, casting and logistics, robotics and machine vision, plant-floor systems and cybersecurity, or automation standards and virtual manufacturing. General Motors describes its vision as a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion, and emphasizes inclusion, belonging, and equitable opportunity. Benefits information is available through GM Total Rewards resources; specific benefits are not detailed in the posting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered where applicable.
Experience with industrial controls, automation, manufacturing equipment, systems integration, or a closely related engineering discipline.
Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, controls architecture, equipment layouts, and related technical documentation.
Demonstrated analytical, troubleshooting, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, suppliers, plant personnel, and geographically distributed engineering organizations.
Strong written and verbal communication, organization, planning, and project execution skills.
Commitment to a safe, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with automotive, battery, powertrain, aerospace, consumer products, logistics, or other high-volume manufacturing environments.
Experience with PLC, HMI, robot, drive, safety, industrial Ethernet, fieldbus, machine vision, MES, error proofing, or plant-floor systems.
Experience with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or comparable controls platforms.
Experience with controls hardware and software design, supplier management, equipment build, offline testing, commissioning, production launch, or plant support.
Familiarity with manufacturing engineering standards, common controls architectures, structured troubleshooting, and change management.
Experience with emulation, simulation, digital manufacturing, programming, scripting, data interfaces, or engineering automation tools.
Project management experience, including scope, schedule, risk, issue, budget, and stakeholder management.
Professional Engineer license, advanced degree, technical certification, or demonstrated leadership of engineering work.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, integrate, commission, validate, and sustain industrial controls and automation systems used in manufacturing operations.
Translate manufacturing, equipment, safety, quality, delivery, and production requirements into practical controls solutions.
Develop or review controls hardware and software designs involving PLCs, HMIs, robots, drives, safety systems, industrial networks, machine vision, error proofing, and plant-floor interfaces.
Support equipment and process development from concept and investment studies through supplier design reviews, build, offline testing, installation, commissioning, production launch, and steady-state support.
Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, plant operations, maintenance, quality, safety, information technology, suppliers, and other cross-functional teams.
Troubleshoot complex equipment and process issues, perform root-cause analysis, and drive corrective actions through closure.
Review supplier deliverables and support equipment buyoffs, system integration, reverification, acceptance testing, and production readiness activities.
Apply GM standards, templates, engineering tools, and standardized work to improve safety, quality, cost, timing, maintainability, and commonality.
Coordinate project scope, timing, risks, issues, technical deliverables, and stakeholder communications.
Document designs, decisions, lessons learned, and standardized work, and share knowledge with engineers, suppliers, and plant teams.
Contribute to continuous improvement, technology development, emulation, simulation, digital manufacturing, and factory-of-the-future initiatives as applicable.
Provide technical direction, mentoring, training, or work coordination for less-experienced engineers and project resources as appropriate to the role.