Controls Engineer – Advanced Manufacturing & Automation

Chemelex • Redwood City, CA

17h • Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls/Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3–7 years of experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, or advanced manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on expertise in PLC programming, including Siemens (TIA Portal, S7) and/or Allen‑Bradley (ControlLogix, CompactLogix).
• Strong experience with HMI/SCADA platforms, preferably Ignition, including visualization, scripting, historian integration, and alarm configuration.
• Proficiency with electrical/control system design, including control panels, schematics, I/O layouts, safety circuits, and applicable standards (NFPA 79, UL 508A, IEC).
• Experience integrating industrial data systems, including PLC-to-database communication, data historians, SQL database structures, and data pipelines.
• Ability to develop dashboards/analytics using Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools for operational visibility and decision support.
• Strong understanding of networked industrial systems, including Ethernet/IP, Profinet, OPC UA, MQTT, and cybersecurity fundamentals.
• Demonstrated success supporting manufacturing equipment, troubleshooting complex issues, and improving uptime and system reliability.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills; ability to translate operational needs into engineering solutions.
• Ability to lead projects, work independently, and support 24/7 operations during critical activities or escalations.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred but not required.
• Familiarity with data science or machine-learning applications in manufacturing (predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, quality/throughput optimization) is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, program, and commission industrial control systems using Siemens (TIA Portal, S7) and Allen-Bradley (ControlLogix, CompactLogix) 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Benefits

• Chemelex’s pay scale is based on the expected range of compensation for this job and the employee’s work location.
• Employee pay within this range will be based on a combination of factors including knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, education, and performance.
• Where federal, state, or local minimum wage requirements exist, employee pay will comply.
• Compensation Range: $148,300 - $211,800
• Depending on the position offered, employee may be eligible for other forms of compensation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level