Controls Engineer

General Motors•Arlington, TX

25d•Hybrid

About The Position

Design, develop, and implement controls and automation systems for automotive body shop manufacturing operations. The role supports system reliability, efficiency, and compliance with engineering standards, and covers requirements development, system design, programming, integration, commissioning, troubleshooting, data analysis, and continuous improvement. It provides real-time support for high-volume manufacturing lines and collaborates with manufacturing, quality, and maintenance partners to support system integration, launch readiness, and production goals. The position works with PLCs, HMIs, industrial communication networks, FANUC robots, machine vision, 3D vision-guided bin picking, automated conveyance, variable frequency drives, error-proofing technologies, electrical schematics, and manufacturing data tools. It also develops custom engineering tools and applications, promotes standardization and reuse of automation components, identifies and mitigates system vulnerabilities, and tracks corrective actions through closure. The role is hybrid: three days in the office and two days remote, with the ability to report to a local office required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field of study.
Two years of experience as an Automation Engineer, Controls Engineer, or in a related occupation.
Two years of experience designing, programming, and troubleshooting Allen Bradley PLCs, including Safety Logic.
Two years of experience developing and maintaining HMI systems.
Two years of experience designing and supporting industrial communication networks, including EtherNet/IP, TCP/IP, and DeviceNet.
Two years of experience configuring and troubleshooting machine vision systems.
Two years of experience supporting and optimizing automated conveyance systems.
Two years of experience configuring and troubleshooting variable frequency drives (VFDs).
Two years of experience implementing and supporting error-proofing technologies.
One year of experience programming and troubleshooting FANUC robots for material handling, spot welding, dispensing, and vision-guided applications.
One year of experience developing and supporting 3D vision-based bin-picking systems.
One year of experience supporting high-volume manufacturing operations through troubleshooting, optimization, and downtime reduction.
One year of experience with Python and SQL.
Must be able to report to a local office under the hybrid work policy.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and implement controls and automation systems for automotive body shop manufacturing operations.
Develop and document requirements, functional specifications, and control strategies for automated systems, including robotics, machine vision, and conveyance technologies.
Program, configure, and troubleshoot Allen Bradley PLCs, including Safety Logic, and Siemens TIA Portal HMIs; integrate them with plant-wide automation systems.
Design, implement, and maintain industrial communication networks, including EtherNet/IP, TCP/IP, and DeviceNet.
Integrate, program, and optimize FANUC robots for material handling, spot welding, dispensing, and vision-guided operations.
Develop, configure, and troubleshoot machine vision systems for inspection, error proofing, and bin picking; maintain and enhance 3D vision-guided bin-picking solutions.
Support, maintain, and optimize Power & Free conveyors, Geo Pallet systems, skid conveyors, and Automated Guided Carts (AGCs).
Configure and troubleshoot Allen Bradley Variable Frequency Drives, including PowerFlex and ArmorStart, and related motion control systems.
Develop and implement error-proofing systems, including torque verification, barcode readers, RFID-based tracking, and automated bin-pick validation.
Create and interpret electrical schematics using EPLAN for system design, integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
Perform root cause analysis of automation and controls failures using empirical data, trend analysis, diagnostic tools, and structured problem-solving methods; drive corrective and preventive actions.
Analyze manufacturing and operational data using DLA and Power BI (TBIA) to identify inefficiencies, improve throughput, and reduce downtime.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, downtime elimination, and quality improvement, including DRR reduction.
Provide real-time production support, troubleshooting, maintenance assistance, and system optimization for high-volume manufacturing lines.
Develop and maintain custom engineering tools and applications for automation systems, data analytics, and production performance monitoring.
Ensure standardization, scalability, and reuse of automation components across installations, upgrades, and major projects.
Identify system vulnerabilities and implement mitigation strategies to improve reliability, robustness, and safety.
Track, document, and report corrective actions through closure, ensuring compliance with engineering and quality standards.
Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, and maintenance partners on system integration, launch readiness, and production goals.
Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices in industrial automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing.