Controls Engineer

Pohlad Companies•Shoreview, MN

15h•$110,000 - $130,000

About The Position

PAR Systems is seeking a Controls Engineer with Siemens SINUMERIK experience to join its Advanced Manufacturing team. The team’s custom systems support demanding aerospace and defense applications, including precision cutting and trimming, drilling, robotic and configurable fixtures, and friction stir welding. The engineer will develop and integrate CNC, PLC, motion, and operator-interface functionality for custom machines, working from requirements and system architecture through software development, testing, commissioning, and customer acceptance. SINUMERIK ONE experience is strongly preferred; engineers with substantial SINUMERIK 840D development and commissioning experience are also encouraged to apply. The position is open at the Advanced or Senior Engineer level, with placement based on technical depth, independence, project ownership, and ability to guide others. The role involves commissioning and troubleshooting machine systems, supporting factory and customer-site acceptance, maintaining technical documentation, and contributing reusable software, procedures, and engineering standards. The engineer will also share SINUMERIK expertise and mentor other engineers. Travel for installation and commissioning is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, mechatronics, or a related field; equivalent relevant education and experience will also be considered.
Typically five or more years of controls, CNC integration, or machine commissioning experience.
Substantial hands-on experience developing, integrating, or commissioning machines using Siemens SINUMERIK ONE or 840D sl.
Experience configuring CNC axes and machine parameters, integrating CNC and PLC functionality, and resolving commissioning issues.
Siemens PLC programming experience using TIA Portal and/or STEP 7, with proficiency in Structured Text/SCL, ladder logic, or related languages.
Practical experience commissioning servo systems and diagnosing drive, encoder, and motion performance issues.
Working knowledge of NC programming, coordinate systems, tool and work offsets, and coordinated multi-axis movement.
Ability to read electrical schematics and troubleshoot interactions between software, electrical hardware, and mechanical equipment.
Clear communication, sound engineering judgment, and ownership of technical issues through resolution.
Willingness to travel for installation and commissioning.

Nice To Haves

Direct SINUMERIK ONE project delivery experience, including TIA Portal and the integrated S7-1500 PLC.
SINAMICS S120 commissioning, tuning, and DRIVE-CLiQ diagnostics.
Five-axis machining, gantry systems, rotary axes, or other complex machine configurations.
Kinematic transformations, tool-center-point control, machine calibration, and compensation.
SINUMERIK Safety Integrated and Siemens fail-safe PLC programming.
Create MyVirtual Machine or other virtual commissioning and machine simulation tools.
SINUMERIK Operate customization and integration with external PC applications.
Probing, tool measurement, automatic tool changing, or process-specific CNC cycles.
Closed-loop process control, force control, or manufacturing data acquisition.
Software version control, reusable libraries, structured testing, and engineering change management.
Experience with custom aerospace manufacturing equipment.
AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar electrical design tools.

Responsibilities

Translate customer and machine requirements into CNC and controls architectures, software designs, and test plans.
Configure and commission SINUMERIK ONE systems, including CNC axes, channels, machine data, operating modes, and interfaces.
Develop Siemens PLC software in TIA Portal and integrate machine sequences with the SINUMERIK CNC.
Implement CNC/PLC coordination, including axis enables, program control, auxiliary functions, interlocks, alarms, and recovery sequences.
Configure and commission SINAMICS servo drives, motors, and feedback systems, and tune motion performance with mechanical and process engineers.
Develop and troubleshoot NC programs, subprograms, and machine-specific cycles for coordinated motion and manufacturing processes.
Integrate probing, tooling, process heads, instrumentation, and auxiliary equipment.
Configure SINUMERIK Operate functionality and collaborate on machine-specific operator interfaces and diagnostics.
Participate in machine safety implementation and validation with the project team.
Use simulation and virtual commissioning to test machine behavior before physical equipment is available.
Support machine power-up, electrical and I/O checkout, motion testing, process development, Factory Acceptance Testing, and customer-site commissioning.
Troubleshoot issues across CNC configuration, PLC logic, drives, communications, electrical hardware, and machine mechanics.
Maintain software, commissioning archives, configuration records, and technical documentation.
Contribute reusable software, commissioning procedures, and engineering standards.
Share SINUMERIK knowledge and mentor other engineers.