Controls Engineer 2

Hamilton Medical, Inc.•Reno, NV

About The Position

Hamilton Medical, Inc. (HMI) is seeking a Controls Engineer 2 to take technical ownership of control systems for all automated equipment at HMI. The role maintains and improves PLC, HMI, and robot programs to increase equipment reliability, process yield, and production efficiency. Working with Manufacturing Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, production personnel, and external automation vendors, the Controls Engineer optimizes automation, troubleshoots equipment errors, coordinates technical work, and supports safe, consistent production. The role independently executes assigned controls work and seeks occasional guidance on complex issues. The position develops, modifies, tests, and maintains PLC and HMI programs; programs, debugs, and optimizes industrial robots; and integrates and troubleshoots sensors, actuators, servo drives, machine vision, and other devices. It supports equipment commissioning, testing, qualification, validation, and production handoff; maintains program versions, backups, change histories, schematics, and troubleshooting documentation; trains relevant personnel; and plans assigned controls projects and upgrades. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree in a related engineering discipline and at least three years of technical controls engineering or industrial automation experience, including hands-on PLC programming and troubleshooting and experience programming and supporting industrial robots. Experience with commissioning or regulated manufacturing is preferred. The employer offers professional growth opportunities, competitive compensation, and benefits. Applicants must pass drug and background screens. Personal protective equipment may be required and is provided by the employer.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related engineering discipline.
At least 3 years of technical experience in controls engineering or industrial automation, including hands-on PLC programming and troubleshooting.
Experience programming and supporting industrial robots in manufacturing applications.
Proficiency in PLC programming and troubleshooting, HMI development, and robot programming for automated manufacturing equipment.
Experience with PLC and HMI platforms such as Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, or comparable systems, and ability to learn and support multiple platforms.
Experience with program backups, version control, engineering change processes, and document control.
Working knowledge of sensors, actuators, servo systems, variable frequency drives, machine vision interfaces, and industrial communication networks.
Ability to read electrical schematics and use diagnostic tools to distinguish programming, electrical, mechanical, and process-related faults.
Ability to evaluate equipment performance data and apply root cause analysis techniques to recurring faults and production losses.
Working knowledge of machine safety functions and interlocks, and ability to follow safe troubleshooting and established equipment safety procedures.
Excellent communication and documentation skills and ability to work effectively with manufacturing engineers, maintenance technicians, production personnel, Quality, and external vendors.
Ability to prioritize competing production needs, communicate realistic completion dates, and support planned installations and production recovery activities.
Ability to use first-principles thinking and structured troubleshooting, take ownership and initiative, complete work without repeated prompting, and seek assistance when technical complexity or risk requires additional expertise.
Must pass drug and background screens.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting equipment commissioning, acceptance testing, qualification, or validation.
Experience in medical device or other regulated manufacturing.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and data analysis tools.
Experience with electrical CAD, machine vision, or equipment data integration.

Responsibilities

Take technical ownership of control systems for HMI automated equipment and serve as the primary internal controls resource.
Develop, modify, test, and maintain PLC and HMI programs, including machine sequences, alarms, diagnostics, recipes, and process settings.
Program, debug, and optimize robots, including motion paths, tooling interfaces, equipment handshakes, and fault recovery sequences.
Integrate and troubleshoot sensors, actuators, servo drives, machine vision, and other peripheral devices through PLC interfaces and industrial communication networks.
Work with Manufacturing Engineering to analyze cycle time, downtime, faults, and yield, and implement controls improvements to increase automation performance and process consistency and attain target OEE KPIs.
Support Maintenance with troubleshooting control system errors and restoring equipment operation; investigate recurring failures and implement corrective actions with Engineering and Quality.
Coordinate external automation vendors on troubleshooting, modifications, and upgrades; review technical deliverables and obtain current source programs, backups, and documentation for HMI support.
Translate manufacturing needs into controls requirements and functional specifications, and review proposed hardware, software, and vendor designs for maintainability and compatibility.
Coordinate controls startup, debugging, and commissioning for new and modified equipment; support factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, and production handoff.
Apply and improve programming standards, reusable code, and documentation practices; maintain controlled program versions, verified backups, change histories, and recovery instructions.
Develop and execute controls test plans, including affected functions and fault recovery, and support equipment qualification and validation with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality.
Assess controls changes for effects on machine safety, product quality, and validated processes, and follow HMI change-control, testing, and release requirements.
Maintain electrical schematics, I/O lists, network layouts, program comments, and troubleshooting guides; support equipment data collection for diagnostics and performance analysis.
Train Maintenance, Manufacturing Engineering, and production personnel on controls, diagnostics, and recovery procedures appropriate to their roles.
Plan assigned controls projects and upgrades, including obsolete-component replacement; estimate resources, communicate schedules and risks, and coordinate downtime with Production and Maintenance.
Perform other duties as assigned.