Controls Engineering Supervisor – Development

Kahler Automation Corporation•Fairmont, MN

2d•$109,000 - $149,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Controls Engineering Supervisor – Development leads the Controls Engineers and HMI/SCADA Engineer within the Development Team, overseeing the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Kahler Automation's controls products and platforms. This is a working supervisory role that combines hands-on technical contributions with personnel management, including timecards, performance reviews, mentoring, and career development. The Supervisor ensures that controls products are developed and maintained using consistent architecture, standards, reusable code, and documentation. The role collaborates with Product Management, Controls Engineering – Projects, Software Engineering, Service, and other departments to improve products, resolve recurring issues, and ensure products meet business and customer needs. The position leads team planning and delivery, maintains development standards and backlogs, and contributes directly to PLC logic, HMI configuration, and industrial communication development and troubleshooting. The position is based at 808 Timberlake Road, Fairmont, MN 56031. Hybrid or remote work is possible, provided the employee lives within reasonable driving distance of the office. Occasional travel of approximately 5% may be required, primarily throughout North America.

Requirements

5–8+ years of automation experience in PLC and HMI programming.
Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, or supervising other engineers.
Proven ability to manage people, processes, and project deliverables simultaneously.
Experience in structured engineering environments using code libraries, standards, and agile or sprint methods.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools.
Strong skills in PLC logic development, HMI/SCADA visualization, and industrial communication protocols.
Familiarity with managing shared code libraries, reusable components, and internal documentation tools.
Ability to guide team members in debugging and testing across multiple automation platforms.
Ability to balance short-term project needs with long-term team and process development and to identify recurring issues or inefficiencies and drive improvements.
Ability to apply mathematical concepts including probability, statistical inference, geometry, trigonometry, fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Ability to read and interpret safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals; write routine reports and correspondence; and speak effectively before groups.
Ability to read electrical schematics and familiarity with piping and instrument drawings (P&IDs) and product flow drawings (PFDs).
Valid driver's license.
Occasional travel of approximately 5% may be required.
Must be able to accurately discriminate among colors.
Must meet the described lifting and physical activity demands, with reasonable accommodations where applicable.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency with Rockwell Studio 5000, FactoryTalk View SE/ME, and Ignition.
Familiarity with EOS methodology and tools, including L10s, Rocks, To-Dos, and IDS.
Experience conducting technical peer reviews and mentoring junior engineers.
Prior involvement with sprint planning or agile delivery in engineering settings.
Experience coordinating with cross-functional departments such as project management, electrical design, CAD, and production.

Responsibilities

Own overall team development performance, product quality, standards adherence, and continuous improvement.
Assign development and maintenance work according to workload, capability, priorities, and growth objectives; monitor workload and adjust assignments as needed.
Conduct performance reviews, approve timecards, manage PTO requests, support career development, mentor Controls Engineers, and support cross-training.
Facilitate Development team Level 10 meetings and track and manage Rocks, To-Dos, Scorecards, and team Issues.
Lead a remote team while driving issue resolution and alignment with company priorities.
Provide technical direction and oversight for PLC logic, HMI/SCADA applications, and industrial communication solutions.
Lead development of new controls products and major enhancements in alignment with Product Management and Engineering priorities.
Coordinate development priorities with Product Management, the Engineering Manager, and cross-functional departments.
Translate product requirements into controls architecture and technical solutions; establish and maintain programming practices, reusable code, and development standards.
Serve as an escalation point for complex technical challenges and review development work for quality, completeness, maintainability, and standards compliance.
Coordinate testing of new or modified products and evaluate technologies, platforms, and tools.
Own and maintain controls engineering standards, reusable code libraries, templates, and Development team documentation.
Oversee shared code library and reusable component updates, incorporate field learnings and project improvements into shared standards, and conduct or coordinate technical peer reviews.
Lead weekly sprint planning and sprint review meetings; maintain the Development backlog and coordinate priorities.
Track team velocity, blockers, and backlog; promote task accountability and continuous process improvement; communicate risks, resource constraints, and schedule concerns.
Collaborate with Product Management, Projects, Software Engineering, Service, Electrical Design, CAD, Production, Training, and other teams to develop and improve products.
Provide technical guidance, standards, reusable components, product updates, and controls-related product requirement support to relevant teams.
Work with Service and Projects to assess field issues and determine whether they warrant product improvements or project-specific solutions.
Communicate product changes and technical updates with Product Management and serve as a technical liaison to Training and other teams.
Participate in developing and troubleshooting PLC logic, HMI configurations, and communication setups; support complex development, debugging, and problem-solving efforts.
Estimate development labor and evaluate technical resources required for initiatives.
Contribute to training materials and technical knowledge-sharing sessions.
Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.