Controls Technician

Red Metals • South Carolina, SC

8d • Onsite

About The Position

Red Metals is building a scrap-to-rod copper production line in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Controls Technician will install, commission, and maintain the automation systems for the production line, including systems developed in-house and automation skids supplied with equipment. The role begins during equipment installation and involves working with the engineering team, vendors, and subcontractors to install, commission, and start up plant processes. Following commissioning, the technician will help keep systems running and improve them for the operations team.

The technician will join a controls team spanning electrical systems, instrumentation, and software, and will work day shift alongside the engineering team. As the first controls technician, the person in this role will take on a broad range of responsibilities, with opportunities to build ownership of both the facility’s electrical hardware and software over time.

Requirements

• Associate degree or technical certificate in industrial electricity, electronics, instrumentation, or mechatronics; military or apprenticeship training; or equivalent hands-on experience.
• At least 2 years of experience as a controls, I&E, or automation technician in an industrial plant.
• Strong fundamentals in electrical systems, control circuits, and instrumentation, including the ability to read schematics, wiring diagrams, and P&IDs.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting PLCs on any platform, VFDs, and field instruments using meters, loop calibrators, and other test tools.
• NFPA 70E training, or willingness to complete it within the first 90 days.
• Experience working with vendors and subcontractors during installation or start-up.
• Ability and motivation to learn new skills quickly, including PLC programming, and take ownership of systems end to end.
• Comfort working on the plant floor near molten metal and heavy equipment, wearing FR PPE, working on ladders and lifts, and lifting up to 50 lb.
• Ability to operate with incomplete information and make sound decisions quickly.

Nice To Haves

• Background in metals, foundry, casting, recycling, or heavy industry.
• Experience commissioning new plants or first-of-a-kind systems.
• Experience with Siemens TIA Portal and Ignition.
• Experience with machine vision or sorting equipment.
• Python or other scripting experience.
• Startup or early-stage company experience.

Responsibilities

• Install, wire, and terminate control panels, field devices, and instruments.
• Run I/O and loop checks and support commissioning of in-house systems and vendor skids during production ramp-up.
• Lead, design, and own plant continuous-improvement projects once the plant is stable.
• Calibrate and maintain instruments that measure process conditions and product quality.
• Troubleshoot PLC, HMI, and Ignition faults on the production line.
• Write and modify PLC, HMI, and Ignition logic, taking ownership of smaller systems over time.
• Configure, maintain, and repair VFDs, motor controls, MCCs, and industrial networks.
• Install and function-test safety devices and interlocks throughout the plant, including emergency stops, light curtains, and burner and combustion controls.
• Build and run the preventive maintenance and calibration program for controls equipment.
• Keep drawings, as-builts, spare-parts lists, and documentation current.
• Work with the engineering team, vendors, and subcontractors during installation, commissioning, and start-up.

Benefits

• Opportunity to build a company from zero rather than optimize an existing system.
• Direct ownership of critical process and operational decisions.
• Opportunity to work on rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity.
• Small team with high trust and no bureaucracy.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree