Global Controls Project Engineer

AFB International • Saint Charles, MO

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Global Controls Project Engineer leads electrical, controls, and automation work across AFB International’s capital projects. The role independently manages smaller projects, generally valued below $500,000, from planning through closeout, and provides electrical and controls leadership on larger manufacturing, technology, and continuous-improvement initiatives. The position is based at AFB’s corporate office in St. Charles, Missouri, or its plant in Aurora, Missouri, and supports projects affecting operations, capacity, reliability, safety, and growth.

The engineer develops project scopes, design criteria, specifications, procurement materials, and electrical and controls deliverables. They coordinate design, installation, equipment integration, commissioning, startup, troubleshooting, training, performance verification, and project turnover. The role also helps maintain consistent controls, programming, HMI, networking, and documentation standards across AFB facilities, while ensuring that solutions meet safety, food safety, quality, cybersecurity, regulatory, and operational requirements.

Work takes place in office, manufacturing, construction, and active production environments. Travel between AFB facilities and to vendor or contractor locations is required. Occasional off-hour support may be needed during equipment startup, commissioning, or critical project activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related discipline from an accredited university or technical college.
• At least three years of experience in electrical engineering, controls, automation, capital projects, or industrial manufacturing.
• Working knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, industrial networks, instrumentation, control panels, drives, and automation systems.
• Experience with electrical documentation, control systems, equipment integration, commissioning, startup, and troubleshooting.
• Experience working with equipment suppliers, system integrators, contractors, consultants, and plant personnel.
• Ability to develop scopes, estimates, schedules, procurement documents, change control, and project closeout materials.
• Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage costs, evaluate alternatives, prioritize work, and make practical decisions in a changing environment.
• Ability to travel between AFB facilities and to vendor or contractor locations.
• Ability to provide occasional off-hour support during equipment startup, commissioning, or critical project activities.

Responsibilities

• Manage assigned electrical, controls, and automation projects, generally valued below $500,000, from planning through closeout.
• Maintain project scopes, budgets, schedules, action items, risks, and status reports using AFB project-management practices.
• Coordinate electrical and controls requirements, vendors, contractors, deliverables, schedules, costs, and risks for larger capital projects.
• Execute projects to approved safety, quality, cost, schedule, and scope expectations.
• Develop electrical and controls scopes, design criteria, specifications, I/O and network requirements, bid packages, and procurement documents.
• Manage and review electrical and controls design deliverables for completeness, accuracy, constructibility, maintainability, and compliance with AFB standards.
• Review drawings, specifications, control narratives, panel designs, PLC and HMI documentation, network architecture, programs, alarms, interlocks, and operator interfaces.
• Direct electrical consultants and other technical resources as needed.
• Evaluate alternative solutions for practicality, reliability, maintainability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Coordinate electrical and controls installation, field troubleshooting, commissioning, startup, training, performance verification, and turnover.
• Participate in and lead Factory Acceptance Tests, document deficiencies, and ensure corrective actions are completed before equipment ships or enters service.
• Verify controls and automation systems meet AFB requirements and global standards.
• Complete system backups, as-built drawings, network records, manuals, spare-parts information, and other closeout documentation.
• Partner with the Global Automation and Controls Engineer and plant controls engineers to apply consistent architecture, programming, HMI, networking, and documentation standards.
• Build working relationships with Corporate Project Managers, plant engineering and maintenance teams, Operations, Quality, EHS, vendors, contractors, suppliers, and integrators.
• Ensure electrical and controls solutions support safety, food safety, quality, cybersecurity, regulatory, and operational requirements.
• Provide troubleshooting and startup support for electrical, controls, automation, instrumentation, and industrial networking issues.
• Communicate requirements, decisions, risks, and project expectations across cross-functional and external teams.

Benefits

• The role offers the opportunity to contribute to significant capital, manufacturing, technology, and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Collaboration with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and technical teams across multiple countries and functions, with opportunities to expand professional experience and career opportunities.
• A collaborative, innovative culture that encourages employees to solve challenging problems, develop ideas, and make meaningful contributions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level