Lead Controls Engineer (Minneapolis)

Target•Minneapolis, MN

2d•$92,000 - $166,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here. As a Fortune 50 company with more than 350,000 team members worldwide, Target is an iconic brand and one of America's leading retailers. Working at Target means the opportunity to help all families discover the joy of everyday life. Caring for our communities is woven into who we are, and we invest in the places we collectively live, work and play. We prioritize relationships, fuel and develop talent by creating growth opportunities, and succeed as one Target team. At our core, our purpose is ingrained in who we are, what we value, and how we work. It’s how we care, grow, and win together. Target Global Supply Chain and Logistics is evolving at an incredible pace. We are constantly reimagining how we get the right product to the right guest even better, faster and more cost effectively than before. We are becoming more intelligent, automated and algorithmic in our decision-making, so that no matter how guests shop—in stores or on Target.com—we deliver the convenience and immediate gratification they demand and deserve. We are on a mission to win decisively over any competitor, with a seamless and superior guest service experience unlike any they can offer. Our teams work with the agility our mission requires, and we constantly come together to implement new processes in record time. So, we’re looking for exceptional people who are proactive, creative, independent, innovative, risk-savvy and comfortable working in varying degrees of ambiguity. Are you a critical thinker who seeks the root cause and can analyze both qualitatively and quantitatively? Are you a creative problem-solver who simplifies problems, quickly identifies solutions, commits to a plan and then positively influences others to execute it? If so, you will have success on one of our dynamic teams. A role in HQ Facilities Engineering and Asset Management means being at the heart of our perpetual reimagining. This group is the think tank and laboratory for the innovative ideas that spark change throughout the Supply Chain. We are inventors, engineers, metrics masters, data geeks, testers, triers, course-correctors and askers of the all-important question “What if …?”. This team influences processes, engineers the robotics and automation to support those processes, activates solutions sustainably across the network and manages those assets. Your specific expertise—whether it’s people, process, technology, or data—will be felt well beyond the boundaries of the Supply Chain organization, positively impacting Target team members and guests alike. As a Lead Controls Engineer on the Engineering and Automation Systems Team, you will serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for control systems across a diverse portfolio of advanced automated material handling technologies. Target’s global supply chain network spans more than 60 distribution, fulfillment, food & beverage, and omni‑channel facilities, each supported by a complex control’s ecosystem. In this role, you will drive the technical strategy for legacy control platforms—including standardization, documentation & code governance, lifecycle planning, investment strategy, troubleshooting and solution development. For new implementations, you will collaborate with partner teams as the control systems’ subject matter expert, contributing to standards reviews, vendor selection, system scoping, architecture design, and commissioning efforts. Ultimately, you will shape and advance Target’s enterprise controls strategy, improving the availability and resilience of mission‑critical systems while modernizing the controls landscape to support Target’s long‑term automation roadmap. This position will report to the Director of Engineering – Engineering and Automation Systems Team

Requirements

Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience)
6+ years of Controls Engineering experience (MHE specific experience preferred)
6+ years of PLC coding experience (ladder logic/structured text)
Expertise with industrial controls hardware, including variable frequency drives, motor starters, control panels, distributed/remote I/O systems, HMI hardware, and major PLC platforms (e.g., Allen‑Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix, Siemens).
Demonstrated proficiency with industrial control system networks, including configuring, troubleshooting, and optimizing communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS & Modbus TCP).
Experienced owning control system strategy at an enterprise scale, with the ability to define standards, drive alignment across sites, and influence long‑term automation roadmaps.
A strong systems thinker who can evaluate diverse legacy and modern control platforms, determine business and technical impacts, and guide lifecycle planning, upgrades, and investment decisions.
Proven ability to lead code governance initiatives, including establishing documentation standards, version control practices, testing protocols, and technical review processes.
Ability to explain complex operational technology solutions in a simple way to align partners
Comfortable engaging at all phases of the automation project lifecycle, from requirements definition and vendor selection to architecture design, FAT/SAT participation, and commissioning support.
Exceptional troubleshooting and analytical skills, capable of diagnosing complex system behaviors across PLCs, HMIs, robots, conveyors, ASRS, AMRs, sensors, drives, and supporting OT infrastructure.
Skilled at collaborating across engineering, operations, technology, activation, and vendor teams, balancing technical rigor with the ability to build relationships and drive decisions in a cross‑functional environment.
Experienced guiding modernization efforts, including migrating legacy control platforms, evaluating emerging technologies, and shaping standards that improve availability, resiliency, and maintainability.
Working familiarity with controls performance/diagnostic data and reporting practices (e.g., event/alarm analysis, downtime categorization, historian/log aggregation, dashboards) to translate controls signals into reliability and modernization actions.
Continuous learning mindset—stays current on controls trends and vendor roadmaps, and is comfortable running small, structured evaluations/pilots to validate approaches before scaling.
A natural leader and mentor, able to coach engineers, uplift best practices across the network, and serve as the organization’s go‑to subject matter expert for controls topics.
Strong communicator, capable of translating complex technical concepts into clear guidance for engineers, operations leaders, and senior executives.
Ability to travel up to 25%

Responsibilities

Serve as an enterprise subject matter expert for legacy control systems supporting Target’s material handling technologies, maintaining deep knowledge of architectures, capabilities, and constraints.
Develop and maintain a multi‑year controls obsolescence and remediation roadmap, partnering with asset management to shape long‑range capital planning and investment strategy.
Transform controls performance intelligence into enterprise‑level insights by partnering across maintenance, operations, and asset management to uncover systemic loss drivers, inform modernization roadmaps, and elevate lifecycle investment decisions—supported by scalable, automated reporting where appropriate.
Create, optimize, and govern enterprise‑wide controls standards, including documentation frameworks, coding conventions, testing processes, and change‑management practices.
Lead end‑to‑end execution of internally scoped controls upgrades and modernization initiatives, coordinating closely with field engineering, activation, and operations partners.
Provide high‑level technical consultation and SME guidance to teams delivering controls‑related projects (Design, Activation and Process teams).
Define, document, and continually enhance site‑level controls maintenance practices, developing training and tools that elevate capability across the network.
Evaluate vendor capabilities and ensure compliance with Target’s controls standards, informing vendor selection and qualification for internal and external project work.
Champion system availability and resilience, driving reliability strategies aligned with the enterprise goal of 99.9% uptime for mission‑critical MHE control systems.
Optimize total cost of ownership by reducing vendor dependency, increasing internal ownership of control system intellectual property, and improving engineering leverage.
Guide development and governance of controls software repositories, including version control, peer review processes, documentation, and release workflows.
Collaborate with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to ensure control system architectures adhere to Target’s OT security standards and risk‑mitigation practices.
Define secure connectivity and controls data access patterns that enable diagnostics, troubleshooting, and performance reporting.
Support commissioning and acceptance testing of new automated systems, providing architectural guidance and ensuring adherence to standards during implementation.
Mentor engineers and site technicians, providing guidance on controls best practices, design patterns, troubleshooting techniques, and system architecture.
Contribute to enterprise budgeting and strategy planning, providing technical inputs tied to controls asset health, lifecycle management, modernization scope, and multi‑facility impact.

Benefits

Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves.
Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation.
Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

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