Manager Controls Engineering

MetOx International • Houston, TX

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Manager of Controls Engineering leads the team responsible for the architecture, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of industrial automation and control systems across MetOx's HTS wire manufacturing operations, including MOCVD deposition, buffer-layer coating, lamination, and related vacuum process equipment. Based at MetOx's global headquarters in Houston, Texas, this hands-on technical leadership role combines active design, programming, commissioning, and troubleshooting of control systems with team leadership and development. The role owns the controls engineering strategy for new capital equipment integration and directs sustaining engineering, troubleshooting, and reliability improvement work. It also owns and enforces MetOx's Instrumentation, Electrical, and Control Systems engineering standard, represents Controls Engineering in capital planning and vendor negotiations, and develops team capabilities as production scales.

The manager sets controls architecture strategy across manufacturing equipment, including PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, industrial networks, and related technologies. MetOx's standard architecture includes Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix PLCs programmed in Studio 5000 Logix Designer, Inductive Automation Ignition for HMI/SCADA, and EtherNet/IP as the primary communication protocol, while supporting existing Siemens and Beckhoff equipment. The role ensures that independent hard-wired safety systems are separate from process control PLCs and comply with MetOx safety architecture standards.

The position leads controls strategy and resourcing for capital equipment acquisition and integration, including imported and domestically built equipment. It directs complex projects from scope through commissioning, oversees design reviews and acceptance testing, and ensures suppliers provide complete controls documentation and designs that meet MetOx requirements. It also leads manufacturing support and continuous improvement, including troubleshooting, root-cause investigations, recipe and run-configuration management, reliability initiatives, software version control, backups, and disaster recovery.

The manager oversees the Controls Engineering team's daily work and performance; establishes objectives; prioritizes workload; coaches and develops engineers; leads hiring, onboarding, and succession planning; and recommends staffing, training, and resourcing. The role represents Controls Engineering in cross-functional forums with Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Equipment Engineering, IT/Data, EHS, Finance, and Procurement. Critical equipment issues may require response outside standard business hours.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• At least 7 years of progressive experience in industrial controls, automation, or electrical engineering in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Prior experience managing controls or automation engineers.
• Demonstrated experience owning controls architecture strategy and leading technically complex capital equipment integration projects.
• Demonstrated experience with Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix, Studio 5000 Logix Designer, and EtherNet/IP industrial networking.
• Deep hands-on experience programming, troubleshooting, and commissioning PLC-based control systems across multiple equipment platforms.
• Extensive experience with industrial HMIs, SCADA systems, motion control, sensors, instrumentation, and industrial communication networks.
• Experience leading root-cause investigations and corrective actions that measurably improved equipment reliability at scale.
• Expert-level knowledge of industrial automation, control systems, electrical schematics, and applicable safety requirements.
• Working knowledge of ISA-95, IEC 61131, NFPA 79, and ISO 13849.
• Knowledge of HMI design and alarm management standards, including ISA-101 and ISA-18.2.
• Understanding of UL-508A industrial control panel standards sufficient to review and approve vendor panel designs.
• Ability to set technical direction and engineering standards while balancing hands-on technical leadership and people management.
• Leadership and coaching skills, including assessing team strengths and development needs, improving performance, and building high-performing teams.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills for working with cross-functional stakeholders, vendors, and executive leadership.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project leadership skills, including the ability to manage multiple complex technical initiatives and capital projects simultaneously.
• High degree of ownership, sound judgment under ambiguity, and resilience under production pressure.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience in superconductor, semiconductor, thin-film, or advanced materials manufacturing environments.
• Experience with Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, or comparable automation platforms, including sustaining and troubleshooting mixed-vendor equipment fleets.
• Experience with Inductive Automation Ignition for HMI/SCADA implementations.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT as a secondary or interfacing PLC platform for EtherCAT-only instrumentation.
• Experience with roll-to-roll processing, web handling, thin-film deposition, vacuum systems, or semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with vacuum/process instrumentation relevant to MOCVD or thin-film deposition systems, such as mass flow controllers, capacitance manometers, and vacuum gauges.
• Familiarity with SEMI, ISA, and IEC standards applicable to semiconductor-adjacent manufacturing equipment, such as SEMI E56, ISA-95, IEC 61131, ISA-18.2, and ISA-101.
• Direct experience integrating equipment controls with MES, historians, or plant intelligence/analytics platforms.
• Experience managing capital equipment imports, factory acceptance testing/site acceptance testing, and vendor controls audits for custom or international equipment builds.
• Experience building or scaling a controls engineering function during a manufacturing ramp-up.

Responsibilities

• Own controls engineering architecture strategy across manufacturing equipment, including PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, industrial networks, and associated automation technologies.
• Personally design, program, and review PLC and HMI/SCADA code for technically complex systems.
• Maintain and enforce MetOx's Instrumentation, Electrical, and Control Systems engineering standard (ITC-EQS-001) for internal teams, OEM vendors, and system integrators.
• Enforce standardized control system architecture, including Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix, Studio 5000 Logix Designer, Inductive Automation Ignition, and EtherNet/IP, while supporting existing Siemens and Beckhoff platforms.
• Ensure equipment has independent hard-wired safety systems separate from process-control PLCs, including appropriately designed Emergency Shutdown circuits.
• Serve as the final escalation and decision-making authority for complex controls-related equipment issues.
• Identify and prioritize automation investments that improve equipment monitoring, process control, data collection, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Lead controls engineering strategy and resourcing for capital equipment acquisition, specification reviews, vendor controls audits, and commissioning of imported and domestically built equipment.
• Own technical requirements and specifications for capital equipment controls with internal stakeholders and equipment suppliers.
• Direct complex controls engineering projects from scope through schedule, resourcing, budget, programming, wiring checkout, and commissioning.
• Oversee controls design reviews, factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, and operational readiness assessments.
• Ensure equipment suppliers deliver complete controls documentation packages before equipment acceptance, and review and approve supplier controls designs and deliverables.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement on capital equipment controls budgeting, timelines, and risk assessment.
• Troubleshoot complex or recurring controls-related equipment failures on the manufacturing floor and in code; lead root-cause investigations and sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Oversee recipe and run-configuration management architecture, validation controls, and integration with plant-level data and recipe databases.
• Lead controls and automation upgrades to improve equipment uptime, process repeatability, operational efficiency, and manufacturing reliability.
• Own standards for software version control, system backups, configuration management, and disaster recovery of critical automation systems.
• Partner with Maintenance and Operations on predictive and preventive maintenance strategies for industrial control systems.
• Evaluate and recommend automation technologies, control platforms, and industrial communication protocols to support production scaling.
• Partner with EHS and operational leadership to maintain safe equipment operation and compliance with applicable standards.
• Manage the daily activities and performance of the Controls Engineering team and ensure timely execution of responsibilities and projects.
• Establish team and individual objectives, monitor progress, and hold the team accountable for outcomes.
• Plan and prioritize team work across manufacturing support, capital equipment projects, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coach and develop Controls Engineers through feedback, technical mentorship, and career development support.
• Assess team strengths, skill gaps, and development needs; implement individual development plans.
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and succession planning for the Controls Engineering function.
• Evaluate team capacity and recommend staffing, training, and resourcing needs to departmental leadership.
• Resolve operational and technical challenges within the team's scope and escalate broader cross-functional issues to the CIO as appropriate.
• Represent Controls Engineering in cross-functional leadership forums and drive alignment with Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Equipment Engineering, and IT/Data teams.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health insurance available on the first day of the month following the start date.
• Dental insurance available on the first day of the month following the start date.
• Vision insurance available on the first day of the month following the start date.
• 401(k) match.
• Paid parental leave.
• Adoption assistance.
• Educational reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

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