Senior Automation/Controls Engineer

VIAVI Solutions•Santa Rosa, CA

3d•$134,400 - $249,600•Onsite

About The Position

VIAVI Solutions manufactures advanced optical thin-film and pigment coating products across a 24/7 production environment in Santa Rosa, CA, with additional sites in China and Arizona. This Controls Engineer position balances two priorities: keeping automation running in an active manufacturing operation, and leading new capital project work — machine installations, system upgrades, and next-generation automation platforms. For the right candidate, this role has a clear path into engineering leadership and management of VIAVI's Automation Controls group.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls, Automation, or equivalent experience
5+ years in industrial controls/automation in a manufacturing environment
PLC programming: Siemens Step 7 / TIA Portal or Mitsubishi GX Developer
Experience supporting automation in 24/7 or continuous production environments
Programming with Visual Studio, C#
End-to-end ownership of capital project automation scope
HMI development, industrial networking, SQL databases, source code management
Strong troubleshooting skills; ability to read electrical schematics and P&IDs
Excellent communication skills; occasional international travel required

Nice To Haves

Allen-Bradley / Rockwell or Honeywell PLC platforms
LabVIEW, Wonderware System Platform, Oracle, Linux, Windows administration
Vision systems, vacuum coating processes, optics knowledge
Prior team-lead experience

Responsibilities

Resolve PLC/HMI faults rapidly to restore production
Support planned maintenance windows and change deployments
Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions
Improve control logic, alarming, and system reliability
Partner closely with maintenance and operations teams
Own automation scope on new machine installations
Define PLC/HMI/network architecture for new systems
Manage vendors, FAT/SAT, and project documentation
Commission and validate systems into Operations
Design, develop, and maintain PLC and HMI systems for manufacturing equipment
Commission new automation hardware and software; integrate with existing infrastructure
Configure and commission motor drives, motion systems, and closed-loop control systems
Design and administer SQL databases; manage industrial networks (Profibus, Ethernet/IP, OPC)
Maintain source control, documentation, and change records for all control system work
Lead or contribute to capital project scoping, scheduling, and execution
Mentor junior engineers; collaborate across Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering teams
Demonstrate communication and leadership skills aligned with future management growth