• Senior Controls and Automation Specialist

IKO North America•Chester, SC

16h•Onsite

About The Position

IKO Industries Ltd. is a market leader in the manufacturing of roofing and building materials. IKO is a Canadian owned and operated business with production facilities worldwide and has many years of unparalleled success in the roofing materials industry. Quality, integrity, and trustworthiness are the values that underlie this success, and we have built this company by hiring people who hold these values. People like you! This role serves as the primary technical resource for plant-wide automation and process control infrastructure, including PLC, DCS, HMI, and drive systems. The specialist will maintain, troubleshoot, and optimize automation platforms to support continuous process manufacturing and maximize equipment uptime and operational efficiency. They will also provide technical leadership in diagnosing complex control system failures, network communication issues, and drive system faults.

Requirements

Associate's degree or Technical Diploma in Automation, Electrical Technology, Mechatronics, or related field, required and 5+ years of experience in industrial automation or control's role
Or (substitute 10+ years of experience in industrial automation or control's role)
Or (BS in Electrical Engineering recent graduate with internship experience)
Ability to work at heights, in confined spaces, and wear required PPE.
On-call availability as required.

Nice To Haves

BS in Electrical Engineering recent graduate with internship experience

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary technical resource for plant-wide automation and process control infrastructure including PLC, DCS, HMI, and drive systems.
Maintain, troubleshoot, and optimize automation platforms to support continuous process manufacturing and maximize equipment uptime and operational efficiency.
Provide technical leadership in diagnosing complex control system failures, network communication issues, and drive system faults.
Develop, modify, and maintain control strategies and automation code within: Siemens PCS 7 Distributed Control System (DCS) Siemens S7 PLC platforms (S7-1200 / S7-1500) using TIA Portal.
Perform advanced diagnostics, root cause analysis, and corrective actions within PLC/DCS environments.
Implement control logic enhancements and process improvements to improve system stability, throughput, and product quality.
Maintain program version control, backups, and structured documentation of automation systems.
Configure, commission, and troubleshoot Siemens G120 and S120 variable frequency drives (VFDs) and associated motor control systems.
Optimize drive parameters and control schemes to improve energy efficiency, system responsiveness, and equipment reliability.
Support and maintain industrial communication infrastructure including: PROFINET, PROFIBUS, Ethernet/IP.
Diagnose network-level communication failures and optimize network performance across control platforms.
Develop and maintain HMI visualization interfaces and operator diagnostic tools.
Create and optimize HMI screens to enhance process visibility, troubleshooting capability, and operator efficiency.
Support integration of data visualization and process monitoring tools for improved system performance analysis.
Lead automation-related activities for new equipment installations, capital improvement projects, and system upgrades.
Collaborate with engineering teams, contractors, and OEM vendors during design, installation, commissioning, and startup phases.
Implement automation software updates required for new motors, instrumentation, sensors, and process equipment.
Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and commissioning procedures.
Support plant initiatives focused on automation reliability, predictive maintenance, and process optimization.
Drive improvements that increase equipment availability, process stability, and production throughput.
Identify opportunities to modernize legacy automation systems and implement best practices in industrial control architecture.
Ensure all automation systems comply with plant safety standards, electrical codes, and corporate operational procedures.
Support adherence to lockout/tagout (LOTO), electrical safety, and process safety requirements.
Maintain documentation and configuration records for critical automation systems.