Senior Controls Engineer

Wunderlich-Malec Careers•Irvine, CA

37d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join a Top Engineering Firm That’s 100% Employee-Owned Wunderlich-Malec Engineering (WM) is one of the largest and most well-established engineering firms in the U.S., with over 40 years of industry leadership. As a 100% employee-owned ESOP company, we’re proud to be ranked among the Top 5 Systems Integrators and an ENR Top 500 Firm. We’re looking for a Senior Controls Engineer to join our Irvine, CA office. In this leadership role, you’ll design and implement innovative automation solutions across industries like Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, and Manufacturing. What You’ll Do As a Senior Controls Engineer, you’ll lead projects from concept to commissioning, working directly with clients and internal teams. Your responsibilities will include:

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
7+ years of experience in controls engineering, including:
Rslogix 500, Studio 5000 PLC programming
Siemens Step 7 and TIA Portal programming
Rockwell Automation platforms (FactoryTalk, PlantPAX)
Inductive Automation Ignition
S88 Batch/Recipes, OEE, MES, ERP systems
Electrical schematics and control panel design
AutoCAD proficiency
Proven ability to lead teams and mentor engineers
Strong communication and client-facing skills
Professional references from a manager, peer, and subordinate

Nice To Haves

Ignition and PlantPAx experience is a plus

Responsibilities

Automation & Controls Engineering: Design and implement control systems using PLC, HMI, SCADA, and DCS platforms (Ignition and PlantPAx experience is a plus). Develop control system architecture, select components, and create detailed schematics. Program controllers (Ladder, SFC, Structured Text) and visualization systems (HMI/SCADA). Build databases for historical data archiving and display. Utilize programming languages like VBA, .NET, SQL, and Python for advanced HMI/SCADA development.
Industrial Networking: Design and implement fiber, wired, and wireless networks using industrial protocols (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, IT/OT).
Project Leadership & Management: Lead engineering teams and mentor junior staff. Manage project execution plans, budgets, schedules, and reporting. Oversee daily operations of projects up to $1M and ensure profitability. Act as technical lead and occasionally serve as Project Manager.