Senior Electrical Controls Engineer
About The Position
RFA Engineering is an engineering service provider delivering engineering support and expertise to clients. The Senior Electrical Controls Engineer supports electrical and controls design for complex industrial and material-handling equipment, including cranes, gantry systems, critical-handling equipment, motion-control systems, and specialized machinery used in nuclear and other highly regulated environments. Work may include industrial control-panel design, power distribution, equipment wiring, VFD and servo systems, motor and brake controls, functional safety, equipment checkout, and Factory Acceptance Testing. The role supports projects from initial design through integration, testing, and delivery, coordinating with mechanical and controls-software engineering teams and supporting fabrication, assembly, troubleshooting, commissioning, and documentation. RFA Engineering has provided product development and engineering services to industry-leading customers since 1943. Its work focuses primarily on off-highway equipment, including agricultural, construction, mining, recreational, industrial, and special machines, and includes concept development, product design, documentation, problem-solving, simulation, optimization, and testing. Engineering staff are located at its Minneapolis Engineering Center, Dubuque, Iowa branch office, and customer sites throughout the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Controls Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Professional experience with industrial electrical controls, automated equipment, material-handling equipment, or similarly complex engineered systems.
- Experience developing electrical schematics and production-ready electrical documentation.
- Working knowledge of industrial power distribution and control systems.
- Experience with motors, drives, sensors, and electromechanical equipment.
- Ability to independently execute engineering assignments with limited day-to-day technical supervision.
Nice To Haves
- Five or more years of relevant electrical controls or industrial-equipment design experience preferred.
- Experience with functional safety and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) applications.
- Experience designing safety-related controls, permissives, interlocks, redundant systems, or other high-reliability equipment.
- Experience with AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar electrical design software.
- Experience with industrial control-panel design, power distribution, equipment wiring, and I/O systems.
- Experience with VFDs, servo drives, motor and brake controls, encoders, travel limits, and advanced motion-control systems.
- Experience with cranes, gantries, critical-handling systems, material-handling equipment, or other large automated machinery.
- Experience supporting equipment fabrication, checkout, commissioning, load testing, or Factory Acceptance Testing.
- Experience with IEEE standards or other applicable industrial, controls, electrical, and safety standards.
Responsibilities
- Develop electrical and controls designs for cranes, gantries, material-handling systems, and other complex industrial equipment.
- Create production-ready electrical schematics, control-panel layouts, wiring and interconnection drawings, I/O documentation, and bills of material.
- Design and specify industrial control panels, power distribution systems, equipment wiring, and control-system components.
- Perform electrical design calculations to support equipment and component selection.
- Develop solutions using VFDs, servo drives, motors, brakes, encoders, travel limits, sensors, and motion-control hardware.
- Develop and review control interlocks and safety-related interfaces.
- Apply functional-safety concepts and project-specific Safety Integrity Level requirements to applicable systems, including SIL 1, SIL 2, and SIL 3 requirements as applicable.
- Participate in electrical, controls, functional-safety, and multidisciplinary design reviews.
- Coordinate electrical designs with mechanical and controls-software engineering teams.
- Support control-panel fabrication, equipment assembly, system checkout, and troubleshooting.
- Support equipment commissioning and Factory Acceptance Testing.
- Investigate electrical and controls issues and drive corrective actions.
- Incorporate design, fabrication, and checkout changes into final as-built documentation.
- Develop and review engineering specifications and controlled technical documentation.
- Support projects throughout the engineering lifecycle, from initial design through integration, testing, and delivery.
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Supplemental vision insurance
- Company-paid life insurance
- Company-paid long-term disability
- Short-term disability
- Retirement savings account with Traditional 401(k) and Roth 401(k) options
- Flexible spending plan
- Dependent care
- HSA for medical expenses
- Bonus plan for exempt employees
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Bereavement leave
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
- Education assistance
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
