Sr. Automation Controls Engineer

BLUE ORIGIN•Huntsville, AL

5d•$181,626 - $254,275

About The Position

Blue Origin's Factory Automation team is part of the Advanced Manufacturing organization within Operations. It serves as the in-house automation integrator, designing, building, and deploying custom equipment and systems that enable scalable, repeatable production across Blue Origin's manufacturing business units. The team develops automated solutions that support delivery of Blue Origin products across current and future programs. The Sr. Automation Controls Engineer brings hands-on expertise in industrial controls design and automation systems integration, taking technical ownership from concept through production ramp-up. The position drives projects through R&D, design, build, installation, and commissioning, coordinating across stakeholders and disciplines. The engineer defines control system architectures, establishes technical standards, and develops practical automation solutions, including working with product design teams on designs that support automated manufacturing.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Controls, or a related engineering field.
At least 6 years of hands-on experience developing and integrating industrial controls and automation systems from scratch.
PLC and HMI programming as core competencies.
Experience designing control system architectures, including network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, and multi-platform communication protocols.
Broad exposure to industrial automation platforms such as robots, material handling systems (gantries, AGVs, conveyors), CNC machine integration, NDT, assembly, testing, and process tools such as torque, welding, or grinding.
Demonstrated ability to interpret and review electrical and mechanical drawings.
Experience with industrial safety system design, including functional safety devices, safety PLCs, and safety-rated circuits.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with industrial automation and machine safety standards, including IEC 61131, ANSI B11, NFPA 79, RIA R15.06, and functional safety standards IEC 62061 / ISO 13849, including experience conducting or supporting formal risk assessments.
Experience using industrial automation simulation software for offline programming, virtual commissioning, and full production line simulation, such as Plant Simulate, Process Simulate, Visual Components, KUKA.Sim, RobotStudio, or similar.
Experience with industrial machine vision systems, including custom application development using platforms such as Cognex, encompassing out-of-the-box configuration, novel programming, and ML-based inspection and guidance solutions.
Experience building, modifying, and troubleshooting electrical control panels.
Experience with electrical design for industrial control systems using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar electrical CAD platforms.
Demonstrated history of delivering custom automated manufacturing systems from concept through production ramp-up.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with applications engineers on conceptual automated manufacturing equipment, providing controls architecture input and feedback from concept through detailed design.
Design control system architectures, including network topology, I/O distribution, safety systems, and communication protocols.
Lead industrial controls and electrical design of bespoke automation systems.
Develop offline simulations of automated systems, from discrete work cells to fully automated product lines, to validate control logic, robot paths, cycle times, and system behavior from concept through final design; perform pre-programming and virtual commissioning before hardware is available.
Transition offline development to online debugging and commissioning of PLC, HMI, robot, and similar industrial controls programs from scratch.
Integrate auxiliary equipment, machines, and tools into unified control systems.
Work with panel fabricators and field installation teams and provide technical support during system integration and commissioning.
Lead factory and site acceptance testing.
Lead the build, installation, commissioning, and start-up of automated manufacturing systems.
Create and deliver controls documentation packages, including sequence of operations, I/O lists, network diagrams, and program documentation.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Basic and supplemental life insurance.
Paid parental leave.
Short- and long-term disability.
401(k) with company match of up to 5%.
Education Support Program.
Stock options for all regular employees working at least 20 hours per week.
Paid time off of up to four weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours.
Up to 14 company-paid holidays.
Depending on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on individual contributions, company results, or other factors.