Sr Controls Engineer - Altavista, VA

Abbott Laboratories • Altavista, VA

5d • $78,000 - $156,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Sr Controls Engineer works at Abbott’s Altavista, Virginia location in the Abbott Nutrition division, supporting a large nutrition manufacturing plant. The role provides technical leadership for the design, development, implementation, optimization, validation, and troubleshooting of packaging and wet processing equipment.

The engineer oversees installation and integration of manufacturing systems, including wet processing, filling, and secondary packaging equipment. The position also leads or assists cross-functional electrical control system projects, from cost estimates and equipment specifications through design, validation, commissioning, acceptance testing, and post-startup support. The role is accountable for meeting FDA, OSHA, and Abbott compliance standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience applying engineering knowledge, problem-solving, and ingenuity to assignments related to process or manufacturing systems.
• Experience with validated processes and systems.
• Experience with systems troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in an FDA- or USDA-regulated facility.
• Technical experience with fillers, seamers, cappers, primary equipment such as depalletizers, unscramblers, and air rinsers; secondary equipment such as labelers, conveyors, coders, vision systems, rejection systems, and casepackers; wet processing equipment such as mixers, homogenizers, heat exchangers, and CIP systems; and tertiary equipment such as palletizers and stretch wrappers.
• Project management experience, including budget and scope management.
• Strong communication skills, including managing internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience managing engineering firms, suppliers, and contractors.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for the design, development, implementation, optimization, validation, and troubleshooting of packaging and wet processing equipment.
• Oversee installation and integration of manufacturing systems, including wet processing, filling, and secondary packaging.
• Lead or assist with electrical control system design and improvement projects as part of a cross-functional project team.
• Prepare cost estimates and bid packages and outline equipment specifications.
• Participate in the design of P&ID diagrams and electrical schematics.
• Develop validation and commissioning protocols and execute factory and site acceptance tests for constructed equipment or systems.
• Provide post-startup support for constructed equipment and systems.
• Review equipment and instrument specifications, construction drawings, plant layout, and vendor proposals, and provide feedback on needed changes.
• Meet applicable FDA, OSHA, and Abbott compliance standards, policies, and procedures.

Benefits

• Career development opportunities with an international company.
• Potential eligibility for free medical coverage through the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• Retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Freedom 2 Save student debt program.
• FreeU education benefit.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior