Sr. Controls Engineer

J.G. Kern Enterprises Inc.•Sterling Heights, MI

2d•$125,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

JG Kern Enterprises is seeking an experienced Senior Controls Engineer to lead the design, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of automation systems supporting our precision CNC machining and assembly operations. This position is responsible for taking automation projects from concept through production launch, including electrical hardware design, PLC/HMI programming, robotics integration, machine safety, installation, commissioning, and validation. Unlike a maintenance controls technician, this position serves as the technical leader for automation engineering and future manufacturing technologies.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Controls Engineering, or equivalent experience.
Minimum 8 years of industrial controls engineering experience.
Proven experience designing automation systems from concept to production.
Strong PLC programming experience.
Strong electrical design experience.
Experience leading automation projects.

Nice To Haves

Siemens S7 PLC programming
Mitsubishi PLC programming
Ignition HMI development
ABB robotics
Yaskawa robotics
Kawasaki robotics
Bin picking
Cognex vision systems
Keyence vision systems
FANUC iRVision
CNC machining centers
CNC lathes
Robotic machine tending
Flexible manufacturing systems
Automated gauging
Leak testing
Laser marking
Conveyor systems
Industrial vision
Barcode/RFID systems
Automotive manufacturing experience
Industrial networks
Electrical controls

Responsibilities

Design and develop complete automated manufacturing cells.
Develop electrical architectures for new manufacturing equipment.
Specify all electrical and controls hardware.
Develop system layouts and electrical schematics.
Create control panel designs.
Select sensors, drives, PLCs, HMIs, robots, safety devices, servos, vision systems, and industrial networking hardware.
Develop Bills of Material for controls hardware.
Develop and maintain PLC programs including Allen-Bradley ControlLogix, CompactLogix, Siemens S7 (preferred), and Mitsubishi (plus).
Responsibilities include machine sequencing, motion control, servo integration, PID control, production diagnostics, fault recovery, and recipe management.
Develop operator interfaces including FactoryTalk View, Siemens WinCC, and Ignition (preferred).
Responsibilities include production screens, alarm management, diagnostic screens, machine setup pages, OEE displays, and maintenance diagnostics.
Develop robotic applications including FANUC (primarily), ABB (bonus), Yaskawa (bonus), and Kawasaki (bonus).
Responsibilities include robot programming, vision integration, end-of-arm tooling, safety zones, machine tending, material handling, and bin picking (preferred).
Develop and integrate vision inspection systems including Cognex, Keyence, and FANUC iRVision.
Provide advanced troubleshooting for PLC issues, servo systems, robots.
Serve as the highest level technical resource for complex automation issues.