Controls Systems Reliability Engineer (Material Handling)
Step into a role where your decisions directly raise uptime, safety, and throughput across mission-critical operations. Your day blends hands-on controls engineering with systems thinkingoptimizing preventive strategies, tuning PLC logic, and strengthening industrial networks that power conveyors, sortation, scanners, vision, print-and-apply, and SCADA platforms.
A day in the life
- Start by scanning SCADA dashboards and equipment metrics to spot trends that could impact performance, safety, or availability.
- Dive into PLC/PC controls (primarily Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix with RSLogix 5000) to troubleshoot, modify, and deploy improvements that keep material handling equipment operating within design parameters.
- Serve as the first-call escalationon-site or remoteduring and after business hours, rapidly stabilizing controls software issues and coordinating additional help as needed.
- Walk the system: inspect conveyors, sorters, drives, and networks to verify conditions align with client specifications and operational targets.
- Partner with contractors to scope, schedule, and validate workfrom licensed installs and upgrades to specialized systems maintenance and proprietary integrations.
- Engineer reliability and process solutions from concept through network-wide implementation.
- Continuously monitor Ethernet, ControlNet, DeviceNet, Profibus, ASi, motor/servo/frequency drives, and electrical distribution to preempt faults.
- Collaborate with site leaders, operations, and maintenance to resolve electrical issues that create performance gaps; communicate timelines, risks, and production impacts clearly.
- Lead failure reviews and process analyses; recommend fixes, improvements, or retraining to prevent recurrence.
- Conduct periodic controls assessments to maintain and elevate equipment reliability.
- Cultivate strong working relationships with the Client and Operations Maintenance team.
- Contribute wherever neededother job-related duties as assigned.
What you bring
- Bachelor's degree preferred with 2–5 years of relevant experience; in lieu of a degree, a blend of education and experience will be considered.
- Background in at least two design cycles (specification, component selection, programming).
- 2+ years with PLC programming, robotics controls/components, and SCADA-based monitoring and control.
- Comfort with flexible schedules, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
- Ability to work independentlyinterpreting general instructions and solving problems with minimal oversight.
- Meets physical demands: stooping, standing, walking, climbing stairs/ladders, and lifting/carrying 50+ lbs.
- Skilled at guiding the exchange of sensitive or complex information, setting expectations, and resolving issues.
Preferred
- 2+ years apprenticeship or equivalent experience in control systems troubleshooting/programming.
- Experience across multiple conveyor and sortation platforms.
- Hands-on robotic maintenance exposure.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.).
- Exceptional organization and a curious, investigative mindset.
- Strong math ability, including percentages, fractions, and financial-related calculations.
Core proficiencies
- Troubleshooting industrial automation equipment
- PLC programming
- SCADA
Tech you’ll touch
- Programmable Logic Controllers: Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Fanuc
Work authorization
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.