Controls Engineer - Day Shift

Applicants must currently live in the United States and be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. We do not sponsor visas.

Location: This is a full-time, direct-hire, on-site position in Waddell, AZ 85355. Relocation assistance is offered, so candidates anywhere in the U.S. who are willing to relocate to the Phoenix/Waddell area are encouraged to apply.

About the role: You will work on-site in the plant on high-speed beverage filling and packaging lines, programming and troubleshooting Allen-Bradley PLCs on running production equipment. This is a plant-floor controls engineering role, not a software, QA, or test-automation role.

Controls Engineer – Day Shift

Schedule: 2-2-3 rotation, 6:00 AM–6:00 PM (Day shift, 12-hour shifts)

Base Salary: $100,000–$130,000

Annual Bonus: 20% target bonus

Relocation Assistance: Available

What You Must Bring

• Hands-on PLC programming, not just troubleshooting: you write and modify ladder logic yourself, ideally Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix in Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000.

• 4+ years of industrial controls or automation experience on high-speed production lines (beverage, food, packaging, CPG, pharmaceutical, or similar).

• Strong troubleshooting of PLCs, HMIs (FactoryTalk or similar), VFDs (PowerFlex or similar), servo/motion, and industrial networks (EtherNet/IP).

• Willingness to work a 12-hour 2-2-3 day rotation, 6:00 AM–6:00 PM.

This is a salaried engineering role. It is not an entry-level position and not a maintenance technician or parts-replacement role.

Position Overview

A leading high-speed beverage manufacturer is seeking an experienced Controls Engineer to provide dedicated automation and controls support at its Waddell, Arizona facility.

This position serves as the on-shift controls expert, providing Tier 1 and Tier 2 troubleshooting support throughout the plant. You will work closely with operations, maintenance, engineering, and quality to resolve equipment issues, improve reliability, increase throughput, and execute automation-focused improvement projects, while mentoring and training maintenance technicians and operators.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary on-shift controls and automation expert.

• Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 troubleshooting for automated processing, filling, canning, conveying, and packaging equipment.

• Diagnose PLC, HMI, VFD, servo, instrumentation, motion-control, and industrial-network issues and restore production safely.

• Identify recurring equipment problems and implement permanent corrective actions, including PLC and HMI program changes.

• Develop and execute controls projects that improve safety, quality, reliability, and throughput.

• Participate in the Management of Change process for controls, equipment, and process modifications.

• Maintain PLC and HMI program backups, controls documentation, electrical drawings, and change records.

• Support commissioning, controls upgrades, new installations, and system integration projects.

• Provide technical leadership, training, and mentorship to maintenance technicians and operators.

Required Qualifications

• Associate degree in engineering technology, industrial automation and controls, or a related technical discipline; equivalent relevant industry experience may be considered.

• At least four years of industrial automation or controls experience in a high-speed manufacturing environment.

• Strong PLC programming and troubleshooting capabilities.

• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, control drawings, and technical documentation.

• Ability to independently diagnose complex controls problems and execute automation projects.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to work across multiple plant departments.

Preferred Experience

• KHS, Krones, Sidel, or comparable high-speed beverage processing, filling, canning, or packaging equipment.

• Beverage, brewery, bottling, canning, or food manufacturing operations.

• Controls upgrades, commissioning, FAT/SAT, and continuous-improvement projects.

• Training or mentoring maintenance technicians.

Compensation

• Base salary of $100,000–$130,000, based on experience.

• 20% target annual bonus.

• Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates.

• Comprehensive company benefits package.