Controls Engineer - OT Integration & Platform Delivery
Location: Remote with travel to client plant sites (candidates based in NC, SC or VA) Employment Type: Full-time Travel: Up to 75%, across North America Compensation: Up to $100,000 base + 10% variable Experience: 1+ years
About the Role
As a Controls Engineer, you will connect our client's customers' production lines to their industrial data platform. You will read existing PLC programs, identify the signals needed, commission the edge connection, and make sure every count, reject and machine state reaching the platform matches what happens on the line.
This is a high-travel, customer-facing role at beverage bottling and manufacturing plants across the East Coast. You will be the on-site counterpart to the development team in India through assessments, commissioning, go-lives and hypercare.
Key Responsibilities
- Line Assessment: Walk production lines (fillers, blow molders, labelers, case packers, palletizers, inspection systems). Document the PLCs, networks, SCADA or data concentrators and data available on each machine. Produce a site connectivity plan and tag list.
- PLC Tag Mapping: Go online with Rockwell and Siemens PLCs to locate and validate tags for counts, rejects, speed, product or recipe, and machine states (running, faulted, starved, blocked, changeover). Specify any PLC changes needed from the plant or its integrator.
- Edge Connectivity: Install and configure edge gateways and connect them via OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7 or Modbus TCP. Work with plant IT on network segmentation, firewall rules, remote access and time synchronization.
- Scanner Commissioning: Commission inline barcode and UPC scanners and their reject logic for line-clearance (wrong-material) checks.
- Data Validation & Go-Live: Validate counts, downtime and machine states against the PLC, HMI and the plant's SAP or production records. Tune line logic (machine hierarchy, starved and blocked rules, downtime auto-booking) for each site. Own go-live readiness and on-site hypercare.
- Documentation & Collaboration: Maintain tag lists, network diagrams, site runbooks and go-live checklists. Work with the development team in India on troubleshooting across machine, network, edge and cloud layers, and contribute to the standard rollout playbook.
Required Qualifications
- 1+ years of hands-on experience as a controls, automation or OT engineer in manufacturing or with a systems integrator
- Hands-on experience with Rockwell Automation PLCs (Studio 5000, ControlLogix, CompactLogix)
- Practical experience configuring industrial data connectivity using OPC UA or EtherNet/IP
- Strong verbal and written English communication, with the confidence to work with plant managers, maintenance teams, operators and corporate IT
- Willingness to travel up to 80%
- Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship
Preferred Qualifications
- Working knowledge of Siemens PLCs (TIA Portal, S7-1200/1500)
- Understanding of OT network architecture (IT/OT segmentation, industrial Ethernet)
- Experience with Profinet, Modbus TCP or MQTT
- Food and beverage or bottling line experience
- Exposure to Ignition, Kepware, FactoryTalk or AVEVA
- Experience with barcode scanner or machine vision systems
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls or Mechatronics Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience
Compensation & Benefits
- Up to $100,000 base salary + 10% variable
- Paid time off
Work Authorization & Location
This role is open to candidates authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship. Candidates must be based in North Carolina, South Carolina or Virginia.
