Position Title: PLC Controls Engineer - Contract
Location: Durham, NC – Onsite
Duration: 12-Month Contract
Hours: 40 hours per week
2-Round Interview Process
Ideal Start Date: 08/03/2026
Background Check Required
Scope / What's Driving the Need:
Client is expanding its controls engineering team to support ongoing product development and sustainment initiatives. The team is implementing a new HMI platform and continuing to enhance Beckhoff-based automation systems used within finished products. This role is geared toward a mid-to-senior-level Controls Engineer who has strong PLC experience and enjoys both software development and validation activities. The position is somewhat test-focused, with responsibilities that include generating test cases, executing verification activities, reviewing the work of other engineers, and supporting system-level troubleshooting. While PLC programming experience is required, the role does not heavily emphasize developing applications entirely from scratch, as the engineer will primarily be extending, testing, validating, and sustaining existing solutions.
The ideal candidate will have experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT PLC platforms; however, engineers with strong Rockwell or Siemens PLC backgrounds will also be considered.
Duties:
- Develop, maintain, and extend PLC software for Beckhoff-based automation systems.
- Support implementation and enhancements for new HMI functionality.
- Generate, execute, and document PLC software test cases and verification activities.
- Review test results, evaluate software performance, and validate system behavior against requirements.
- Collaborate with Controls, Electrical, Systems, and cross-functional engineering teams throughout product development efforts.
- Support troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution of automation and controls-related issues.
- Extend and sustain existing control systems used in production equipment.
- Evaluate alternative control architectures and provide recommendations regarding technical trade-offs and design decisions.
- Support system verification, validation, and qualification activities.
- Analyze system behavior and performance issues within deployed products.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less experienced engineers.
- Participate in design reviews and contribute to engineering process improvements.
- Coordinate PLC-related activities with manufacturing, integration, and product development teams.
- Document software, testing, and verification activities according to engineering standards.
Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- 5-12+ years of In-depth experience and strong technical expertise in control systems and PLC development.
- Hands-on experience with Beckhoff PLCs and TwinCAT programming Highly Preferred (AB or Siemens will be considered, too)
- Perform testing and verification of PLC functionality to ensure compliance with system requirements and expected behavior
- Collaborate with Electrical Engineering on the design and development of electrical circuitry, electronic packaging, and system-level integrations
- Working knowledge of the Product Development Process.
- Experience supporting existing products and sustaining engineering activities.
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with system-level testing, verification, and validation.
- Exposure to event-driven or modular PLC architectures.
- Experience supporting manufacturing, integration, or fielded automation systems.
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