Controls Engineer

Trueline, an established industrial automation and systems integration company, is seeking a Controls Engineer to join its team near Madison. This is an opportunity to work on diverse automation projects from design through commissioning, expand your technical skills, and collaborate with experienced engineers who value mentorship and teamwork.

What You'll Do as the Controls Engineer:

• Design and develop industrial electrical control systems, including control panel layouts, schematics, and related documentation.
• Program and troubleshoot programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for industrial automation applications.
• Develop and configure HMI and SCADA systems that help customers monitor and control their operations.
• Work directly with customers to understand their automation needs and develop practical technical solutions.
• Create control sequences, implement automation logic, and integrate equipment with plant control systems.
• Coordinate with external panel fabrication partners and participate in control panel testing.
• Support factory acceptance testing (FAT), system installation, and site acceptance testing (SAT).
• Travel to customer facilities for electrical troubleshooting, I/O checkout, startup, and commissioning.
• Diagnose issues involving electrical circuits, PLCs, industrial communications, and control software.
• Collaborate with fellow engineers throughout the project lifecycle, from initial concept to final documentation.
• Continue developing your expertise across electrical design, PLC programming, and HMI/SCADA applications.

Must-Haves as the Controls Engineer:

• Strong understanding of industrial electrical systems, control circuits, and electrical components.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and troubleshoot industrial electrical equipment.
• Professional experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated hands-on proficiency in at least one of these areas: electrical control panel design, PLC programming, or HMI/SCADA development.
• Familiarity with industrial automation equipment and the practical application of electrical control systems.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to solve technical problems independently and collaboratively.
• Willingness to learn additional controls engineering disciplines and work across different project phases.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers, engineering colleagues, and technical partners.
• Availability to work onsite in Oregon, WI, or Golden Valley, MN.
• Willingness to travel approximately 20-30% to customer locations for testing, startup, and commissioning.

Nice-to-Haves as the Controls Engineer:

• Approximately 3-8 years of industrial controls or automation engineering experience.
• Experience programming Rockwell/Allen-Bradley PLCs using Studio 5000 or RSLogix.
• Experience developing HMI/SCADA applications with Ignition, FactoryTalk, Wonderware, InTouch, or AVEVA.
• Background in industrial electrical control panel design and schematic development.
• Familiarity with industrial communication protocols such as EtherNet/IP, Modbus, OPC UA, or IO-Link.
• Experience with Canary Historian, industrial data integration, or AVEVA platforms.
• Knowledge of MQTT, Sparkplug, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), SQL, Python, or database connectivity.
• Experience supporting factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, or equipment commissioning.
• Previous experience with an industrial systems integrator, automation engineering firm, equipment manufacturer, or automated manufacturing facility.
• Ability to contribute across multiple disciplines, including electrical design, PLC programming, and SCADA development.

We Offer:

• Competitive base salary of $80,000-$105,000, depending on experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a company match of up to 4%.
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• Year-end performance bonus opportunities.
• Company profit-sharing opportunities when business performance allows.
• Additional compensation of up to $70 per overnight travel day, separate from travel expenses and meal per diem.
• Company-paid business travel expenses, including hotels, airfare, and rental vehicles.
• Mileage reimbursement and meal per diem for qualifying business travel.
• Primarily regional travel, with most assignments lasting 2-5 days and limited weekend travel.
• A supportive, close-knit engineering team with experienced colleagues who provide technical guidance and mentorship.
• Opportunities to develop skills in electrical design, PLC programming, HMI/SCADA, and industrial systems integration.
• Hands-on involvement in complete automation projects rather than being limited to a single engineering function.
• A stable, established company with a collaborative culture and opportunities for long-term professional growth.

Trueline is an unabashed equal-opportunity employers committed to a diverse workforce. We welcome smart and ambitious applicants and recruit, refer, hire, place, and promote without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law.