Join a Top Engineering Firm That’s 100% Employee-Owned
Wunderlich-Malec Engineering (WM) is one of the largest and most well-established engineering firms in the U.S., with over 40 years of industry leadership. As a 100% employee-owned ESOP company, we’re proud to be ranked among the Top 5 Systems Integrators and an ENR Top 500 Firm.
We’re looking for a Senior Controls Engineer to join our Irvine, CA office. In this leadership role, you’ll design and implement innovative automation solutions across industries like Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, and Manufacturing.
What You’ll Do
As a Senior Controls Engineer, you’ll lead projects from concept to commissioning, working directly with clients and internal teams. Your responsibilities will include:
🔧 Automation & Controls Engineering
- Design and implement control systems using PLC, HMI, SCADA, and DCS platforms (Ignition and PlantPAx experience is a plus)
- Develop control system architecture, select components, and create detailed schematics
- Program controllers (Ladder, SFC, Structured Text) and visualization systems (HMI/SCADA)
- Build databases for historical data archiving and display
- Utilize programming languages like VBA, .NET, SQL, and Python for advanced HMI/SCADA development
🌐 Industrial Networking
- Design and implement fiber, wired, and wireless networks using industrial protocols (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, IT/OT)
📈 Project Leadership & Management
- Lead engineering teams and mentor junior staff
- Manage project execution plans, budgets, schedules, and reporting
- Oversee daily operations of projects up to $1M and ensure profitability
- Act as technical lead and occasionally serve as Project Manager
What You Bring
🎓 Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
- 7+ years of experience in controls engineering, including:
- Rslogix 500, Studio 5000 PLC programming
- Siemens Step 7 and TIA Portal programming
- Rockwell Automation platforms (FactoryTalk, PlantPAX)
- Inductive Automation Ignition
- S88 Batch/Recipes, OEE, MES, ERP systems
- Electrical schematics and control panel design
- AutoCAD proficiency
🤝 Leadership & Collaboration
- Proven ability to lead teams and mentor engineers
- Strong communication and client-facing skills
- Professional references from a manager, peer, and subordinate
✈️ Travel
- Up to 25% out-of-state travel; regular visits to client sites in Southern California
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
- Hybrid mix of standard office environment and work-from-home leadership (at least 3 days of office work, discretionary 2 days of remote work, and on-site job walks as needed per week), up to 25% level of travel to client sites in the US; diverse industrial environments; flexible for out-of-region candidates but Southern California Region (specifically Orange County, Inland Empire, and San Diego) preferred.
Physical Demands of Position
- Seeing, color perception, hearing, clear speech, dexterity in hands, driving, lifting, ability to mount/dismount equipment, pushing and pulling.
Why Join WM?
We offer a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employee-owners, including:
Ready to lead cutting-edge automation projects and grow with a company that invests in you?
*Job Descriptions are not exhaustive lists of all skills, responsibilities, or efforts associated with a job. They reflect principal job elements essential for performing the job and evaluating performance.
Wunderlich-Malec is proud to offer a comprehensive employee-owner benefit package. Full-time employees may be eligible for the following benefits: Medical • Dental • Vision • Basic and Supplemental Life and AD&D • Long Term Disability • Voluntary Short Term Disability • Healthcare & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts • Health Savings Account • Paid Time Off (PTO) • Paid Holidays • Tuition Reimbursement • Referral Bonus Program • 401(k)/Profit Sharing • 100% ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) • Employee Assistance Program • Will Preparation Resources • Worldwide Travel Assistance.
The expected salary range is $110,000 to $155,000 base per year depending on qualifications plus a discretionary bonus and employee stock program.
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with DisabilitiesThis employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
- 7+ years of controls engineering experience
- Experience with RSLogix 500 and Studio 5000 PLC programming
- Experience with Siemens Step 7 and TIA Portal programming
- Experience with Rockwell Automation platforms, including FactoryTalk and PlantPAx
- Experience with S88 Batch/Recipes, OEE, MES, and ERP systems
- Experience creating electrical schematics and designing control panels
- AutoCAD proficiency
- Ability to lead teams and mentor engineers
- Strong communication and client-facing skills
- Professional references from a manager, peer, and subordinate
- Ignition and PlantPAx experience
What We Do
Wunderlich-Malec has been providing customers with engineering, system integration and fabrication solutions for more than 35 years. With offices throughout the US and nearly 430 professionals on our staff, we are one of the largest and most well established engineering companies in the United States, and we've successfully finished numerous projects for our US clients in many parts of the world. We're confident that our qualified staff has the knowledge, experience and talent to create and deliver the solutions you need for your facility process and operation needs. Wunderlich-Malec ranks on Inc. 5000's Fastest Growing Private Companies list and is a GSA Schedule holder with the Federal Government for professional engineering services and manufacturing. Wunderlich-Malec is an engineering firm specializing in process controls solutions for a wide array of clients. Experts in the design, programming and deployment of automation systems for process, manufacturing, commercial buildings and public sector utilities. Skilled at electrical design, control system manufacturing, process integration, programming, testing, training, and ongoing support.
