Level: IIV Senior or IV Principal
Salary Range: $135,000 to $185,000 annually Position Summary We are seeking a Principal Controls Engineer with strong industrial robotics integration experience to lead the design, integration, commissioning, and startup of complex robotic production systems. This is a robot-centric controls role. The engineer will own the integration of industrial robots into complete production systems, including EOAT, vision, robot-to-PLC interfaces, machine safety, part flow, recovery logic, interlocks, industrial networks, and production readiness. This is not a robot programming-only role. Candidates must have proven hands-on experience delivering complete robotic systems in real production environments.
Key Responsibilities
· Lead robotic automation projects from concept through commissioning and production startup. · Define robotic cell architecture, including robots, EOAT, safety systems, vision, part handling, PLC interfaces, and industrial networks. · Integrate industrial robots such as Fanuc, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, or equivalent platforms. · Develop and troubleshoot robot programs, paths, frames, tooling, interlocks, zones, recovery logic, and cell sequencing. · Integrate robot-to-PLC communication, including handshakes, I/O mapping, permissives, faults, and recovery states. · Lead machine safety design and validation in accordance with ANSI B11, ANSI/RIA R15.06, ISO 13849, and related standards. · Support risk assessments, safety architecture reviews, PL/SIL documentation, and safety validation. · Lead onsite commissioning and serve as the primary technical escalation point during startup. · Validate system performance, safety functionality, cycle time, fault recovery, and production readiness. · Troubleshoot complex issues across robots, controls, electrical systems, safety devices, tooling, fixtures, and process flow. · Interface with customers, OEMs, integrators, vendors, and internal engineering teams. Basic Qualifications · Minimum 8 years of experience in industrial automation, robotic systems integration, or related automation engineering. · Minimum 3 years of hands-on industrial robotics integration experience. · Minimum 1 to 2 years of greenfield robotic automation integration experience. · Minimum 2 to 3 years of PLC integration or troubleshooting experience in robotic automation systems. · Proven experience delivering complete robotic production systems from design through commissioning. · Applied working knowledge of ANSI B11 and ANSI/RIA R15.06. · Experience designing, validating, or commissioning machine safety systems. · Strong system-level troubleshooting capability across robotics, controls, electrical, mechanical, safety, and process domains. Required Technical Skills · Industrial robot integration, including EOAT, vision, frames, zones, interlocks, recovery, and sequencing. · Robot-to-PLC integration, including handshakes, I/O, permissives, faults, and safe recovery logic. · Working knowledge of PLC-controlled automation systems. Allen-Bradley experience preferred. · Machine safety systems, including safety PLCs, safety I/O, scanners, light curtains, guarding, interlocks, and safety-rated monitored zones. · Industrial networks such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, IO-Link, or equivalent. · Practical understanding of risk assessments, safe-state behavior, validation testing, and production startup. Preferred Qualifications · Experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, battery, logistics, or advanced manufacturing. · Experience with multi-robot cells, robotic material handling, assembly, welding, dispensing, inspection, or machine tending. · Experience leading OEMs, integrators, contractors, or internal teams through installation and commissioning. · Experience with SISTEMA, PL/SIL validation, FAT/SAT, commissioning plans, and acceptance testing. Core Competencies · Robotic system ownership. · Hands-on commissioning leadership. · Strong troubleshooting judgment. · Customer-facing technical communication. · Accountability for safety, uptime, cycle time, and production readiness.
Compensation
Salary range is $135,000 to $185,000 annually.
Final compensation will be based on robotics integration experience, greenfield project experience, machine safety capability, commissioning leadership, and demonstrated ability to deliver complete robotic production systems.