Instrumentation and Controls Engineer (Intermediate)
Raise - find a more meaningful working experience · Baytown, TX
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Experience asked
- 65+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Raise - find a more meaningful working experience (industrial) in Baytown, TX. Maintain, update, and troubleshoot existing control and electrical systems to improve reliability, safety, and performance.
- They ask for
- 65+ years
- Tools it names
- PLC, Automation, AutoCAD
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $95k–$140k.
Median of the low and high ends of 9 live postings that list pay, out of 81 controls engineer openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 80 other live controls postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (65+ vs 4+)
Typical $95k–$140k, from 8 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 4+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ PLC 84%
- ✓ Automation 77%
- Robotics 40%
- EHS / safety 27%
- Python 26%
- New product launch 22%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Raise - find a more meaningful working experience
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Full description from Raise - find a more meaningful working experienceAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Design PLC panels and control enclosures, and generate bills of materials for new and upgraded systems.
- ◆Design, develop, program, test, and troubleshoot PLC-based industrial control systems, coordinating with HMI development, control system architecture, and electrical design.
- ◆Develop and implement shutdown and safety logic using cause and effect matrices, and identify hazards, defects, and repairs needed to meet site safety standards.
- ◆Perform system integration, commissioning, startup, and functional testing, including loop checks and I/O verification, for new and existing control and electrical systems.
- ◆Maintain, update, and troubleshoot existing control and electrical systems to improve reliability, safety, and performance.
- ◆Specify, evaluate, and recommend electrical and control hardware for new installations and upgrades, including power distribution equipment up to 480 volts, motors, VFDs, and unit control systems.
- ◆Produce and review electrical drawings and documentation, including schematics, control panel layouts, PLC enclosures, and cable schedules, using AutoCAD Electrical.
- ◆Support field troubleshooting alongside the site electrical team, directing their work with PLC and controls expertise when hands-on diagnosis is needed.
- ◆Travel between Baytown, Friendswood, and Spring sites as project needs require, with priority given to whichever site is closest to home.
- ◆Work across a mix of PLC and networking platforms rather than one standard system, since each site favors different hardware and software.
Qualifications
- ✓Minimum of two to three years of hands-on experience designing, programming, and troubleshooting PLC-based control systems. This is not an entry-level or new-graduate role.
- ✓Experience designing PLC panels and control enclosures and generating bills of materials.
- ✓Ability to design, develop, program, test, and troubleshoot PLC-based industrial control systems.
- ✓Experience developing and implementing shutdown and safety logic using cause and effect matrices.
- ✓Experience with system integration, commissioning, startup, and functional testing, including loop checks and I/O verification.
- ✓Experience specifying and evaluating electrical and control hardware, including equipment up to 480 volts.
- ✓Proficiency producing and reading electrical drawings and documentation using AutoCAD Electrical.
- ✓Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret programming documentation, electrical schematics, and P&IDs.
- ✓Willingness to travel between Houston-area sites as needed, with a home base in Baytown or Spring, Texas.
Preferred Qualifications
- ✓PLC design or controls engineering training or certification.
- ✓Prior oil and gas industry experience.
- ✓Proficiency in ladder logic, function block, and structured text programming.
- ✓Hands-on experience with major PLC platforms, including Allen-Bradley (ControlLogix, MicroLogix, SLC), National Instruments cRIO and cDAQ controllers, Siemens (S7, Simatic 545/555), GE (Rx3i, RSTi, VersaMax, Proficy), and Automation Direct.
- ✓Knowledge of industrial networking protocols, including Ethernet/IP, Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, and RS-485/422/232.
- ✓Excellent communication and teamwork skills
Looking for meaningful work? We can help
Raise is an established hiring firm with over 65 years of experience. We believe strongly in making the world a better place through work, which is why we’re a certified B Corporation and donate 10% of our profits to charity.
We strive to build teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we work in. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including people from traditionally underrepresented groups such as women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, people identifying as LGBTQ2SI, veterans, and people with visible/nonvisible disabilities.
In order to submit candidates for roles, our clients will sometimes require personal information to confirm the identity of applicants and their legal status to work. Raise will never ask you for personal or banking information unless you have been selected for a job. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of this or another job posting by Raise (or have any other questions), please contact us at +1 800-567-9675 or hello@raiserecruiting.com
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Instrumentation and Controls Engineer (Intermediate)
- •Pay Rate: $80 - $90/hour (on W2)
- •Contract Length: 12 months
- •Location: Onsite | Baytown, TX - 77520
Raise is currently hiring a contract team member on behalf of our client. They’re expanding their team to meet growing needs, making this a unique opportunity to work with an industry leader.
Overview
- •We are looking for an Instrumentation & Controls Engineer (Intermediate) to support its Global Lab Operations research organization across the Houston area, with sites in Baytown, Friendswood, and Spring.
- •This role designs, programs, and maintains the automation and control systems behind pilot plants and custom research units, equipment that does not exist off the shelf and is engineered in house to meet specific research needs.
- •The work spans both electrical design and PLC programming in one person rather than splitting the two, so the engineer carries a system from drawing to running code.
- •This is an individual contributor position built for hands-on troubleshooting and field support, not project management or team leadership. Because the team supports research across global portfolio, the mix of work shifts often, and the engineer who thrives here adapts quickly to new platforms and priorities.