Automation & Controls Engineer
Automationtechies · St Paul, MN
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Degree
- Preferred
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Automationtechies (industrial) in St Paul, MN.
- They ask for
- 5+ years · degree preferred
- Tools it names
- PLC, Robotics, Automation, Extrusion, MES
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Minnesota: typical posted base $99k–$135k.
Median of the low and high ends of 15 live postings that list pay, out of 22 controls engineer openings in Minnesota, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Minnesota plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 21 other live controls postings in Minnesota.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (5+ vs 6+)
Typical $99k–$135k, from 14 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 6+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ PLC 77%
- ✓ Automation 68%
- ✓ Robotics 36%
- ✓ MES 27%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 23%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Extrusion, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with 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 Automationtechies
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 does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- 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 AutomationtechiesAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Requirements
- ✓5+ years of hands-on controls engineering experience in manufacturing, OEM machinery, or heavy industrial environments.
- ✓Expert-level proficiency with Allen-Bradley platforms including ControlLogix, GuardLogix, Studio 5000, PanelView Plus, and FactoryTalk View SE/ME.
- ✓Advanced experience with high-speed motion control, multi-axis synchronization, and servo systems.
- ✓Experience with continuous web handling, extrusion, batch processing, and conveyor and material handling applications.
- ✓Strong understanding of advanced process control strategies including PID tuning, cascade loops, ratio control, and feed-forward control.
- ✓Experience with industrial networking architectures including EtherNet/IP, managed switches, VLAN configuration, and Device Level Ring (DLR).
- ✓Strong troubleshooting skills with the ability to independently diagnose and resolve complex automation issues.
- ✓Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate with customers, technicians, engineers, and project teams.
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering or a related field preferred; equivalent practical experience considered.
Work Authorization and Visa Sponsorship
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Employment-based visa sponsorship is not available for this position, either now or in the future.
6896
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Automationtechies is partnering with an established industrial automation and controls engineering firm in search of an Automation and Controls Engineer to join their team in Saint Paul, MN . This is a permanent opportunity for a highly skilled controls professional ready to solve complex automation challenges on advanced manufacturing systems, supporting projects from concept through commissioning as part of a small, experienced, and values-driven team.
Overview
- •Design, develop, and deploy PLC and HMI/SCADA applications on Allen-Bradley Logix platforms (Studio 5000 / RSLogix 5000), building structured, maintainable control architectures for complex manufacturing systems.
- •Program and commission high-speed, multi-axis synchronized motion systems using Kinetix servo drives, virtual master axes, electronic gearing, and electronic camming.
- •Design and program material handling systems including accumulation conveyors, sortation, palletizers, and AGV/AMR integrations, with product tracking, merging, diverting, and barcode/RFID scanning logic.
- •Develop control strategies for web handling (tension, winding/unwinding, and registration), extrusion (temperature, pressure, and line speed synchronization), and ISA-88 batch processes.
- •Design, tune, and troubleshoot advanced control loops including PID, cascade, ratio, and feed-forward control.
- •Integrate third-party equipment, robotics, instrumentation, and vision systems into industrial control networks, and support WMS and MES integration.
- •Design and implement machine safety systems using GuardLogix controllers and safety-rated components in compliance with ISO 13849 and ANSI B11.19.
- •Lead FAT, SAT, startup, and commissioning, and provide technical support through installation, production ramp-up, and ongoing operations.
- •Develop and maintain engineering documentation including functional design specifications, control philosophy documents, I/O lists, cause-and-effect matrices, and as-built code.