Senior Controls and Automation Technician
ICON · Austin, TX
- Level
- Technician
- Team
- Controls
- Experience asked
- 4+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at ICON (industrial) in Austin, TX. Integrate, test, and validate sensors, actuators, drives, VFDs/servos, pneumatics/hydraulics interfaces, and safety systems (E-stops, light curtains, safety relays, STO).
- They ask for
- 4+ years
- Tools it names
- Root cause, PLC, Robotics, Automation, CNC
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
How this role compares
Against 14 other live controls postings in Texas.
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (4+ vs 5+)
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Automation 73%
- ✓ PLC 67%
- ✓ Robotics 47%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 27%
- Union environment 27%
- ✓ Root cause 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for CNC, Python, 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 ICON
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.
This plant: ICON in Austin
5 other open roles at this site.
- Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
- Reliability Engineer II · Reliability
- Instrumentation and Electrical Technician · Reliability · Technician
- Controls Engineer II · Controls
- Field Engineering Technician II · Manufacturing
Full description from ICONAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Develop and refine PLC logic, HMI screens, alarms, interlocks, and automation sequences to improve safety, uptime, and usability.
- ◆Create and maintain controls documentation: I/O lists, wiring and network diagrams, configuration baselines, commissioning checklists, and service/SOP procedures.
- ◆Diagnose controls-related failures using logs, fault codes, instrumentation, and structured troubleshooting (power, I/O, comms, motion, safety).
- ◆Integrate, test, and validate sensors, actuators, drives, VFDs/servos, pneumatics/hydraulics interfaces, and safety systems (E-stops, light curtains, safety relays, STO).
- ◆Perform root cause analysis (RCA) and implement corrective actions; document findings and prevent recurrence.
- ◆Follow configuration control and change management practices (ECO/ECN) for field updates and validated releases.
- ◆Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, software, and field teams to standardize architectures and implement reliability improvements.
- ◆Support operator/technician training and develop clear diagnostic guides and troubleshooting playbooks.
- ◆Commission, troubleshoot, and support automated industrial equipment in factory and field environments.
Qualifications
- ✓4+ years supporting, troubleshooting, or commissioning industrial automation or electromechanical systems in production, field service, construction, robotics, or similar environments.
- ✓Demonstrated hands-on controls troubleshooting across electrical systems: 24VDC controls, sensors, relays/contactors, VFDs/servos, encoders, and basic instrumentation.
- ✓Experience with at least one PLC platform (or equivalent controls environment): Beckhoff/TwinCAT, Rockwell Studio 5000, Siemens TIA Portal, Codesys, or similar.
- ✓Working knowledge of common industrial communications/networking (e.g., EtherNet/IP, Profinet, EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/RTU) and basic network troubleshooting.
- ✓Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and troubleshoot from drawings and update documentation with guidance.
- ✓Willingness to work in dynamic, field-like environments and travel as needed for commissioning/support.
- ✓Strong safety mindset and ability to follow structured troubleshooting and verification practices.
Preferred Skills and Experience
- ✓Motion control experience (servo tuning, homing strategies, basic performance optimization).
- ✓Functional safety familiarity (risk assessment concepts, safety circuits, ISO 13849 / IEC 61508 awareness).
- ✓Experience with power quality issues, grounding/noise mitigation, generators, and field power distribution.
- ✓Experience supporting hydraulic systems from a controls perspective (instrumentation, interlocks, HPU integration).
- ✓Scripting or automation skills (Python, Bash) and familiarity with data logging/diagnostics.
- ✓Experience with large-format robotics, gantry/CNC-like systems, or complex multi-subsystem industrial machines.
- ✓Experience creating commissioning checklists, test procedures, and training materials for technicians/operators.
Furthermore, as a federal government contractor, the Company maintains an affirmative action program which furthers its commitment and complies with recordkeeping and reporting
requirements
under certain federal civil rights laws and regulations, including Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (as amended).
Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit candidates through this application. ICON does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency submissions for candidates and will not pay fees to any third-party agency without a prior agreement with ICON.
As part of our compliance with these obligations, the Company invites you to voluntarily self-identify as set forth below. Provision of such information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your employment or subject you to any adverse treatment. Any and all information provided will be considered confidential, will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file, and will only be used in a
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ICON is looking for a Senior Controls and Automation Technician to develop, maintain, and troubleshoot the control systems that run Titan and Vulcan on active construction sites and in ICON's Austin facility. This is a hands-on technical role — you will write and refine PLC logic, commission automated systems, diagnose controls failures from the physical layer up, and build the documentation that helps operators and technicians work independently. Expect field travel, dynamic environments, and direct ownership of the controls infrastructure that keeps the fleet running.
