Electrical Controls Engineer
KLA · Ann Arbor, MI
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $76k–$130k
- Degree
- Required
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- Yesterday
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at KLA (industrial) in Ann Arbor, MI. In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.
- They ask for
- degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), PLC, Automation
- Base pay
- $76k–$130k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
How this role compares
Against 56 other live controls postings in Michigan.
- Base pay
- About 10% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $85k–$143k, from 16 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Automation 77%
- Robotics 65%
- ✓ PLC 61%
- New product launch 32%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 30%
- AutoCAD 23%
✓ = 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 KLA
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: KLA in Ann Arbor
1 other open role at this site.
- Global Supplier Quality Engineer · Quality
Full description from KLAAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What You'll Do
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.
Do you enjoy solving complex control problems and seeing your designs deployed on real machines? We are seeking an engineer to own the development of machine control and safety systems from concept through deployment. This role includes
requirements
development, electrical architecture, hardware selection, safety system design, PLC implementation, system integration, validation, and field commissioning. We are looking for engineers who view PLC programming as one part of a complete machine control solution.
What We Need You to Do
As part of KLA's engineering team, you will work with electrical, mechanical, software, systems, and applications engineers to create safe, reliable, and maintainable automation systems for the semiconductor industry. This includes conducting design reviews covering electrical architecture, safety concepts, selected hardware, control implementation, software quality, and developing test strategies, solving system issues, and driving corrective actions that improve product performance and reliability. Successful candidates have experience developing complete systems rather than solely programming PLCs. They understand how electrical hardware, safety systems, industrial networks, instrumentation, software, and mechanical systems interact to produce a robust machine solution.
Through close collaboration with engineers, physicists, software developers, and external suppliers, you will be expected to take ownership of technical challenges, partake in architectural decisions, and help deliver high-quality solutions for critical applications. Occasional cleanroom work is required, along with up to 20% domestic and international travel.
The ideal candidate has experience in the following
- ✓Developing and implementing medium-to-large scale PLC-based safety and automation systems throughout the product lifecycle.
- ✓Owning controls projects from
requirements
through commissioning.
- ✓Developing electrical schematics and control system documentation.
- ✓Developing machine safety functions per ISO 13849-1 or IEC 62061.
- ✓Selecting and integrating sensors, actuators, drives, safety devices, and industrial networks.
- ✓Solving issues that may be a combination of electrical, mechanical, controls, and system-level issues.
- ✓Machine control for valves - from pressurized through sub-atmospheric pressures
This position is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Remote work is not available.
Additional
Qualifications
Master's Level Degree and 0 years related work experience; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 2 years
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.
Total Rewards
Primary Location: USA-MI-Ann Arbor-KLA
KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, v
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/Division
The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. KLA's Central Engineering organization is made up of nine Centers of Excellence (CoEs) spanning disciplines like automation, motion control, sensors, platform design, and packaging. Each CoE contributes not only technical deliverables but also deep expertise, best practices, and advanced tools that elevate both what we build—and how we build it.
include
- •Develop machine-level control architectures, electrical designs, and functional safety concepts.
- •Define I/O architectures, field device selection, network topologies, power distribution, and control panel requirements.
- •Create and maintain electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, control narratives, interface specifications, and design documentation.
- •Perform risk assessments and develop safety functions in accordance with ISO 13849-1 and applicable industry standards.
- •Evaluate hardware obsolescence and lead replacement strategies for End-of-Life control system components.
- •Specify sensors, actuators, pneumatic devices, vacuum systems, motion components, and industrial communication networks.
- •Lead system integration, acceptance testing, validation, and commissioning activities. This includes validating system performance through testing, fixing, and root-cause analysis.
include
Knowledge of industrial networks such as ProfiNet, ProfiSafe, and DeviceNet are very valuable. You need to show a demonstrated ability to deliver reliable solutions with minimal supervision.