Sr. Global Instrumentation & Controls Engineer
KLA · Milpitas, CA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $122k–$178k
- Degree
- Required
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 11 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior controls role at KLA (industrial) in Milpitas, CA. 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
- PLC, Automation
- Base pay
- $122k–$178k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $123k–$179k. This one lists $122k–$178k.
Median of the low and high ends of 55 live postings that list pay, out of 88 controls engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 87 other live controls postings in California.
- Base pay
- In line with similar roles
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $124k–$179k, from 54 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Automation 63%
- ✓ PLC 48%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 40%
- Python 39%
- Robotics 35%
- New product launch 20%
✓ = 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 Milpitas
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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.
KLA's Global Engineering & Operational Standards (GEOS) team is seeking a Senior Global Instrumentation & Controls Engineer to own and advance KLA's instrumentation, controls, and Building Management System (BMS) strategy across its global portfolio of facilities and Super Sites. This is a highly autonomous, senior-level role for a self-directed engineer with deep technical expertise in BMS/SCADA architecture, controls integration, and facility automation, operating independently with minimal oversight across a complex, matrixed global organization. The successful candidate will serve as KLA's global subject matter expert (SME) for instrumentation and controls within the built environment. This role will be setting standards, driving consistency, and leading technical strategy from concept through execution. This role requires the ability to take full ownership of global BMS strategy, implementation, and standardization without day-to-day direction, and to influence stakeholders across regions, functions, and seniority levels.
requirements
within KLA's PLC (phase-gated project lifecycle) process, coordinating with the Capital Project Delivery organization
- ✓Serve as the authoritative technical voice on controls architecture decisions, including points lists, sequences of operation, sensor selection, and system integration strategy
- ✓Author and maintain global instrumentation and controls specifications within KLA's ecosystem
requirements
in partnership with IT/Cybersecurity
- ✓Evaluate and recommend BMS/SCADA platforms, vendors, and architectures to meet enterprise reliability, scalability, and cybersecurity needs
requirements
for OT/building automation networks
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Controls, Mechanical, or a closely related engineering field
- ✓Eight (8) years of experience in instrumentation, controls, or BMS/BAS engineering with direct responsibility for facility-scale automation systems in complex environments (semiconductor, life sciences, data centers, or similar high-reliability industries preferred)
- ✓Demonstrated expertise in BMS/BAS/SCADA architecture, including platforms such as Siemens, Trane, or equivalent building automation systems
- ✓Hands-on experience with controls integration protocols (BACnet/IP, Modbus, OPC UA) and OT/IT
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
KLA's Global Workplace Services (GWS) team is passionate about advancing our business goals and company culture by building workplace environments that foster teamwork, innovation and productivity. GWS is responsible for site improvements to support business needs, promoting a secure work environment, regulation compliance, safety protocol implementation, emergency preparedness and risk mitigation.
I&C Standards & Design Governance
- •Develop, own, and maintain KLA's global instrumentation and controls engineering standards, specifications, and technical guidelines across all facility types and Super Sites
- •Lead controls and instrumentation design reviews for capital projects and critical infrastructure upgrades; ensure compliance with GEOS standards at each project gate
- •Establish and enforce I&C engineering
Global BMS Strategy & Implementation
- •Own global BMS strategy, implementation, and standardization across KLA's Super Site portfolio, consolidating disparate platforms onto a single global standard
- •Lead the technical strategy and execution for flagship BMS programs, from readiness through successful rollout
- •Conduct and lead Super Site BMS/BAS/SCADA maturity assessments to define current-state architecture, identify gaps, and inform a phased global rollout roadmap
- •Define BMS system topology, integration architecture, and OT/IT boundary
Global BMS Strategy & Implementation
- •Serve as controls and BMS subject matter expert on capital projects, reviewing I&C and BMS scope for commissioning readiness
- •Review control architecture, points lists, instrumentation requirements, and integration strategies for proposed facility modifications
- •Partner with cross-functional engineering disciplines (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Process) to ensure integrated, reliable facility design
- •Support data center and critical environment monitoring design, including environmental and alarm monitoring systems
Program Ownership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- •Operate as a fully autonomous contributor; own your workstreams from scoping through delivery; proactively identify gaps and drive resolution
- •Collaborate with regional GWS leads, IFM partners, and capital project managers to embed controls standards into facility operations and project execution globally
- •Partner with the global systems leads to ensure BMS and controls asset data integrity within KLA's IWMS platforms
- •Represent GEOS in cross-functional technical forums, vendor negotiations, and IT/cybersecurity coordination; prepare technical briefs and executive-ready summaries as needed
- •Support GEOS knowledge-sharing through documented standards, technical playbooks, and training materials
Preferred Skills
- +Experience leading a BMS platform transition or multi-site standardization program
- +Familiarity with IWMS platforms (Nuvolo, Archibus, or equivalent) and controls/BMS asset data management
- +Experience with cleanroom, AMC, or environmental monitoring system standards
- +Global facilities experience spanning US, EU, APAC, or EMEA regions
- +Familiarity with cybersecurity