Automation Engineer II
Milwaukee Tool · Menomonee Falls, WI
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Travel
- 10%
- Experience asked
- 2+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- Recently
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Milwaukee Tool (industrial) in Menomonee Falls, WI.
- They ask for
- 2+ years
- Tools it names
- Root cause, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), PLC, Automation, Painting / coating, Tooling
- Day to day
- about 10% travel
- Openings
- 2 with this title at this site
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Wisconsin: typical posted base $86k–$127k.
Median of the low and high ends of 10 live postings that list pay, out of 24 controls engineer openings in Wisconsin, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Wisconsin plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 23 other live controls postings in Wisconsin.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)
Typical $86k–$127k, from 10 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ PLC 63%
- ✓ Automation 63%
- ✓ Root cause 42%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 33%
- Robotics 33%
- EHS / safety 25%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Painting / coating, 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 Milwaukee Tool
We found 12 people at this company and state: 8 in this kind of role, 4 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See 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.
Write to Craig → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting says about 10% travel. Between which sites?
- 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: Milwaukee Tool in Menomonee Falls
5 other open roles at this site · 12 people we found in controls roles at Milwaukee Tool.
- Automation Engineering Technician · Controls
- EMC Electrical Engineering Technician II - 1st Shift · Reliability
- Sr EMC Electrical Engineering Tech - 2nd Shift · Reliability · Senior
- Quality Technician (2nd Shift) · Quality · Technician
- Sr. Engineering Technician · Manufacturing · Senior
Full description from Milwaukee ToolAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
development in collaboration with New Product Development, Test Lab, Reliability Engineering, and cross-functional stakeholders.
- ✓Interpret project charters and leverage project objectives to support engineering decisions.
- ✓Create and maintain system documentation including BOMs, operating instructions, risk assessments, validation documentation, and design review materials.
- ✓Partner with vendors for system procurement, technical collaboration, costing, and schedule management.
- ✓Analyze project risks and communicate concerns related to cost, schedule, procurement, design maturity, quality, and safety.
- ✓Proactively escalate project obstacles and roadblocks while bringing potential solutions and mitigation options to stakeholders.
- ✓Prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining quality, communication, and execution discipline.
- ✓Apply structured problem-solving and root cause analysis methods to troubleshoot issues and evaluate alternative solutions.
- ✓Demonstrate ownership of project success through proactive communication, risk awareness, follow-through, and data-supported recommendations.
- ✓Enhance technical competency and skills by seeking growth opportunities that improve individual efficiency and project execution.
Mechanical ( Ideal candidate has a blend of electrical and mechanical skills )
- ✓Create and maintain CAD models and drawings for system assemblies, components, fixtures, and products.
- ✓Perform engineering calculations and analysis for mechanical components and assemblies, including static, force, torque, inertial, energy, and basic FEA evaluations.
- ✓Specify materials, surface finishes, heat treatments, and coatings based on application needs, stresses, wear, and tolerances, with support as needed for higher-complexity decisions.
- ✓Integrate mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and electrical subsystems into automated test platforms.
- ✓Work collaboratively with designers, technicians, machinists, vendors, and cross-functional teams throughout design, fabrication, integration, and deployment.
Electrical ( Ideal candidate has a blend of electrical and mechanical skills )
- ✓Create and maintain electrical schematics for system power, safety circuits, measurement systems, controls, and physical panel layouts.
- ✓Evaluate measurement devices to ensure optimized measurement uncertainty.
- ✓Collaborate with calibration service providers to validate system measurement performance.
- ✓Perform calculations involving power distribution, filtering, signal conditioning, current capacity, power conversion, grounding, and electrical safety.
- ✓Support PLC, HMI, motion control, data acquisition, and industrial communication system development, troubleshooting, and validation.
- ✓Support electrical design reviews and provide constructive technical feedback related to measurement systems, industrial controls, and electrical architecture.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Company Engineering Overview
Come be DISRUPTIVE with us! - At Milwaukee Tool, we firmly believe that our People and our Culture are the secrets to our success. Our Engineering teams are key contributors to continuous innovation, delivering disruptive technologies through direct engagement with end users and cross-functional collaboration. We create best-in-class products by leveraging advanced analysis tools, extensive testing regimes, state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Dept Engineering Overview
Create test solutions for Tomorrow’s Tools. At Milwaukee Tool, disruptive innovation extends beyond the products we bring to market. As a member of the Test Automation Group (TAG), you will develop innovative automated test systems that support new product development across North America and our global laboratories. You will work cross-functionally with New Product Development, Reliability, Quality, and Laboratory teams to define requirements, develop solutions, and drive automation projects from concept through deployment.
The Automation Engineer II is a capable technical contributor who develops automated test solutions with growing ownership and independence. This individual applies knowledge of TAG, Lab, and NPD processes to make sound design decisions, recognizes project schedule and design risks early, and proactively communicates obstacles with potential solutions. They collaborate effectively with cross-functional and global partners, receive design feedback constructively, begin providing relevant design guidance to others, and continue building technical depth, project execution capability, and productive team relationships.
Overall
- •Develop automated test systems to support new product development, with growing ownership of project scope, requirements, design, build, integration, and deployment activities.
- •Integrate and troubleshoot physical hardware, sensors, measurement devices, safety systems, and motion devices across domestic and global test labs.
- •Support project scope discussions and system
Technical Collaboration and Project Ownership
- •Serve as a dependable technical contributor on medium-complexity automation projects.
- •Drive assigned project work with minimal guidance while maintaining alignment with project scope, schedule, quality, and safety requirements.
- •Provide constructive design feedback and technical guidance to peers during design reviews and project discussions.
- •Collaborate with teams internally and cross-functionally to solve problems.
- •Communicate project status, technical risks, design tradeoffs, and recommended next steps clearly to stakeholders.
- •Use TAG, laboratory, and NPD processes to support project execution, design maturity, and validation planning.
- •Contribute to engineering best practices, design standards, documentation templates, and automation methodologies.
- •Support a culture of continuous learning, a