Automation Engineer I
Novanta · Irvine, CA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $81k–$121k
- Degree
- Required
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Novanta (industrial) in Irvine, CA. Support the design, development, testing, and improvement of automation hardware systems, prototypes, and production solutions in partnership with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams.
- They ask for
- degree required
- Tools it names
- Robotics, Automation
- Base pay
- $81k–$121k
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 $124k–$179k. This one lists $81k–$121k.
Median of the low and high ends of 56 live postings that list pay, out of 109 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 108 other live controls postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 33% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $124k–$179k, from 53 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Automation 66%
- PLC 47%
- ✓ Robotics 43%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 38%
- ✓ Python 33%
- Root cause 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 Novanta
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.
Full description from NovantaAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Support the design, development, testing, and improvement of automation hardware systems, prototypes, and production solutions in partnership with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams.
- ◆Troubleshoot equipment, prototype, and production issues; analyze technical challenges; and help identify practical solutions that improve performance, reliability, manufacturability, and customer outcomes.
- ◆Create and maintain clear technical documentation, including drawings, specifications, assembly instructions, test procedures, analysis reports, and design review inputs.
- ◆Own assigned tasks with focus, follow-through, and attention to detail while supporting team milestones and continuous improvement across daily, weekly, and monthly priorities.
- ◆Work in alignment with Novanta’s quality, occupational safety, and environmental
requirements
while contributing to a safe, reliable, collaborative, and responsible engineering environment.
Required Experience, Education, Skills, Training and Competencies
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- ✓Competence in motor technology and specifications.
- ✓Familiarity with tuning gains and control filters, with the ability to evaluate motion performance, including settling time and velocity ripple.
- ✓Understanding of electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, connector pinouts, cable color codes, and related technical documentation.
- ✓Ability to program using structured text or programming languages such as C/C++ or Python
Physical
Requirements
- ✓None.
Travel
Requirements
- ✓None.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.
Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.
Summary
As an Automation Engineer I, you will help design, develop, test, and improve motion systems that support advanced automation and precision technology. In this hands-on role, you will troubleshoot prototypes, support manufacturing processes, and partner with cross-functional teams to bring reliable, high-quality solutions from concept to execution. This is an opportunity for an early-career engineer to grow technical skills, contribute to meaningful projects, and learn alongside experienced engineering and manufacturing teams.
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