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Electrical and Controls Engineer

Smurfit Westrock · Sheldon Springs, VT

Level
Engineer
Team
Controls
Degree
Required
Industry
Packaging
Posted
30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level controls role at Smurfit Westrock (packaging) in Sheldon Springs, VT. Support, train, and coach electrical staff with troubleshooting and skill development.

They ask for
degree required
Tools it names
Root cause, PLC, EHS / safety
Day to day
some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Controls Engineer roles in the US: typical posted base $98k–$140k.

Median of the low and high ends of 339 live postings that list pay, out of 994 controls engineer openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Vermont plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 993 other live controls postings in the US.

Base pay
Not listed in this posting

Typical $97k–$140k, from 333 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Not stated

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • Automation 73%
  • ✓ PLC 68%
  • Robotics 41%
  • Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 24%
  • ✓ Root cause 24%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Cost reduction, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverage

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Smurfit Westrock

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 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. 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 does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 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. 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 Smurfit WestrockAs posted on their careers site.Show

responsibilities

are not listed, and will vary based upon the department, team, and business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

  • ✓Bachelors of Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or similar
  • ✓Experience with industrial communication protocols (Modbus, OPC, DeviceNET, EtherNet/IP)
  • ✓Experience with virtualized computer systems, advanced IP subnet routing, VLANs, firewalls
  • ✓Strong understanding or experience with industrial power distribution systems and motor control centers
  • ✓Work experience in a manufacturing environment
  • ✓Capital project development and management
  • ✓Experience with NFPA NEC, NFPA 70E, short circuit analysis, arc flash, and load calculations
  • ✓Able to understand pneumatic and hydraulic systems and related control components
Show full description ↓

Position: Electrical & Control Engineer

Location: Sheldon Springs, VT

The Opportunity

The Electrical & Control Engineer position combines a mixture of technical field work with project management and engineering. As a part of a multi-disciplined engineering group that supports maintenance and 24/7 production, the day-to-day priorities can shift quickly. You would have a unique opportunity to work on a variety of analog and digital control systems, spanning multiple equipment generations, ranging from electro-mechanical relay controls to advanced PLC controlled Coordinated-Drive systems with Integrated Safety. Your role’s primary responsibility would be management of these control systems. This role is ideal for a troubleshooter who wants to understand how systems work, identify opportunities to make system improvement, and seek out your own growth and development. In this role you would drive success through project identification, development, and management as well as real-time problem solving, technical troubleshooting, documenting, and coaching.

How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock

This list identifies the essential functions. As with all jobs, all duties and

Teams

  • •Support production, maintenance, and engineering departments to ensure safety, quality, reliability, continuous improvement, and cost savings
  • •Collaborate with team leaders, supervisors, engineers, operators, technicians, and department managers to meet Mill goals
  • •Drive continuous improvement initiatives and system upgrades to address obsolescence, enhance performance, reliability, and cost savings.
  • •Rotational on-call to facilitate unplanned weekend maintenance

Projects

  • •Manage all phases of large and small projects from inception through design, construction, and start-up
  • •Develop project requirements, scopes, cost estimates, forecasts, and schedules.
  • •Develop and/or manage the preparation and review of drawings for assigned projects by working with engineering firms, vendors, and mill personnel.
  • •Coordinate all types of design activities including equipment sizing, P&ID’s, electrical, and process control.
  • •Manage the direction of consultants, contractors, and maintenance work associated with assigned capital and repair projects.
  • •Control project costs by monitoring expenditures to ensure projects are completed within budget and schedule.

Technical

  • •Troubleshoot control issues, contribute to root cause analysis, and develop timely solutions for production problems that arise
  • •Support, train, and coach electrical staff with troubleshooting and skill development
  • •Interpret, maintain, develop, and update technical documentation, including electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, control panel layouts, manuals, and software backups
  • •Support maintenance outages, startup, and on-site troubleshooting to ensure optimal performance
  • •Coordinate and supervise construction and startup activities with project teams, Maintenance, and Operations.
  • •Assure all project drawings, documents, equipment information, manuals, etc. become part of the Engineering Document Control System.

Systems

  • •Management of the Mill's electrical power distribution maintenance program.
  • •Management of the Mill's electrical safety program

to Succeed

  • •Curiosity/Problem Solving
  • •A curiosity to understand how things work, solving technical problems, continuously learning, and sharing knowledge with others
  • •Persistent mindset and willingness to work through unfamiliar technical challenges
  • •Excellent troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills
  • •Must be a team player able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to handle multiple competing tasks and demands
  • •Demonstrates active listening, seeks clarification, and capable of clear verbal/written communication of technical and non-technical information
  • •Must be comfortable in both a manufacturing and office setting

Controls/Power

  • •Experience in a project, operations, or maintenance engineering role
  • •Strong understanding of AC and DC electrical control circuits with hands-on experience
  • •Experience programing, testing, or troubleshooting control system components (such as DCS, PLC, HMI/SCADA, VFDs, relays, contactors, analog sensors, valve positioners, etc)
  • •Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering or an equivalent combination of education and experience
  • •Basic understanding of IP network addressing (IPv4 subnet)

What we offer

  • •Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.
  • •Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities.
  • •An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential.
  • •Benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k with match, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, employee referral bonus, and much more!
  • •A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

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