Controls Engineer
Worthington Steel · Porter, IN
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Controls
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Metals
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level controls role at Worthington Steel (metals) in Porter, IN.
- They ask for
- 5+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Lean, Root cause, PLC, Automation, Welding, MES
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 9, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in Indiana: typical posted base $103k–$129k.
Median of the low and high ends of 4 live postings that list pay, out of 25 controls engineer openings in Indiana, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Indiana plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 24 other live controls postings in Indiana.
- Experience asked
- Typical (5+ years)
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Automation 88%
- ✓ PLC 76%
- Robotics 48%
- ✓ Root cause 36%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 24%
- ✓ Lean 20%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Welding, 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 Worthington Steel
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 Worthington SteelAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Controls Engineer – Plant Operations
Porter, Indiana
Join our Porter, Indiana team as a Controls Engineer and play an important role in keeping our steel processing operations running safely, reliably, and efficiently. This hands-on technical role works directly with plant equipment and partners with Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering to troubleshoot complex issues, improve equipment performance, and support automation and controls improvements.
You’ll work with PLCs, HMIs, drives, instrumentation, industrial networks, and other automation systems while supporting equipment reliability, continuous improvement, and capital projects throughout the plant.
What You’ll Do
- •Serve as a lead technical resource for PLCs, HMIs, drives, instrumentation, and industrial networking.
- •Troubleshoot and improve PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, instrumentation, industrial networks, and automated processing equipment.
- •Partner with Operations and Maintenance to improve equipment uptime, throughput, quality, and safety.
- •Diagnose complex electrical and controls issues, identify root causes, and implement permanent solutions.
- •Support new equipment installations, controls upgrades, capital projects, commissioning, and startups.
- •Manage small- to medium-sized process improvement and capital projects from scope through implementation.
- •Identify aging or at-risk automation systems and help develop modernization and replacement strategies.
- •Maintain controls programs, backups, electrical drawings, documentation, and technical standards.
- •Support industrial Ethernet networks and communication between PLCs, HMIs, historians, MES, and SCADA systems.
- •Provide secondary support for plant OT infrastructure, including industrial PCs, servers, virtualization platforms, and production applications.
- •Participate in Lean and continuous improvement initiatives.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
What You’ll Bring
- •Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- •3–5 years of experience in an industrial, steel processing, or similar environment preferred.
- •Strong knowledge of PLC programming and troubleshooting, HMIs, VFDs, motor controls, industrial networks, sensors, instrumentation, and electrical schematics.
- •Experience with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley systems , including RSLogix, FactoryTalk View SE/ME, and PowerFlex Drives.
- •ABB and/or Siemens Drives experience is a plus.
- •Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, project management, and communication skills.
- •Ability to collaborate effectively with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and other technical resources.
- •Flexibility to provide technical support during equipment startups, shutdowns, and critical equipment issues when needed.
The Opportunity
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys being close to the operation—not just designing systems from behind a desk. You’ll have the opportunity to solve challenging equipment problems, influence automation strategy, lead improvements, and make a visible impact on the performance and reliability of our Porter operation.
Hesitant to apply because you may not meet every specific requirement? If this role is something you are interested in, but your previous experience doesn’t exactly align, we encourage you to apply! At Worthington Steel we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We recognize that individuals with diverse experiences and backgrounds are essential to our success. You may be the perfect candidate for this role or others within our organization.
Worthington Steel (NYSE:WS) is a metals processor that partners with customers to deliver highly technical and customized solutions. Worthington Steel’s expertise in carbon flat-roll steel processing, electrical steel laminations and tailor welded solutions are driving steel toward a more sustainable future.
As one of the most trusted metals processors in North America, Worthington Steel and its approximately 6,000 employees harness the power of steel to advance our customers’ visions through value-added processing capabilities including galvanizing, pickling, configured blanking, specialty cold reduction, lightweighting and electrical lamination. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Worthington Steel operates 37 facilities in seven states and 10 countries. Following a people-first Philosophy, commitment to sustainability and proven business system, Worthington Steel’s purpose is to generate positive returns by providing trusted and innovative solutions for customers, creating opportunities for employees and strengthening its communities.