THE ROLEInvio Automation is seeking an experienced Director of Controls to provide strategic and technical leadership for the Controls Engineering function. This role will be based in New Baltimore, MI. This leader will be responsible for developing the controls organization, establishing consistent engineering standards and processes, allocating resources across projects, and ensuring controls work is executed safely, accurately, on schedule, and within budget.
The ideal candidate brings deep experience in custom automation or special machine building and a strong understanding of the complete machine lifecycle, from proposal and concept development through design, programming, integration, startup, commissioning, and customer acceptance. This role will partner closely with Project Management, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Business Development, Field Service, and Operations to deliver reliable, cost-effective automation solutions and an exceptional customer experience.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES- Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable the Controls Engineering team, including Controls managers, engineers, and other controls resources.
- Establish the strategic direction, priorities, and operating standards for the Controls Engineering function.
- Lead controls resource planning, capacity forecasting, workload allocation, and staffing strategies to support current and future project demands.
- Support recruiting, onboarding, training, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning for Controls Engineering personnel.
- Establish, maintain, and continuously improve controls engineering standards, work instructions, programming practices, design methodologies, and reusable tools.
- Provide technical leadership and guidance related to PLCs, HMIs, robotics, vision systems, motion control, servo systems, VFDs, industrial networking, electrical controls architecture, and other automation technologies.
- Lead and participate in controls design reviews throughout the project lifecycle, including proposal, concept, standards, detailed design, integration, and project reviews.
- Review customer requirements, specifications, Statements of Work, and controls standards; ensure requirements and deviations are appropriately documented and managed.
- Partner with Applications and Business Development during proposal development to evaluate technical requirements, controls architecture, labor assumptions, risks, and cost-effective solutions.
- Collaborate closely with Project Management, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Field Service, and Operations to ensure project requirements, schedules, budgets, and customer commitments are achieved.
- Ensure controls engineering deliverables are completed accurately, on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with customer specifications and Invio standards.
- Provide leadership and escalation support for complex technical issues, system integration challenges, code incidents, startup, commissioning, troubleshooting, and customer acceptance activities.
- Drive technical solutions that improve system reliability, standardization, maintainability, and cost effectiveness.
- Identify and implement new technologies, architectures, tools, and integration strategies that improve engineering efficiency and strengthen Invio's automation capabilities.
- Establish and monitor Controls Engineering performance metrics related to quality, schedule, budget, utilization, rework, standardization, and project execution.
- Support continuous improvement and lessons-learned activities to reduce engineering risk, improve execution, and prevent recurring issues.
- Build strong relationships with customers and participate in technical discussions, project reviews, and escalations as required.
- Serve as a safety leader by modeling safe behaviors, reinforcing safety expectations, and ensuring controls designs and project execution support applicable safety requirements and standards.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, technical excellence, customer focus, and continuous improvement.
QUALIFICATIONS- To perform this job successfully, an individual must be a strong technical and people leader who is professional, proactive, collaborative, and customer-focused. The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability required.
OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES- Extensive experience with industrial automation controls systems and custom automation or special machine building.
- Demonstrated success leading Controls Engineering teams and managing technical resources across multiple concurrent projects.
- Strong working knowledge of PLC/HMI programming, with experience in platforms such as Allen-Bradley/Rockwell and Siemens.
- Strong understanding of robotics, vision systems, motion control, servo systems, VFDs, industrial networking, and machine controls architecture.
- Working knowledge of electrical design standards and the ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, controls narratives, and controls architecture drawings.
- Strong troubleshooting and root-cause problem-solving skills related to automation systems and controls integration.
- Knowledge of applicable industry standards, including IEC, ISO, NFPA, NEC, and UL; familiarity with automotive customer standards is beneficial.
- Strong leadership, coaching, communication, organizational, and decision-making skills.
- Demonstrated ability to establish standards, improve processes, and drive consistency across an engineering organization.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to balance technical requirements, customer expectations, project risk, resource constraints, and financial objectives.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across Engineering, Project Management, Manufacturing, Operations, Business Development, and Field Service.
- Ability to lead through changing priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced, project-based environment.
- Willingness to travel to Invio facilities and customer sites as business needs require
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering Technology, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent combination of education and significant relevant controls engineering experience may be considered.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, machine building, or a related engineering environment.
- 5+ years of leadership experience managing controls engineering teams, technical resources, or engineering functions preferred.
- Demonstrated experience supporting the full automation project lifecycle from concept and design through integration, startup, commissioning, and customer acceptance.
- GM controls experience is a bonus
- EPLAN experience is a bonus
- Travel to customers + Invio sites required.
