Job Title: Process Controls Engineer

Location: Fort Wayne, IN

Job Type: On-Site

Reporting to: Lead Process Engineer

Director Reports: N/A

Site Overview: Our Fort Wayne facility is a union manufacturing plant with approximately 155 employees operating on three shifts. The site is a pouring and specialized post processing operation. Capabilities include pouring, fabricating, felting, reticulation (2 styles) and block. As a key location within FXI's manufacturing network, the Fort Wayne plant is known for its strong focus on quality, safety, and operational excellence. Team members work in a collaborative, supportive environment where continuous improvement and innovation play a central role.

Job Overview: The Process Controls Engineer is responsible for improving and maintaining process stability, consistency, and performance across manufacturing operations. This role focuses on monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing process variables (e.g., temperature, pressure, speed, thickness) through control strategies, data analysis, and automation improvements.

This position requires a strong presence on the production floor. The engineer must actively engage with operators, observe equipment and workflows in real-time, and develop a deep understanding of the process. Success in this role depends on the ability to translate operator feedback and hands-on observations into practical improvements that enhance safety, efficiency, and ease of operation.

The ideal candidate brings a positive, team-oriented attitude and a strong work ethic, with the ability to collaborate effectively across operations, maintenance, and engineering teams to drive meaningful process improvements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain an active presence on the production floor to observe processes, equipment behavior, and operator workflows in real time
• Engage directly with production associates to understand challenges, gather feedback, and identify opportunities for improvement
• Translate hands-on observations and operator input into actionable process and control improvements
• Identify and implement solutions that improve operator safety, reduce complexity, and increase overall efficiency
• Build strong working relationships with operations by demonstrating responsiveness, respect, and a collaborative, team-first mindset
• Develop, implement, and optimize control strategies to improve process stability and performance
• Tune and maintain PID control loops and advanced control schemes
• Analyze process data to identify sources of variation, inefficiency, and scrap
• Support troubleshooting of process-related issues and drive root cause analysis
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, and maintenance on automation and instrumentation improvements
• Evaluate and implement upgrades to control systems (e.g., PLCs, HMIs, drives, sensors)
• Standardize process control methodologies and documentation
• Provide technical guidance and training to operators and technicians
• Provide design, cost estimation, and implementation of a wide variety of projects that are intended to expand manufacturing capabilities, improve manufacturing operations, quality, safety, and reduce costs of production
• Work with technical team to manage project design documentation including panel design drawings, bills of material, conduit and wiring schedules, point to point and I/O wiring diagrams and power distribution drawings,
• Provide field supervision of, in-house personnel, outside contractors and integrators during design, implementation and commissioning phases of projects to ensure that they are completed on time and on budget
• Responsible for ensuring that all electrical projects under your control are in compliance with the FXI Corporate Electrical standards and all recognized electrical codes such as
• OSHA, ANSI,NFPA, NEC, IEEE, and local electrical codes
• Understanding of codes especially UL-508A, NFPA-70E and NEC article 209

Skills / Qualifications:

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, EET, Computer Science or other engineering disciplines
• 3+ years of engineering experience in a manufacturing settings
• Experience in an industrial environment with process controls support, project design, project management and installation responsibilities
• Computer literacy with standard MS Office software including MS Project a plus
• Experience with AutoCAD preferred
• Knowledge of power distribution system a plus
• Ability to apply analytical skills in process troubleshooting and diagnostics
• Experience with chemical handling systems and/or power transmission equipment is a plus
• Formal project management training is not required but would be considered a plus
• Familiarity with SAP as it relates to project management documentation and tracking is a definite plus

Experience with the following equipment and software:

• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
• Variable Frequency Drives (VFD)
• Networking and HMI systems on continuous production lines
• Allen Bradley PLCs: Control Logix 5000, SLC-500 and PLC-5
• Allen Bradley drives 525 and Power flex 700 series
• Networking using Ethernet, PanelView Plus, Wonderware and Ignition

Total Rewards: We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Basic and optional life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Tuition assistance
• Flexible spending accounts