Sr PLC Automation Engineer

Position: Senior Automation Engineer

Level : Senior 15+ years

Location : New Century, Kansas, USA

Work Arrangement : Fully On-Site

Qualifications

Required

• Tertiary qualification in Electrical Engineering, Automation, Mechatronics, Control Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience in automation or controls engineering within food, beverage, dairy, or process manufacturing.
• Strong proficiency in PLC and HMI programming on the Rockwell Automation platform.
• Proven ability to independently manage the full Rockwell ecosystem including firmware, licensing, patching, and AssetCentre.
• Solid understanding of industrial networking protocols including Ethernet/IP and TCP/IP.
• Hands-on experience with server virtualization platforms (Hyper-V and/or VMware ESXi) and Windows Server administration.
• Experience with instrumentation, VFDs, servo systems, and process control loops.
• Ability to read electrical schematics, P&IDs, and control system documentation.
• Demonstrated experience leading automation projects and coordinating with external suppliers and integrators.
• Understanding of dairy processing operations and sanitary manufacturing requirements.

Preferred

• Experience with Ignition SCADA platform (Inductive Automation).
• Experience with Sepasoft MES modules (Track & Trace).
• Familiarity with Wonderware/AVEVA Historian or similar process data historians.
• Knowledge of pasteurization controls, CIP/SIP automation, and PMO requirements.
• Experience working with global or multi-site engineering teams.

Core Competencies

• Self-starter who thrives in a greenfield environment with minimal oversight.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with a hands-on mentality.
• Project leadership and stakeholder management.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• Attention to detail and commitment to food safety.
• Ability to balance daily operational demands with longer-term project delivery.
• Continuous improvement mindset.