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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Industrial Automation Engineer

💰 $70,000 - $130,000

EngineeringAutomationControlsManufacturing

🎯 Role Definition

As an Industrial Automation Engineer you will design, develop, commission and maintain control systems that automate manufacturing and process operations. You will be responsible for PLC/HMI/SCADA/DCS programming, control panel design, industrial networking, field device integration, and on-site commissioning while ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, and reliable production uptime. This role requires hands-on technical expertise, strong systems thinking, and the ability to translate production/process requirements into robust automated control solutions.

Key SEO/LLM keywords: Industrial Automation Engineer, PLC programming, SCADA, HMI, DCS, TIA Portal, Studio 5000, TwinCAT, EtherNet/IP, Modbus, OPC-UA, PID tuning, VFDs, robotics, commissioning, FAT, SAT, functional safety, IEC 61131-3, IIoT.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Controls Technician / Automation Technician with hands-on PLC and panel experience
  • Electrical Engineer with experience in manufacturing or process industries
  • Process Engineer or Production Engineer with automation project exposure

Advancement To:

  • Senior Automation Engineer / Lead Controls Engineer
  • Automation Manager / Controls Team Lead
  • Automation Architect / Systems Engineering Manager
  • Director of Engineering or Chief Automation Officer (for large sites)

Lateral Moves:

  • Robotics Engineer / Integrator
  • Process Control Engineer (DCS focused)
  • Manufacturing Systems Integration Specialist
  • IIoT / Industrial Data Analytics Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the design and development of PLC programs (Siemens S7/TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000/RSLogix, Beckhoff TwinCAT, Codesys) and HMI/SCADA applications (Wonderware, Ignition, WinCC) to meet production, safety, and quality requirements.
  • Create, review and deliver detailed control system architecture documents, including I/O lists, sequence of operations, control narratives, and interface specifications for PLC, HMI, SCADA and DCS.
  • Develop and validate ladder logic, structured text, function block diagrams and other IEC 61131-3 programming languages with emphasis on maintainability, modularity and version control.
  • Design and specify control panels, motor control centers, drives (VFDs, soft starters) and power distribution layouts using EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical, or similar tools.
  • Integrate field devices (sensors, actuators, encoders, transducers) and industrial communication protocols (EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP/RTU, OPC-UA, CANopen) into control systems and troubleshoot connectivity issues.
  • Lead factory acceptance tests (FAT), site acceptance tests (SAT) and commissioning activities for new automation systems, coordinating cross-functional teams and third-party integrators.
  • Implement and tune PID control loops, multi-variable control strategies and advanced process control routines to optimize throughput, product quality and energy efficiency.
  • Create and execute test plans, simulation scenarios and validation procedures to verify control sequence logic, HMI workflows and safety interlocks prior to production startup.
  • Perform PLC/HMI/SCADA program reviews, code refactoring and technical documentation updates to ensure standards compliance, readability and maintainability.
  • Develop and maintain bill of materials (BOM), control schematics, wiring diagrams, cable schedules and procurement specifications for automation projects.
  • Coordinate with mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and process engineering disciplines to ensure integrated design, risk mitigation and on-schedule project delivery.
  • Troubleshoot complex electrical and control system failures on-site, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to minimize downtime and recurring issues.
  • Support production ramp-up and continuous improvement initiatives by proposing automation upgrades, sequence optimizations and software improvements that reduce cycle time and scrap.
  • Implement cybersecurity best practices for industrial control systems (ICS/OT), including network segmentation, secure authentication, firmware management and vulnerability mitigation.
  • Configure, deploy and maintain SCADA historian systems, data collection pipelines, and OPC/IIoT gateways (Kepware, MQTT, Azure/Google/AWS IoT) to enable analytics and predictive maintenance.
  • Manage vendor relationships, coordinate third-party PLC/HMI/DCS libraries and evaluate new automation technologies for fit and scalability.
  • Lead safety and compliance activities related to electrical and control systems, including machine safety risk assessments, ISO 13849 / IEC 62061, SIL studies and functional safety documentation.
  • Provide training and mentoring to technicians, junior engineers and operators on control system operation, troubleshooting, and safe work practices.
  • Maintain version control, change logs and release management for PLC and HMI software using source control systems and standardized deployment procedures.
  • Perform performance testing and reliability analysis of automated systems; propose redundancy, failover and fault-tolerant designs where appropriate.
  • Prepare project schedules, technical cost estimates and resource plans; track engineering deliverables and report status to program managers and stakeholders.
  • Participate in cross-site standardization projects to consolidate PLC architectures, naming conventions and library components to reduce engineering effort and spare part complexity.
  • Drive continuous documentation hygiene: update O&M manuals, PLC/HMI inline help, wiring checklists and preventive maintenance procedures for sustained operational support.
  • Review electrical and control designs for compliance with local electrical codes, industry standards (NEC, IEC), and company engineering standards.

Secondary Functions

  • Support after-action reviews and incident investigations where control system behavior contributed to process deviations.
  • Contribute to the development of automation standards, reusable PLC/HMI libraries and company-wide control templates.
  • Assist operations with ad-hoc troubleshooting requests and prioritize corrective actions to restore production quickly.
  • Collaborate with IT and OT teams on network design, VLANs, firewall rules and secure remote access for maintenance and support.
  • Participate in continuous improvement workshops and lean engineering initiatives to reduce waste and increase automation ROI.
  • Support procurement by reviewing technical bids, control equipment specifications and vendor deliverables for compliance.
  • Help build data collection strategies and KPIs for condition monitoring, OEE tracking and predictive maintenance pilots.
  • Provide on-call support rotation for escalated automation incidents and emergency commissioning needs.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • PLC programming and debugging: Siemens S7/TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000/RSLogix, Beckhoff TwinCAT, Codesys (IEC 61131-3 languages).
  • HMI/SCADA development: Ignition, Wonderware (AVEVA), WinCC, FactoryTalk View, iFIX, including screen design and alarm management.
  • Industrial communication protocols: EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP/RTU, OPC-UA, Profibus, CANopen, DeviceNet.
  • Motor control and drives: Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), soft starters, motor starters, VFD parameterization and drive-to-PLC integration.
  • Control systems design: sequence of operations, PID tuning, motion control, servo/stepper integration and robotics interfaces.
  • Electrical schematic reading and creation: AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, symbol libraries, wiring diagrams and terminal wiring.
  • Commissioning and testing: FAT/SAT execution, checklists, loop checking, I/O verification and cold/hot commissioning experience.
  • Instrumentation and sensors: flow, level, temperature, pressure transmitters and transducers; signal conditioning and calibration.
  • Functional safety and standards: IEC 61508/61511, ISO 13849, SIL assessment, safety PLC and safety relay systems.
  • Industrial networking and OT security: VLANs, firewalls, secure remote access, firmware management and vulnerability mitigation.
  • SCADA historians, OPC servers and IIoT: Kepware, OSIsoft PI, MQTT, Azure IoT, data collection architecture and basic data analytics.
  • Version control and software lifecycle: Git or industrial versioning practices, change control, release management and documentation.
  • Panel design and BOM preparation: component selection, thermal considerations and sourcing for UL/CE compliance.
  • PLC-to-enterprise integration: MES, ERP and serial/Ethernet interfaces for production data exchange.

Soft Skills

  • Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis with a methodical, data-driven approach.
  • Clear technical communication: create concise technical reports, SOPs, and operator training materials.
  • Project management and time management skills: prioritize tasks, manage scope and deliver milestones.
  • Collaboration and teamwork: work with cross-functional engineering, operations, maintenance and vendors.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning: quickly adopt new automation platforms, languages and IIoT tools.
  • Attention to detail and process discipline when performing safety-critical or regulated activities.
  • Customer-focused mindset: translate production requirements into pragmatic automation solutions.
  • Mentoring and leadership: guide junior engineers and field technicians during design and commissioning.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Control Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Automation Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline.
  • OR equivalent combination of technical diploma plus hands-on Controls/PLC experience (for mid-level technician-to-engineer transitions).

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Control Systems, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Industrial Engineering.
  • Additional certifications such as Certified Automation Professional (CAP), Rockwell/Siemens certification, or TÃœV Functional Safety certification are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Control Systems / Automation Engineering
  • Mechatronics / Robotics
  • Mechanical Engineering (with controls specialization)
  • Industrial Engineering / Manufacturing Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3 - 8 years of hands-on experience in industrial automation, PLC programming, and commissioning in manufacturing or process industries (food & beverage, automotive, pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, metals, CPG).

Preferred:

  • 5+ years designing, programming and commissioning PLC/HMI/SCADA systems with demonstrated project delivery.
  • Proven track record of on-site commissioning, FAT/SAT coordination and driving production improvements through automation.
  • Experience with multi-vendor integration, networked OT systems, and IIoT initiatives is a plus.

Certifications and training in PLC vendors (Siemens, Rockwell), safety standards (IEC/ISO), and network/OT security will strengthen candidacy.

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