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About the Role
Senior Industrial Automation & Controls Engineer
Location: Pueblo, CO (onsite)
Reports To: Manufacturing Engineering Manager
Type: Contract to hire
Travel: Up to 10%
Overview
Hands on controls engineer who designs, deploys, and improves automation for solid rocket motor and energetic chemical production. Serves as the technical anchor of the controls group with a clear path to lead it.
What You Will Do
Design, program, commission, and maintain PLC controls and robotic integration, primarily in structured text
Evaluate and deploy robotic work cells, machine vision, and ML driven process optimization
Design NEC/UL508A electrical systems for C1D1/C2D1 areas, build cabinets, and run field wiring
Build plant networks, data acquisition, and remote access connecting sensors, valves, PLCs, and control rooms
Design HMI/SCADA screens and maintain schematics and BOMs
Apply Lean and Six Sigma and mentor junior engineers and technicians
Must Haves
BS in EE, ME, CompE or related with 7+ years in industrial automation and controls (MS with 5+, or 11+ years hands on without a degree)
Multi vendor PLC programming, troubleshooting, and optimization
Robotic integration including work cells, end of arm tooling, safety systems, and motion control
Working knowledge of ML in manufacturing (vision inspection, predictive maintenance, adaptive control)
Hands on cabinet building, field wiring, schematics, and BOMs
Nice to Haves
Codesys based PLCs: Beckhoff, Beijer, Wago
ABB, Yaskawa, and Fanuc robots
Energetics or C1D1/C2D1 hazardous environments
Lean or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt
Requirements
Onsite role. Remote is not an option.
US Person required for ITAR (US Citizen or Green Card holder)
Must be 21 or older and eligible for state and federal explosives licenses
Drug free workplace and background investigation
Able to lift 50 lbs and work on a manufacturing floor in PPE
Recruiter Notes (internal, remove before sending to candidates)
Posted FTE base: $115K to $140K
Most searchable role and our first priority. Beckhoff/Codesys experience is the best differentiator.
The ML requirement is aspirational. Do not DQ a strong controls engineer who lacks it.