Controls Engineer

Are you driven to achieving your goals?

Are you able to prioritize and manage your time to reach those goals?

Looking for more flexibility and freedom to work in your best scenario?

Want to work for a company with Integrity and Principles?

If you answered YES to these questions, we want to talk to you about the future!

Cates Control Systems in Plano, TX is looking to hire an Industrial Automation Controls Engineer. Joining the Cates team is both challenging and rewarding. You will become an important member of a very talented and dynamic team within our industry. If this sounds like you, please read on!

You must see our principles at work to believe them. Our principles are not just wall coverings, we really do work to live up to them every day. We offer flexible work schedules and expect you to manage your own work to reach defined deadlines, putting your best work into every project.

Candidates should possess these traits and abilities:

• A Controls Engineer will be self-motivated, focused, and detail oriented.
• Develop and manage project deliverables to a schedule, independently or within a team.
• Conscientious team player with excellent communications skills and the desire to build long term win-win relationships.
• Design, program, document, test, and validate control systems.
• Will perform on-site startup, commissioning, validation, support, and training.
• Demonstrate strong communication with colleagues, management, and customers, face-to-face and written.
• Ability to adapt to changing requirements, think strategically, solve problems, and develop confidence with the team and customers.
• Ability to understand customers' goals and work in partnership with all stakeholders to design solutions.
• Work and succeed in a fast-paced environment with frequent changes on multiple projects.
• Identify changes in scope and notify the project team accordingly.
• Provide input and resolve issues during the sales cycle, estimating, and fabrication processes.

This position will require about 50% travel, both domestic and international.

Desired Skills and Experience (these are base skills, beneficial skills italicized)

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent Automation experience
• Heavy motion controls and Servo Controls experience
• 3+ Years of Experience with Industrial Automation
• PLC programming, including creating from scratch:
  • Rockwell Logix family most helpful
  • Other brands (Siemens, Omron, GE, Modicon, etc.) helpful
• Safety programming in the PLC is a plus
• HMI/OIT programming, in any of the following:
  • Wonderware ArchestrA/System Platform/InTouch
  • Inductive Automation's Ignition
  • Rockwell FactoryTalk View ME or SE
• On-site IO and panel testing, set-up, troubleshooting, and drawings:
  • IO check-out and motor direction testing (and reversal)
  • VFD Setup and communications (Rockwell, Yaskawa, ABB, Mitsubishi, etc.)
• Ability to read and mark-up electrical panel and network drawings
• PLC-PLC, PLC-IO, PLC-VFD, and other communications
• Panel and wiring troubleshooting skills are a plus
• Leadership abilities are a plus
• High skill level with documentation (Functional descriptions, SOP, test plans, proposals) and MS Office tools (PowerPoint, Excel, Project, Word)
• Understanding and working with P&IDs and Process Flow Diagrams
• Database and other programming languages are not required but helpful:
  • SQL (MS, MySQL, PostGres, SQLite)
  • Web programming (.Net, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Jinja, Bootstrap, etc.)
  • Other programming (Python, C++, C#, Java, etc.)
• While on-site, we are required to work in industrial environments, so applicants must be able to do all of the following activities easily and continually. Not all of these occur every day on every project, but often:
  • Occasionally, extended hours and work over weekends and/or holidays will be necessary
• Have daily safety meetings to review plant or company-specific requirements and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Climb under equipment to check/calibrate/test sensors and wiring
• Climb up step ladders and/or extension ladders and stairs
• Ride in scissor or others lifts with a harness (sometimes 30-40 feet)
• Lift objects up to 50lbs
• Carry tools, meters (can use a toolbelt), use tools regularly
• Deal with some heights
• Work in sub-optimal conditions like heat and cold (many times the plant building is not complete)
• Work with people who do not speak English
• Valid driver's license
• Knowledge of standards and guidelines:
  • NEC, UL 508A and other applicable regulations
  • Knowledge of OSHA is a plus.

More About Us

Cates Control Systems was founded over 40 years ago and is an award-winning systems integration company that partners with manufacturing firms to develop and implement automation solutions to increase production, improve quality and reduce costs. Our customers are extremely diverse and spread all over North America (and a few internationally). Our customers make roofing shingles, fry potato chips, roast coffee, process poultry and beef, distill water, bottle apple juice, and ship all over the world.

Cates is committed to delivering quality solutions that we stand behind through service and support. Our vision is to positively impact the lives of others. We are a fun, friendly company with a strong family atmosphere and 12 core principles that guide us at every step in our success. Our culture is firmly rooted in the values of honesty, integrity, commitment, and reliability. To learn more about Cates, please visit us at www.cates.com.