Senior to Principal Controls Engineer, Robotic Systems Integration

Level: IIV Senior or IV Principal
Salary Range: $135,000 to $185,000 annually

Position Summary

We are seeking a Principal Controls Engineer with strong industrial robotics integration experience to lead the design, integration, commissioning, and startup of complex robotic production systems.

This is a robot-centric controls role. The engineer will own the integration of industrial robots into complete production systems, including EOAT, vision, robot-to-PLC interfaces, machine safety, part flow, recovery logic, interlocks, industrial networks, and production readiness.

This is not a robot programming-only role. Candidates must have proven hands-on experience delivering complete robotic systems in real production environments.

Key Responsibilities

·       Lead robotic automation projects from concept through commissioning and production startup.

·       Define robotic cell architecture, including robots, EOAT, safety systems, vision, part handling, PLC interfaces, and industrial networks.

·       Integrate industrial robots such as Fanuc, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, or equivalent platforms.

·       Develop and troubleshoot robot programs, paths, frames, tooling, interlocks, zones, recovery logic, and cell sequencing.

·       Integrate robot-to-PLC communication, including handshakes, I/O mapping, permissives, faults, and recovery states.

·       Lead machine safety design and validation in accordance with ANSI B11, ANSI/RIA R15.06, ISO 13849, and related standards.

·       Support risk assessments, safety architecture reviews, PL/SIL documentation, and safety validation.

·       Lead onsite commissioning and serve as the primary technical escalation point during startup.

·       Validate system performance, safety functionality, cycle time, fault recovery, and production readiness.

·       Troubleshoot complex issues across robots, controls, electrical systems, safety devices, tooling, fixtures, and process flow.

·       Interface with customers, OEMs, integrators, vendors, and internal engineering teams.

Basic Qualifications

·       Minimum 8 years of experience in industrial automation, robotic systems integration, or related automation engineering.

·       Minimum 3 years of hands-on industrial robotics integration experience.

·       Minimum 1 to 2 years of greenfield robotic automation integration experience.

·       Minimum 2 to 3 years of PLC integration or troubleshooting experience in robotic automation systems.

·       Proven experience delivering complete robotic production systems from design through commissioning.

·       Applied working knowledge of ANSI B11 and ANSI/RIA R15.06.

·       Experience designing, validating, or commissioning machine safety systems.

·       Strong system-level troubleshooting capability across robotics, controls, electrical, mechanical, safety, and process domains.

Required Technical Skills

·       Industrial robot integration, including EOAT, vision, frames, zones, interlocks, recovery, and sequencing.

·       Robot-to-PLC integration, including handshakes, I/O, permissives, faults, and safe recovery logic.

·       Working knowledge of PLC-controlled automation systems. Allen-Bradley experience preferred.

·       Machine safety systems, including safety PLCs, safety I/O, scanners, light curtains, guarding, interlocks, and safety-rated monitored zones.

·       Industrial networks such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, IO-Link, or equivalent.

·       Practical understanding of risk assessments, safe-state behavior, validation testing, and production startup.

Preferred Qualifications

·       Experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, battery, logistics, or advanced manufacturing.

·       Experience with multi-robot cells, robotic material handling, assembly, welding, dispensing, inspection, or machine tending.

·       Experience leading OEMs, integrators, contractors, or internal teams through installation and commissioning.

·       Experience with SISTEMA, PL/SIL validation, FAT/SAT, commissioning plans, and acceptance testing.

Core Competencies

·       Robotic system ownership.

·       Hands-on commissioning leadership.

·       Strong troubleshooting judgment.

·       Customer-facing technical communication.

·       Accountability for safety, uptime, cycle time, and production readiness.

Compensation

Salary range is $135,000 to $185,000 annually.

Final compensation will be based on robotics integration experience, greenfield project experience, machine safety capability, commissioning leadership, and demonstrated ability to deliver complete robotic production systems.