Sr. Controls Engineer (FAT/CSV)

Location: Research Triangle Park, NC; begins in Durham, NC and is expected to move to Benson, NC after the new facility is completed. Regular onsite production-floor presence and up to approximately 50% domestic and international travel to OEM facilities during test campaigns.

Company

hirify.global manufactures American rare-earth permanent magnets for defense, aerospace, automotive, and other critical industries.

What you will do

• Lead hands-on programming, debugging, commissioning, and live controls support for Siemens and Allen Bradley/Rockwell PLCs and HMIs.
• Develop and maintain PLC code, HMI screens, safety circuits, device mappings, network configurations, and automation baselines.
• Own the multi-vendor FAT/SAT campaign, including acceptance protocols, punch-list management, witness assignments, and commissioning records.
• Review OEM electrical schematics, controls architectures, and PLC/HMI logic, converting design-review findings into technical deliverables.
• Integrate robotics, vision systems, AGVs, conveyors, servos, VFDs, and motion-control systems for reliable material flow.
• Configure and troubleshoot PLC/HMI communications with MES/SCADA systems, including tags, transactions, alarms, and data acquisition.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, automation engineering, mechatronics, or a related field, plus 7+ years of direct industrial automation and controls engineering experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with Siemens and Allen Bradley/Rockwell PLCs and HMIs.
• Experience managing multi-vendor acceptance campaigns, change control, punch-item triage, technical documentation, and vendor coordination.
• Deep knowledge of servos, VFDs, high-speed conveyors, robotic cells, and automated material-handling systems.
• Proficiency with Ethernet/IP, Profinet, EtherCAT, OPC UA, Modbus, serial communications, and similar industrial protocols.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Nice to have

• Commissioning-focused controls engineering experience at a system integrator or machine OEM.
• Experience with Fanuc, Kuka, or ABB robotics and Cognex or Keyence machine vision.
• Experience in heavy industrial, greenfield, chemical, metallurgical, defense, aerospace, or automotive manufacturing.
• Experience with Ignition, FactoryTalk, Wonderware, or similar SCADA platforms, as well as AGV integration.
• Python, C++, GAMP 5, or computer system validation experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Work across a large-scale greenfield manufacturing facility expansion.
• Regular production-floor work in hot, humid, noisy, and changing industrial environments.
• Required use of PPE, including respirators, completion of fit testing, and compliance with safety procedures.
• High-ownership responsibilities spanning OEM acceptance, commissioning, quality validation, and manufacturing engineering schedules.