Controls Engineer

Summary

General Motors is an automotive company focused on advancing transportation through safer, more equitable, and more sustainable solutions. The Controls Engineer will design, program, integrate, troubleshoot, and optimize controls and automation systems for high-volume automotive body shop manufacturing operations, including PLCs, HMIs, robots, vision systems, conveyance, and industrial networks. The role also supports production troubleshooting, continuous improvement, data analysis, system reliability, and cross-functional manufacturing initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement advanced controls and automation systems for automotive body shop manufacturing operations, ensuring system reliability, efficiency, and compliance with established engineering standards
• Develop and document system requirements, functional specifications, and control strategies for automated manufacturing systems, including robotics, machine vision, and conveyance technologies
• Program, configure, and troubleshoot Allen Bradley PLCs (including Safety Logic) and Siemens TIA Portal HMIs, ensuring seamless integration with plant wide automation systems
• Design, implement, and maintain industrial communication networks—including EtherNet/IP, TCP/IP, and DeviceNet—to support real time communication across PLCs, robots, vision systems, and peripheral devices
• Integrate, program, and optimize FANUC industrial robots for material handling, spot welding, dispensing, and vision guided operations
• Develop, configure, and troubleshoot machine vision systems (Matrox, SICK, Keyence, Photoneo, FANUC Vision) for inspection, error proofing, and bin picking applications
• Maintain and enhance vision guided bin picking solutions utilizing 3D vision technologies to increase automation efficiency and reduce manual handling
• Support, maintain, and optimize conveyance systems, including Power & Free conveyors, Geo Pallet systems, skid conveyors, and Automated Guided Carts (AGCs), ensuring continuous and reliable production flow
• Configure and troubleshoot Allen Bradley Variable Frequency Drives (PowerFlex, ArmorStart) and related motion control systems
• Develop and implement error proofing systems such as torque verification (Atlas Copco), barcode readers (SICK, Matrox), RFID based tracking, and automated bin pick validation
• Create and interpret electrical schematics using EPLAN to support system design, integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting
• Perform root cause analysis of automation and controls failures using empirical data, trend analysis, diagnostic tools, and structured problem solving methodologies to drive corrective and preventive actions
• Analyze manufacturing and operational data using DLA and Power BI (TBIA) to identify inefficiencies, improve throughput, and reduce downtime
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, downtime elimination, and quality improvements (e.g., DRR reduction)
• Provide real time production support, including troubleshooting, maintenance assistance, and system optimization for high volume manufacturing lines
• Develop and maintain custom engineering tools and applications to support automation systems, data analytics, and production performance monitoring
• Ensure standardization, scalability, and reuse of automation components across new installations, upgrades, and major projects
• Identify system vulnerabilities and implement mitigation strategies to improve system reliability, robustness, and safety
• Track, document, and report corrective actions, ensuring full closure and compliance with engineering and quality standards
• Collaborate with cross functional partners—including manufacturing, quality, and maintenance—to support system integration, launch readiness, and production goals
• Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices in industrial automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing
• Hybrid Work Policy – 3 days In-Office, 2 Days Remote – Must be able to report to local office

Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field of study and Two (2) years of experience as an Automation Engineer, Controls Engineer, or related occupation
• Two (2) years of experience with the following: Designing, programming, and troubleshooting Allen Bradley PLCs, including Safety Logic; Developing and maintaining HMI systems; Designing and supporting industrial communication networks including EtherNet/IP, TCP/IP, and DeviceNet; Configuring and troubleshooting machine vision systems; Supporting and optimizing automated conveyance systems; Configuring and troubleshooting VFDs; and Implementing and supporting error proofing technologies
• One (1) year of experience with the following: Programming and troubleshooting FANUC robots for material handling, spot welding, dispensing, and vision guided applications; Developing and supporting 3D vision–based bin picking systems; Supporting high volume manufacturing operations through troubleshooting, optimization, and downtime reduction; and Python and SQL
• Hybrid Work Policy – 3 days In-Office, 2 Days Remote – Must be able to report to local office

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field of study and Two (2) years of experience as an Automation Engineer, Controls Engineer, or related occupation
• Two (2) years of experience with the following: Designing, programming, and troubleshooting Allen Bradley PLCs, including Safety Logic; Developing and maintaining HMI systems; Designing and supporting industrial communication networks including EtherNet/IP, TCP/IP, and DeviceNet; Configuring and troubleshooting machine vision systems; Supporting and optimizing automated conveyance systems; Configuring and troubleshooting VFDs; and Implementing and supporting error proofing technologies
• One (1) year of experience with the following: Programming and troubleshooting FANUC robots for material handling, spot welding, dispensing, and vision guided applications; Developing and supporting 3D vision–based bin picking systems; Supporting high volume manufacturing operations through troubleshooting, optimization, and downtime reduction; and Python and SQL
• Hybrid Work Policy – 3 days In-Office, 2 Days Remote – Must be able to report to local office

Benefits

• Hybrid Work Policy – 3 days In-Office, 2 Days Remote – Must be able to report to local office.