Senior Controls Engineer

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GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

Orenco is seeking a highly motivated and forward-thinking Senior Controls Engineer to lead the automation of engineering design and manufacturing. This role is essential in driving standardization across control panel designs while ensuring that Orenco's engineering, manufacturing, and customer support teams operate seamlessly through structured processes, tools, and documentation.

As a technical expert with a product management mindset, you will bridge engineering innovation and business strategy by optimizing component selection, panel assembly, and market-driven product improvements. You will oversee the integration of CPQ (Configure Price Quote) development, EEC, EPLAN, and shop floor operations, ensuring that Engineering Design Guidelines, Quality Control manuals, SOPs, and customer support knowledge bases remain standardized, up-to-date, in compliance with industry standards, and scalable for future growth.

This is more than just an engineering role-it's an opportunity to lead industry innovation, standardize best practices, and shape the future of control panel technology at Orenco.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & KRA (Key Result Areas):

> Safety/Culture

• Continuously maintains Orenco Management's safety, cultural, and professional standards.
• Promotes, encourages, and reinforces a positive safety culture, safe practices, and a safe work environment to all employees.

> EEC / EPLAN Standardization & Engineering Automation

• Lead and project manage the deployment and integration of EPLAN Engineering Configurator (EEC) to automate engineering design and manufacturing workflows.
• Ensure EEC, EPLAN, CPQ, Quoter, and shop floor operations are fully integrated for seamless design-to-manufacturing execution.
• Develop and implement Engineering Design Guidelines to standardize custom controls while embedding continuous improvement into Orenco's standard panel lines.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and quality control teams to align SOPs, quality manuals, and best practices with standardized design methodologies.
• Oversee revision control and approval processes, ensuring accurate, up-to-date documentation that supports efficiency at every stage of the product lifecycle.
• Develop, program, and troubleshoot PLC and HMI systems from various manufacturers (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, etc.)

> Product & Market Strategy

• Market Intelligence - Stay ahead of industry trends, competitor offerings, and customer needs to shape Orenco's control panel product strategy.
• Component Optimization - Work with procurement and supply chain to identify, negotiate, and select high-quality, cost-sensitive components, balancing price, availability, and performance.
• Cost vs. Value Analysis - Work with cost accounting to evaluate aggregate control panel costs, factoring in labor savings from automation, ensuring that higher-cost components are justified by improved efficiency and scalability.
• Vendor & Supplier Relations - Partner with procurement to negotiate pricing, secure supply chains, and establish long-term partnerships with key component manufacturers.
• Rapid Prototyping & Customer Solutions - Lead rapid prototyping efforts for control panels utilizing new component configurations, ensuring feasibility before full production. Collaborate with the engineering team to evaluate new customer and OEM needs, providing value-engineered solutions that optimize design, cost, and manufacturability. Support customers in scaling their panel volume, ensuring that Orenco's control solutions help drive efficiency, reliability, and business growth for their operations. (Note: This is distinct from R&D projects focused on new Orenco-developed software or hardware.)
• New Product Introduction - Work closely with engineering and production teams to successfully integrate new component configurations into Orenco's existing control panel product lines.

> Engineering Standardization & Process Improvement

• Develop and maintain a preferred components library, streamlining engineering design and manufacturing workflows.
• Collaborate with Quality Control to establish best practices, failure analysis protocols, a feedback loop, and preventive measures to reduce defects and production errors.
• Enhance engineering efficiency (EEC) by reducing customization bottlenecks and driving standardization in control panel design.

> Technical Design & Continuous Improvement

• Design and develop scalable control panel solutions using the EPLAN suite and integration with corporate enterprise solutions, ensuring reliability, manufacturability, and compliance with industry standards.
• Ensure all designs align with UL508A, UL698A, NEC, NFPA, and other regulatory requirements, balancing safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
• Establish and manage structured revisioning and approval processes, ensuring design updates are documented, communicated, and implemented across engineering, manufacturing, and customer support teams.
• Specify and select electrical components, sensors, drives, and instrumentation for control systems.

> Customer & Sales Support

• Act as the technical expert and trusted advisor for sales, distributors, and OEMs, providing deep insights into control panel capabilities and configurations.
• Support sales and business development teams in positioning Orenco's control solutions competitively in the market.
• Develop and maintain a customer support knowledge base, ensuring field engineers and end users have access to clear troubleshooting guides and product documentation.
• Conduct technical training sessions for internal teams and key external partners to enhance product knowledge and adoption.

> Cross-Functional Leadership & Coordination

• Collaborate with Sales, Engineering, and Manufacturing to ensure product offerings align with market demand and internal capabilities.
• Partner with the Water Sales team to ensure that pump selection remains their responsibility, while Controls focuses on electrical panel standardization and integration.
• Ensure that CPQ, Quoter (FM), EEC, and EPLAN tools remain fully synchronized, supporting Orenco's long-term engineering automation strategy.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field required.
• Additional coursework or experience in Product Management, Business, or Marketing is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in control panel design, industrial automation, and product management.
• Expert/demonstrated proficiency in EPLAN/EEC, including schematic design, component libraries, managing for standardization, and utilization of automation tools.
• Strong understanding of motors, VFDs, instrumentation, and industrial control circuits, SCADA, remote telemetry, Distributed Controls Systems (DCS), Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), and industrial communication protocols.
• Ability to troubleshoot and optimize electrical and control system panel designs for manufacturability and performance.
• Experience with cyber security strategies & standards for connected products in industrial environments.
• Familiarity with IP protection, search and filing is a plus.
• Experience in go-to-market strategies, or product portfolio management with focus on SKU complexity management helpful.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with a talent for mentoring and influencing teams.
• Ability to balance multiple projects, meet deadlines, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.) and related business software.

> Work to be done during manufacturing business hours, which may include an occasional early and/or later shift as needed. Occasional long hours may be required.

> Regular, consistent, and predictable attendance is required.

> Performs other duties as assigned

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT:

Multimeter

Hand Tools (screwdrivers and drills)

Shop Equipment (drill press, punch, break)

Computer

Cell Phone

Vehicle

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Primarily office environment. Travel requirements will include operation of a motor vehicle, airplane travel, and overnight stays in temporary lodging.

Requires the ability to visit project sites that are situated on a variety of developed and undeveloped terrain/locations. Includes exposure to outside weather conditions when at customer sites. Conducting field work may include occasional exposure to wastewater, requiring proper use of personal protective equipment including but not limited to gloves.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Regular job duties include seeing, speaking, hearing, reading, writing, keyboarding, prolonged periods of sitting including extended time viewing a computer screen. Intermittent physical activity including standing, walking, climbing stairs and/or ladders, reaching, pushing, pulling, grasping, holding, bending, twisting, stooping, kneeling, squatting, driving, and occasional light lifting of under 20 lbs. May also include occasional unassisted lifting of up to 50 lbs., occasionally up to 70 lbs. Lifting over 70 lbs. must be assisted. Operation of a motor vehicle and airplane travel with the ability to visit project sites that are situated on a variety of developed and undeveloped terrain/locations, is and/or may be required.

Salary : $114,753 - $200,782