Senior Controls Engineer

About the role

SEL's Equipment Automation Engineering (EAE) team is looking for a Senior Controls Engineer to join the team in Pullman, Washington or Lewiston, Idaho. SEL is a 100% employee-owned company that creates and manufactures digital products and systems that protect and control power systems worldwide. The EAE team supports manufacturing and vertical integration teams by understanding their processes, recommending solutions and executing projects, working with mechanical engineers, production representatives and other engineering teams on manufacturing automation solutions, often fully custom designs.

Key responsibilities

• Mentor engineers and technicians.
• Lead initial equipment concept development, balancing product specs, process control, layout complexity, cost, quality and lead time.
• Lay out industrial electrical control panels (NFPA 79 / NEC / UL 508A compliant) and create electrical schematics.
• Write, architect and debug PLC ladder logic, producing organized, documented, maintainable and reusable code that interacts with conveyors, robots, MES, machine vision and third-party equipment.
• Manage electrical cabinet builds and create machine interfaces with the plant-wide MES.
• Introduce automated machines and processes into production and train Maintenance and Production teams.
• Create and review specifications and provide technical evaluations for outsourced automated equipment.
• Act as technical lead on assigned projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Required profile

• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechatronics or a related discipline.
• 12+ years of relevant experience designing and implementing automation solutions in a manufacturing environment.
• US citizenship.
• Excellent technical presentation and training skills.

Required skills

• Advanced proficiency in PLC programming (e.g., Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi) with a clear methodology for code structure.
• Ability to program state machines for multi-station parallel processing, pick-and-place automation, data acquisition and PID control.
• Experience designing reliable systems with error handling and recovery.
• Familiarity with electrical prints and industrial equipment standards.

What we offer

• Pay range of $160,600 to $230,000 depending on location and experience.
• Medical, prescription, dental, vision, life and disability insurance.
• Retirement benefits including an employer-funded ESOP and 401(k).
• 10 paid holidays, vacation accrual starting at 12 days, 9 paid sick days and paid family and medical leave covering 90% of pay.
• Tuition assistance, STEM courses, apprenticeships and engineering development programs.