Senior Engineer, Controls

Company Overview:

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) is rebuilding American industrial capability for a new era of autonomy, robotics, and electrification.

We are the only U.S. company with a fully integrated rare earth supply chain—from mining and refining to advanced metal and magnet manufacturing. Our products include both the critical materials used to make permanent magnets and the finished magnets themselves—enabling next-generation technologies in robotics, automation, aerospace, transportation, defense, and energy systems. These materials are the foundation of physical AI—the convergence of computation, movement, and control.

We hire ambitious, mission-driven people who want to tackle complex challenges and shape the future of strategic industries. Our culture is rooted in teamwork, resiliency, and integrity, with a deep commitment to operational excellence and national purpose. MP is rapidly evolving from a materials producer into a leading U.S. manufacturer—and our people are driving that transformation.

Position Overview:

MP is seeking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Controls Engineer to join our engineering team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in industrial automation and operational technology systems, with expertise in industrial control systems, SCADA platforms, data acquisition, and industrial networking. As a Senior Control Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining control systems that ensure the efficient operation of industrial processes and systems.

Position Responsibilities:

• Architect, implement, and maintain SCADA and HMI systems using FactoryTalk View, WinCC, and related platforms.
• Deploy and manage AVEVA PI (formerly OSIsoft PI) systems for real-time data acquisition, historian, and analytics.
• Implement and maintain Rockwell AssetCentre for centralized management of automation assets and change tracking.
• Design and support industrial network infrastructures, including VLANs, managed switches, firewalls, and segmentation strategies.
• Integrate control systems and field data into enterprise-level platforms to support Industry 4.0 / Smart Factory initiatives.
• Ensure secure and reliable data flow from PLCs and sensors to MES, ERP, and cloud-based analytics systems.
• Support and maintain PLC and HMI applications, including programming, troubleshooting, and version control.
• Collaborate with IT, cybersecurity, production, and engineering teams to enable and secure OT/IT convergence.
• Lead and mentor junior engineers, and drive best practices in controls architecture, documentation, and change management.
• Troubleshoot OT network, SCADA, and data system issues in high-availability production environments.
• Develop and configure Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems for industrial control applications (e.g., Siemens WinCC, or Rockwell FactoryTalk).
• Ensure seamless integration between HMI systems and PLC control systems.
• Set up and maintain communication protocols such as Ethernet/IP, Modbus, Profibus, and OPC.
• Prepare technical documentation for control systems, including system design, PLC programs, HMI configurations, network diagrams, troubleshooting guides, control narratives, and I/O list.
• Conduct factory acceptance tests (FAT) and site acceptance tests (SAT) to ensure systems meet project requirements.
• Oversee and participate in the installation, commissioning, and start-up of control systems.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians, providing guidance and expertise in control system design and troubleshooting.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Strong organizational and time-management abilities.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Controls and OT systems in industrial environments.
• Hands-on experience with FactoryTalk View SE/ME, Siemens WinCC, and Rockwell/Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs.
• Proficient with Data Acquisition including interfaces, asset frameworks, and visualization tools.
• AVEVA OSIsoft PI preferred.
• Experience collecting, aggregating, and integrating data from multiple industrial sources such as PLCs, sensors, and databases.
• Experience configuring and maintaining Rockwell AssetCentre.
• Deep knowledge of industrial networking (Layer 2/3, VLANs, managed switches, firewall rules, routing).
• Familiarity with OPC UA/DA, MQTT, and other industrial protocols.
• Solid understanding of OT cybersecurity, segmentation, and standards (ISA/IEC 62443, NIST).
• Strong project leadership skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.

Desired Qualities:

• Experience with cloud integration, IIoT platforms, or edge computing.
• Familiarity with virtualization platforms (e.g., Nutanix, VMware, Hyper-V).
• Exposure to MES or ERP system integration.
• Ability to identify and solve problems and effectively communicate and advocate for these solutions to others (from operators to management).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Expert level user of Microsoft Office suite.
• Experience developing automated reports, dashboards, and KPIs using data visualization tools like Power BI, Tableau, or others.
• Experience in working with data tables, structured datasets, and developing dashboards.
• Basic knowledge of statistics to analyze data trends and variability.

MP Materials is Proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affir...- EEO is The Law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Underrepresented groups/Women/Disabled/Veterans are encouraged to apply. Candidates whose disabilities make them unable to meet the position’s requirements will still be considered qualified if they can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation.

Your Right to Work

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment verification document form upon hire.

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