Sr. Controls Hardware Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

We are seeking a Senior Controls Hardware Engineer with extensive experience designing, documenting, and supporting industrial automation hardware systems. This role is focused on the complete electrical hardware design lifecycle for custom automated machinery, including electrical, controls, hydraulic, pneumatic, and safety systems.

The ideal candidate has a strong background in machine builder or automation integrator environments and possesses deep expertise in electrical panel design, power distribution, industrial controls hardware, safety system design, electrical standards compliance, and manufacturing support. This is a hands-on engineering role requiring practical knowledge of how industrial control panels are designed, built, wired, tested, certified, and supported throughout the machine lifecycle.

The successful candidate will work closely with customers, project teams, panel shop personnel, and commissioning teams to ensure designs are technically sound, manufacturable, code compliant, and delivered on schedule.

Key Responsibilities

Hardware Design & Engineering

• Design electrical, controls, hydraulic, pneumatic, and safety systems for custom automated equipment.

• Create complete electrical drawing packages using AutoCAD Electrical and/or EPLAN including:

  • Schematics

  • Panel layouts

  • Device layouts

  • Wiring diagrams

  • Terminal plans

  • I/O drawings

  • Power distribution drawings

• Design 120VAC, 240VAC, and 480VAC control systems and power distribution architectures.

• Develop PLC hardware architectures including:

  • Processors

  • Remote I/O systems

  • Network infrastructure

  • Servo drive systems

  • Safety hardware

• Specify industrial controls hardware including:

  • Allen-Bradley ControlLogix / CompactLogix platforms

  • Siemens PLC hardware

  • Allen-Bradley Kinetix drives

  • Siemens S120 drive systems

  • VFDs

  • Safety relays

  • Safety PLCs

• Design machine safety systems compliant with customer requirements and applicable standards.

Panel Design & Manufacturing Support

• Design industrial control panels ranging from small machine controls to large multi-door 480VAC enclosures.

• Develop complete Bills of Material (BOMs) and release documentation to procurement.

• Provide technical guidance to panel shop personnel during panel construction and testing.

• Review panel builds for compliance with engineering standards and electrical codes.

• Support panel troubleshooting, startup, and machine commissioning activities.

• Maintain complete as-built documentation and revision records.

Standards & Compliance

• Design systems in accordance with:

  • NEC (National Electrical Code)

  • NFPA 79

  • UL508A

  • CE requirements

  • Customer-specific standards

• Perform:

  • Full Load Amp (FLA) calculations

  • Short Circuit Current Rating (SCCR) calculations

  • Component sizing

  • Wire sizing

  • Circuit protection calculations

  • Arc Flash considerations

• Determine appropriate enclosure ratings and component selection using IEC and NEMA standards.

• Participate in third-party certification reviews and compliance audits.

Safety Engineering

• Design machine safety architectures.

• Determine machine safety ratings and required performance levels.

• Perform safety-related calculations including:

  • Light curtain safety distance calculations

  • Safety circuit validation

  • Risk mitigation assessments

• Support implementation of safety PLCs and integrated machine safety systems.

Documentation & Technical Writing

• Develop and maintain:

  • Electrical design packages

  • Operations manuals

  • Maintenance manuals

  • Troubleshooting guides

  • Installation documentation

• Review and critique technical documentation prepared by internal personnel or third-party technical writers.

• Ensure documentation packages accurately support machine build, installation, operation, and maintenance.

Customer & Project Support

• Work directly with customer engineering teams to review designs and ensure compliance with customer standards.

• Support technical reviews, design reviews, and customer acceptance activities.

• Provide technical support during machine build and startup phases.

• Assist sales and applications engineering teams with:

  • Technical feasibility reviews

  • Cost estimation

  • Hardware architecture recommendations

  • Change order evaluations

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent experience.

• 5+ years of controls hardware design experience in a machine builder, OEM, or automation integrator environment.

• Strong experience using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or both.

• Experience designing industrial control panels and electrical systems for automated machinery.

• Experience with Allen-Bradley and/or Siemens hardware platforms.

• Strong understanding of:

  • PLC hardware architecture

  • Servo drive systems

  • Industrial networking

  • Safety systems

  • Power distribution

• Experience with industrial networking protocols including:

  • EtherNet/IP

  • Profinet

  • DeviceNet

  • Modbus

• Knowledge of NEC, NFPA 79, UL508A, and industrial electrical standards.

• Experience supporting machine build, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities.

• Strong technical writing and documentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with both AutoCAD Electrical and EPLAN.

• Experience performing SCCR calculations.

• Experience with CE certification requirements.

• Experience with Arc Flash assessments.

• Experience with safety PLCs and machine risk assessments.

• Experience specifying Kinetix, Siemens S120, or similar servo systems.

• Prior panel build or electrical wiring experience.

• Experience developing operations manuals and technical documentation packages.

• Experience supporting sales, applications engineering, and cost estimation activities.

SAI Systems is a Metro Detroit-based staffing firm founded in 2008. Connecting top talent with the companies that need them most.

Company Description

SAI Systems is a Metro Detroit-based staffing firm founded in 2008. Connecting top talent with the companies that need them most.