Senior Electrical Controls Engineer

RFA Engineering ( is an engineering service provider dedicated to delivering our clients with timely engineering support and expertise. We are seeking experienced controls and automation engineers to join our engineering team. For this position RFA will be working in many functional areas supporting industrial automation, automated equipment, machine controls, material handling systems, and other complex engineered equipment across a variety of industries.

Senior Electrical Controls Engineer

The Senior Electrical Controls Engineer will support the electrical and controls design of complex industrial and material-handling equipment. Projects may involve cranes, gantry systems, critical handling equipment, motion-control systems, and specialized machinery used in nuclear and highly regulated environments. Work may include industrial control-panel design, power distribution, equipment wiring, VFD and servo systems, motor and brake controls, functional safety, equipment checkout, and Factory Acceptance Testing.

Responsibilities

• Develop electrical and controls designs for cranes, gantries, material-handling systems, and other complex industrial equipment.
• Create production-ready electrical schematics, control panel layouts, wiring and interconnection drawings, I/O documentation, and bills of material.
• Design and specify industrial control panels, power distribution systems, equipment wiring, and control-system components.
• Perform electrical design calculations supporting equipment and component selection.
• Develop solutions incorporating VFDs, servo drives, motors, brakes, encoders, travel limits, sensors, and motion-control hardware.
• Develop and review control interlocks and safety-related interfaces.
• Apply functional-safety concepts and project-specific Safety Integrity Level requirements to applicable systems.
• Support designs involving SIL 1, SIL 2, and SIL 3 functional-safety requirements as applicable to individual projects.
• Participate in electrical, controls, functional-safety, and multidisciplinary design reviews.
• Coordinate electrical designs with mechanical and controls-software engineering teams.
• Support control-panel fabrication, equipment assembly, system checkout, and troubleshooting.
• Support equipment commissioning and Factory Acceptance Testing.
• Investigate electrical and controls issues and drive corrective actions.
• Incorporate design, fabrication, and checkout changes into final as-built documentation.
• Develop and review engineering specifications and controlled technical documentation.
• Support projects throughout the engineering lifecycle from initial design through integration, testing, and delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Controls Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Professional experience with industrial electrical controls, automated equipment, material-handling equipment, or similarly complex engineered systems.
• Experience developing electrical schematics and production-ready electrical documentation.
• Working knowledge of industrial power distribution and control systems.
• Experience with motors, drives, sensors, and electromechanical equipment.
• Ability to independently execute engineering assignments with limited day-to-day technical supervision.

Desired Attributes

• 5+ years of relevant electrical controls or industrial-equipment design experience preferred.
• Experience with functional safety and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) applications.
• Experience designing safety-related controls, permissives, interlocks, redundant systems, or other high-reliability equipment.
• Experience with AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or similar electrical design software.
• Experience with industrial control-panel design, power distribution, equipment wiring, and I/O systems.
• Experience with VFDs, servo drives, motor and brake controls, encoders, travel limits, and advanced motion-control systems.
• Experience with cranes, gantries, critical-handling systems, material-handling equipment, or other large automated machinery.
• Experience supporting equipment fabrication, checkout, commissioning, load testing, or Factory Acceptance Testing.
• Experience with IEEE standards or other applicable industrial, controls, electrical, and safety standards.

Visa sponsorship is NOT available for this position.

Pay Range: $110,000-$160,000 Commensurate with experience

About RFA Engineering

RFA Engineering has provided product development and engineering services to industry leading customers since 1943. Our primary focus is the development of off highway equipment including agricultural, construction, mining, recreational, industrial, and special machines. Our work includes concept development, product design, documentation, problem-solving, simulation, optimization, and testing of components, systems and complete machines. Our engineering staff is located at our Engineering Center in Minneapolis, branch office in Dubuque, IA, and at numerous customer sites throughout the U.S.

Competitive Benefits

• Health and Dental Insurance
• TelaDoc Healthiest You
• Supplemental Vision Insurance
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Company Paid Long-Term Disability
• Short-term Disability
• Retirement Savings Account (Traditional 401k & Roth 401k)
• Flexible Spending Plan Dependent Care
• HSA for Medical Expenses
• Bonus Plan (Exempt Employees Only)
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Education Assistance

Equal Opportunity and Veteran Friendly

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.