Process Controls Engineer

Robotic Welding Programmer – Advanced Automation & Offline Simulation

Up to $35.00/hr + Shift Differentials & Profit Sharing • Duluth, MN Area • Direct-Hire • 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Shift Available

The Opportunity: Elevate your automation career with a global manufacturing leader in the heavy equipment attachment industry, serving the international construction, demolition, and scrap recycling sectors. Known for its deeply rooted "people-first" culture and heavy capital investments in robotic integration, this stable, family-oriented organization is seeking a high-level technical specialist. This role offers true technical autonomy, a comprehensive profit-sharing program, and a workspace that actively rewards automated craftsmanship.

• TECHNICAL DEPTH: 3+ years of hands-on experience programming robotic welding cells utilizing Yaskawa/YRC1000 controllers and specialized offline programming software
• SOFTWARE FOCUS: Direct proficiency with Robotmaster or MotoSim for offline toolpath generation, CAD-to-path simulation, and virtual cell optimization
• WELDING FOUNDATION: Heavy-gauge structural MIG welding mastery with an expert-level ability to interpret complex engineering blueprints and weld symbols
• EARNING POTENTIAL: Up to $35.00 per hour starting base (fully scaling with programming depth) + Lucrative Shift Differentials (up to +$2.00/hr) + Company-Wide Profit Sharing
• SHIFT FLEXIBILITY: Your choice of shift layout—1st Shift features flexible morning start windows (6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, or 8:00 AM), with dedicated 2nd and 3rd shift tracks available to maximize differential payouts
• LOCATION: Greater Duluth, MN / Superior, WI area (100% onsite within a highly modernized, safety-first fabrication facility)
• COMPLIANCE: United States Citizens or Green Card holders only; corporate visa sponsorship is not available

If you are an automation professional or a highly technical welder who is tired of standing inside a smoky booth manual-welding the same repetitive frames, or fighting rigid corporate shops that ignore floor innovation, this direct-hire tracking role is a significant step up. Our client treats their robotic programming team as core manufacturing assets. Instead of just resetting errors on a pendant, you will be performing true ground-up offline programming, optimizing complex multi-axis cell movements, and proving out first-article weldments for massive, high-stress industrial components.

The company culture deliberately rejects the high-pressure, high-turnover grind of standard contract job shops, prioritizing long-term employee retention, internal promotion tracks, and genuine work-life balance. With state-of-the-art robotic infrastructure and an unyielding local backlog of global equipment orders, this position provides bulletproof job security alongside a lucrative, performance-tied financial upside.

What You Will Be Doing

• Offline Path Programming: Utilizing Robotmaster or MotoSim software to develop, simulate, and proof highly efficient, collision-free offline programs for 1st-article structural weldments.
• Cell Optimization: Fine-tuning robot travel speeds, torch angles, wire feed parameters, and voltage inputs to minimize cycle times and guarantee flawless, repeatable weld penetration.
• Technical SME Support: Serving as the frontline subject matter expert to troubleshoot advanced multi-axis automation glitches, arc-tracking errors, and localized hardware/software faults.
• First-Article Inspection: Conducting rigorous visual inspections on completed fabrications to ensure 100% compliance with stringent AWS standards, weld specs, and structural tolerances.
• Floor Team Mentorship: Collaborating directly with cell operators to transfer technical best practices, refine fixture setups, and streamline loading/unloading sequences.
• Preventative Maintenance: Overseeing basic PM tasks on robotic arms, wire feeders, and torch alignment packages to maximize cell uptime and prevent line bottlenecks.

What We Are Looking For

• Robotic Programming Pedigree: A minimum of 3 years of verifiable experience programming and configuring industrial robotic systems (Yaskawa/Motoman environments highly preferred).
• Structural Layout Mastery: Exceptional blueprint literacy with the analytical capability to look at a raw fixture design and plot an optimized fabrication sequence from scratch.
• Welding Assessment Competency: A rock-solid foundation in industrial MIG welding; candidates must be fully prepared to pass an on-site practical weld and weld-inspection test.
• Employment Stability: A reliable, progressive work history showcasing dedicated multi-year tenures; frequent job-hopping is an automatic disqualifier.
• Educational Pluses: A formal Robotic Welding Certification, AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) status, or an Associate’s Degree in Automated Manufacturing/Robotics is highly advantageous.