Controls & Automation Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Factory Systems – Columbia, SC
Full-Time | On-Site | Periodic Customer Travel

Factory Systems is looking for a hands-on  Controls & Automation Specialist who can troubleshoot industrial systems that do not fit neatly into one technical box.

This is not a production maintenance job.

You will work in a professional engineering environment supporting industrial controls, manufacturing software, machine connectivity, networks, databases, and automated equipment for manufacturing customers.

We are looking for the person who can walk up to a system that is not working, determine whether the problem is in the PLC, wiring, drive, sensor, network, Windows computer, database, software interface, or machine itself—and then drive the problem to resolution.

What You Will Work On

Typical systems include:

• Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs
• HMIs and SCADA systems
• Variable-frequency drives and servos
• Sensors and industrial instrumentation
• Industrial Ethernet and machine networks
• OPC Classic and OPC UA
• Ethernet/IP and Modbus
• RS-232 and RS-485 communications
• Windows industrial computers and workstations
• SQL databases
• Manufacturing data-collection systems
• Production tracking and reporting systems
• CNC machines, robots, assembly equipment, and test systems
• Legacy machines that were never designed to communicate with modern systems

You do not need to be an expert in every area.

You do need to be comfortable learning unfamiliar systems and figuring out how the pieces work together.

What You Will Do

You will:

• Troubleshoot industrial controls and connected manufacturing systems
• Modify and support PLC and HMI applications
• Diagnose electrical, controls, communications, computer, network, and software problems
• Connect production equipment to manufacturing data systems
• Support industrial PCs, communications, databases, and system interfaces
• Commission new systems and upgrades
• Perform backups, recovery, and configuration changes
• Provide remote customer support
• Travel periodically to customer facilities for installation and troubleshooting
• Work directly with customer maintenance, engineering, production, and IT personnel
• Take ownership of customer problems through final resolution
• Document configurations, changes, and successful troubleshooting methods

The Person We Want

You may currently be working as a:

• Controls Technician
• Automation Technician
• PLC Programmer
• Electrical Technician
• Industrial Maintenance Technician
• Controls Engineer
• Systems Integrator
• Automation Specialist

Your current title is not important.

We are much more interested in whether you have actually worked around industrial machinery and solved difficult technical problems.

The strongest candidate will:

• Have strong hands-on troubleshooting ability
• Understand PLC-controlled machinery
• Be comfortable with electrical drawings and industrial wiring
• Understand basic industrial networking
• Be comfortable working with Windows computers
• Think logically instead of replacing parts until something works
• Take ownership of problems
• Communicate well with customers
• Work independently without needing constant direction
• Know when a problem requires additional engineering support
• Be curious enough to learn systems they have never seen before

Experience

We are looking for approximately 3+ years of practical industrial experience in one or more of the following:

• Industrial automation
• Controls
• Manufacturing maintenance
• Machine building
• Systems integration
• Industrial electrical work
• Manufacturing IT / OT systems

Experience with Allen-Bradley/Rockwell equipment is particularly useful.

Experience with Siemens, SQL, OPC, industrial networking, CNC equipment, robotics, or manufacturing data systems is also valuable.

Education

A four-year engineering degree is  not required .

We are open to candidates with:

• Associate or technical degrees
• Engineering technology backgrounds
• Technical-school training
• Military technical experience
• Apprenticeship experience
• Strong self-taught industrial experience

Practical ability matters more to us than credentials.

Why Someone Leaves Plant Maintenance for This Job

If you are tired of maintaining the same production equipment every day, this position offers a different type of work.

You will see different machines, customers, controls platforms, software systems, and technical problems.

You will have greater technical autonomy and broader responsibility.

You will also work primarily from our Columbia facility rather than spending every day on a production floor.

This is still industrial work. Customers occasionally have urgent problems, and periodic travel is required.

But the job is centered on  solving technical problems , not covering a maintenance shift.

Employment Requirements

• Full-time, on-site position in Columbia, South Carolina
• Reliable transportation and dependable attendance
• Periodic customer-site travel
• Ability to work safely in industrial environments
• Legal authorization to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship
• Ability to meet applicable export-control and customer-site access requirements

About Factory Systems

Factory Systems develops and supports industrial controls, manufacturing software, machine-connectivity systems, data-acquisition solutions, and custom production technology.

We work with both modern and legacy production equipment and help manufacturers connect machinery, controls, software, and production data into reliable operating systems.

We are a small technical organization. People who succeed here are practical, curious, dependable, and comfortable taking responsibility for difficult problems.

When You Apply

Please tell us briefly about  one difficult industrial problem you personally diagnosed and solved .

Tell us:

• What was not working
• What you initially suspected
• What the actual problem turned out to be
• What you did to fix it

We are more interested in how you think than in receiving a generic cover letter.