Controls Engineer

Business Unit Overview

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company's portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats™, PEBBLES™, Grape-Nuts™ and Malt-O-Meal™ cereal and Peter Pan™ peanut butter, as well as Rachael Ray® Nutrish™, Kibbles 'n Bits™ and 9Lives™ dog and cat food. Post also provides private label solutions to customers in pet food, cereal, nut butters and granola. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit and follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook for the latest news.


Location Description

Post Consumer Brands in Battle Creek, Mich., the cereal capital of the U.S., is the company's largest manufacturing plant and home to about 600 team members. When you join the team here, you'll be helping to produce some of the most iconic cereal brands, including Honey Bunches of Oats™, PEBBLES™, and Grape-Nuts™ cereal. The Battle Creek plant is also unique as it is home to the original barn where C.W. Post started the Postum cereal company in 1895. The Battle Creek team has deep community roots, supporting the city's Cereal Festival, The Post Foundation, and participating in several volunteer events throughout the year.

Responsibilities

Bring hands-on controls expertise to a manufacturing environment where your work directly supports safe, reliable, and efficient plant performance. As a Controls Engineer on third shift, you will combine real-time troubleshooting with automation improvements, equipment upgrades, and longer-term controls projects across the facility.

You will work independently on the plant floor, partner with maintenance and engineering teams, and help strengthen controls knowledge across the site. This role is a strong fit for an engineer who enjoys solving complex problems, learning manufacturing processes, and seeing the impact of their work firsthand.

Key Responsibilities

• Program, troubleshoot, and improve Rockwell Automation PLC systems across process, packaging, and utility equipment.
• Design, program, and update Rockwell FactorySuite HMI interfaces and related controls applications.
• Diagnose day-to-day production issues and complete minor modifications to controls server systems.
• Set up and tune PID loops, and select, install, troubleshoot, and maintain instrumentation for flow, level, temperature, and weight.
• Support Rockwell communication networks and electrical hardware, including ControlLogix, Ethernet, DeviceNet, ControlNet, RIO, PowerFlex VFDs, servos, MCCs, and E3 Plus overload relays.
• Maintain electrical control programs, documentation, drawings, and plant controls standards.
• Analyze process and equipment performance data to improve product quality, operating reliability, and cost performance.
• Manage controls and automation capital projects, including equipment upgrades completed during planned outage windows.
• Train and support maintenance personnel and collaborate with engineers to share best practices and standards.
• Support electrical infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, metering, and safe plant power distribution practices.

Why You'll Love This Role

• Own meaningful troubleshooting and improvement work across the full facility during third shift.
• Balance hands-on plant support with automation programming, HMI updates, equipment modernization, and project work.
• Work with a range of Rockwell PLC generations and manufacturing technologies.
• Build visibility and credibility through dependable, high-impact support with fewer routine daytime meetings.
• Grow toward future shift opportunities or a Controls Lead path.

Location & Travel Requirements

• Third-shift schedule is approximately 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., with overlap for a nightly report-out to first shift.
• Occasional travel is required.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Required Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with PLC controls, HMIs, industrial networks, and manufacturing equipment troubleshooting.
• Experience reading and interpreting electrical and control schematics, P&IDs, and technical documentation.
• Working knowledge of motors, drives, associated circuitry, and electrical machine-control technologies.
• Knowledge of applicable NEC, ANSI, OSHA, and NFPA standards.
• Ability to work independently and provide plant-wide controls support during third shift.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five or more years of manufacturing experience with exposure to maintenance and engineering functions.
• Experience with Rockwell Automation systems, including multiple PLC generations and FactorySuite.
• Experience with PowerFlex VFDs, servos, FANUC equipment, or related automation technologies.
• Experience with power distribution systems up to 4,800 VAC, including substations, switchgear, and power-factor correction equipment.
• Experience leading controls, automation, or electrical capital projects.

Success in This Role

• Uses structured troubleshooting and sound judgment to identify root causes, including when an issue is not controls-related.
• Builds trust through dependable follow-through, clear communication, and a visible plant-floor presence.
• Works effectively with limited supervision while collaborating across maintenance and engineering teams.
• Organizes competing priorities and communicates technical information clearly to varied audiences.

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you are ready to pair strong automation skills with hands-on plant support, bring your ambition to Post Consumer Brands. Here, you can help keep a complex manufacturing operation moving while building solutions that make a lasting difference.