Sr. Controls Engineer

Role Purpose

Lead controls technical receiving, readiness verification, and manufacturing handover for CPO-related MLA, MMC, and other assigned precision automation processes within SCS. Partner with project equipment design teams, engineering functions, IT, operations, suppliers, and system integrators to translate process and product requirements into robust controls solutions, support qualification, implement data acquisition, and enable pilot production, ramp-up, and stable manufacturing.

Build controls capability for new product introduction and future equipment upgrades. Own the continuous improvement of assigned precision automation equipment by developing, integrating, commissioning, troubleshooting, and improving PLC, HMI, motion control, robotics, machine vision, sensors, safety systems, and industrial networks.

Key Responsibilities

Project Controls Receiving and Handover

• Work with equipment design teams, suppliers, and system integrators to understand product requirements, process windows, equipment operation, tooling, motion/vision concepts, control sequences, and automation risks for CPO-related MLA, MMC, and other precision automation equipment.
• Participate in specification review, design review, supplier build, FAT/SAT, installation, IO checkout, dry run, debugging, qualification, validation, and production release.
• Identify controls risks, verify equipment performance, and drive improvements before manufacturing handover.
• Review and accept key controls deliverables, including PLC/HMI software, electrical drawings, data-acquisition design, software backups, version-control records, recipes, parameter settings, IO documentation, and recovery procedures.
• Establish equipment controls documentation covering operating principles, control logic, troubleshooting, recovery methods, key parameters, and data requirements.
• Train process engineering, production, maintenance, trainers, and operators to ensure effective knowledge transfer.
• Sustaining Controls Ownership and Continuous Improvement
  Provide day-to-day controls support for assigned precision automation equipment, including PLC/HMI issues, motion faults, robot and vision abnormalities, sensor failures, communication issues, safety interlocks, parameter drift, capability loss, and recurring downtime.
• Use structured root-cause analysis and data-based problem solving to eliminate recurring failures, improve equipment recovery, and increase availability, OEE, MTBF, and MTTR performance.
• Drive automation improvements, cycle-time reduction, alarm reduction, yield and capability improvement, recipe/parameter control, controls standardization, software upgrades, capacity optimization, and lifecycle cost reduction.
• Support preventive and predictive maintenance, spare-parts planning, BOM review, TPM, lifecycle risk assessment, and obsolescence management for PLCs, HMIs, drives, robots, vision systems, sensors, safety devices, and industrial networks.

Cross-functional Collaboration, Supplier Support, and Compliance

• Partner with suppliers, integrators, contractors, contract manufacturers, and global engineering teams to clarify controls requirements, review deliverables, define acceptance criteria, close issues, support warranty actions, and implement post-startup improvements.
• Provide technical guidance and training to engineering, maintenance, manufacturing, technicians, and operators on troubleshooting, recovery, safe operation, and controls standards.
• Ensure controls design, installation, qualification, changes, and operation comply with EHS, legal, regulatory, customer, and company requirements.
  Contribute to the receiving team’s controls capability, equipment competency, technical ownership, continuous-improvement culture, and data-driven problem-solving practices.

Software, Data, Documentation, and Change Control

• Maintain disciplined software backup, version control, parameter and recipe management, access control, recovery practices, release processes, and knowledge-retention systems.
• Develop and maintain equipment data collection, traceability, parameter monitoring, alarm/event logging, and MES/factory-system connectivity as required.
• Ensure all controls changes follow engineering change-control, risk-assessment, validation, approval, and documentation requirements.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including control narratives, electrical drawings, software records, parameter lists, operating standards, troubleshooting guides, training materials, qualification records, technical-transfer records, and supplier deliverables.

Experiences/Education - Required

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or above in Electrical Engineering, Automation, Mechatronics or related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in Controls engineering, automation or industrial systems within a manufacturing or equipment-development environment.

• Strong hands-on experience with PLC/HMI programming, motion control, robotics, machine vision, sensors, safety circuits, industrial networks, and electrical troubleshooting.

• Demonstrated experience in equipment integration, commissioning, FAT/SAT, qualification, validation, production ramp-up, and manufacturing support.

• Experience working with equipment suppliers, system integrators, contractors, and cross-functional project teams to deliver automation and controls solutions.

• Experience in CPO, photonics, fiber optics, precision assembly, electronics, semiconductor, medical device, or other high-precision manufacturing is preferred.

Required Skills

• Strong controls engineering capability in control system design, PLC programming, HMI configuration, motion control.
• Experience designing electrical schematics and control panels (AutoCAD / EPLAN).
• Strong commissioning and troubleshooting capability, including installation, system startup, IO check, programming debug, FAT/SAT, qualification, downtime troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and permanent corrective action.
• Professional working proficiency in English, with strong capability in technical documentation, supplier communication, and cross-functional project communication.

Experiences/Education - Desired

• Experience with CPO, photonics packaging, MLA, MMC, precision optical/component alignment, semiconductor packaging, electronics assembly, or comparable high-precision manufacturing processes.
• Hands-on experience with high-precision motion control, active alignment, optical power measurement integration, precision dispensing, UV curing, fiber-optic assembly automation, or advanced vision-guided automation.
• Demonstrated project management skills in equipment development, supplier management, installation planning, qualification execution, and production ramp-up support.
• Robot, vision, machinery safety, electrical safety, Lean Six Sigma, or other relevant technical certification is preferred.