Senior Controls & Automation Engineer (PLC / SCADA)

Job Description

Job Description

Union Technologies is reindustrializing America’s defense manufacturing base with a first-of-its-kind Factories-as-a-Stockpile™ model, integrating advanced robotics, manufacturing, and software into sovereign factory systems at scale. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, UNION is dedicated to restoring America’s industrial strength and guaranteeing deterrence for the century ahead.

We recently emerged from stealth with $50M in funding led by top-tier venture investors and strategic partners. Read more in our Press Release

Overview

Industrial Controls Engineers are an essential component of Union's vision for the modern factory. You will be an integral part of landing the first line in Union's first factory. You will provide direction to vendors and integrators in Union controls and programming standards. You will help to achieve production milestones by owning FAT / SAT checklists, defining test plans, documenting software performance, and driving action items to closure. You will harden our manufacturing systems according to CMMC requirements. You will be the cross-team glue that keeps Union manufacturing needs and Union robotics development in lockstep. This role is heavily focused on controls implementation and troubleshooting, integration oversight, security hardening, and cross-functional coordination, and we are looking for candidates with a willingness to rise to the challenge.

Hiring at Senior; open to Staff / Lead for exceptional candidates.

Responsibilities

Land Factory 1, Line 1 (F1L1)

Coordinate with other Union team members to install Union PLC programming artifacts (AOIs, UDTs, and custom routines) onto F1L1 equipment.

Ensure comprehensive Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system coupling with F1L1 equipment.

Troubleshoot controls, telemetry acquisition, machine tasking, and other PLC operations during F1L1 initial commissioning stages.

Ensure Union controls are effective and secure

Drive effective development and evaluation of Union PLC artifacts by using Git, participating in code reviews, triggering CI / CD and other automated testing, and working with hardware-in-the-loop test fixtures.

Triage EtherNet / IP and OPC-UA issues, timing / data-model mismatches, and network problems with tools such as Wireshark, PuTTY, protocol analyzers, or through more direct PLC / SCADA diagnostics.

Implement and document controls aligned to CMMC 2.0 / NIST 800-171 in manufacturing contexts (secured accounts / roles, network segmentation, CIP Security, OPC-UA certs / policies, logging, backup / restore policies, and patching).

Enforce Union standards

Guide vendors and integrators in proper application of Union code standards and higher level systems integration, and own the review process to validate adherence to our standards.

Contribute to testing of, generating feedback on, and refactoring of Union PLC programming artifacts.

Author and maintain FAT / SAT checklists, and drive outstanding action items to completion during equipment commissioning.

Collaborate across the Union organization

Work with both manufacturing and MES teams to realize the vision of a software driven factory

Collaborate with Union robotics engineers to implement PLC artifact improvements, test new control features, capture operator or manufacturing feedback on existing systems, and brainstorm new ways to leverage software and robotics.

Requirements

PLC Programming Experience

2-5 years of PLC programming experience on PLCs and HMIs : Manufacturing, palletizing, conveyance, or other automated system programming experience.

Strong understanding of domain programs and protocols : Using Rockwell Studio 5000 , FactoryTalk View, AOI and UDT programming, EtherNet / IP communication, and industrial networking.

Proven SCADA integration experience : Connecting PLCs to software platforms such as Ignition, FactoryTalk Optix, or AVEVA Edge.

Software Engineering Experience

Scripting language experience : Proficient in Go or Python to engage in testing, improve data collection, facilitate troubleshooting, or realize productivity gains.

Development tooling experience : Experience with Git , semantic versioning, code reviews, continuous integration (CI) systems, automated testing, and authoring and maintaining documentation.

Collaborative Engineering Experience

Experience with field acceptance tests (FAT) / site acceptance tests (SAT), specifically on running programming requirements to resolved states.

Experience with reading specifications, capturing change requests and documenting changes, and communicating with other functional disciplines to ensure positive engineering outcomes.

Willingness to Get the Job Done

Travel : Up to 25% for vendor site activities.

Bonus Qualifications

PLC Programming Experience

Experience scaling PLC programs, AOIs and UDTs, and HMI applications across multiple lines and projects

Experience with Ignition tag providers, UDT mapping, scripting, and security

Experience with FactoryTalk Logix Echo, and leveraging Logix Echo APIs

Experience with Siemens SIMATIC PLCs / HMIs

Experience with Mitsubishi Q-series PLCs

Software Engineering Experience

Experience with C# programming, such as developing applications using libraries provided alongside manufacturing software

Experience with containerization software, such as Docker

Experience managing programming efforts, creating integration training plans for other programmers, and understanding program schedules and delivery dates

Join the mission. We'll handle the move.

Exceptional talent shouldn't be bound by geography. If you're ready to relocate to Dallas, TX and join us in reindustrializing America’s defense backbone, we'll make it easy—and for those who move quickly, additional incentives may be available.

Compensation Range : $110K - $194K