Job Description
Job Overview:
Summary
Under minimal supervision, the Senior Controls Engineer – Emulation & Virtual Commissioning is the technical owner for Steele Solutions’ emulation platform and practices. This role builds and maintains reusable Emulate3D (or equivalent) component catalogs, defines the PLC ↔ emulation I/O contract, and makes virtual commissioning the default path for FAT, code QA, training, and design validation. The role also contributes hands-on to PLC/HMI delivery (Rockwell/Beckhoff + Ignition) when needed, mentors engineers on model-driven testing, and partners cross-functionally with Mechanical and Electrical to reduce on-site time, risk, and cost.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time.
Emulation Platform Ownership
- Define and maintain the I/O contract between PLC libraries (UDTs/AOIs/DUTs) and emulation objects, including “virtual mode” hooks and diagnostic UDTs.
- Build and curate a reusable emulation component catalog (transport conveyor, merges, gapping, scanners, divert/confirm, recirculation; roadmap to shoe/cross-belt sorter behaviors).
- Establish fidelity guidelines—model what impacts decisions (timing, throughput, divert accuracy), simplify the rest; document assumptions and limits.
- Stand up an automated FAT harness (scripted test decks, pass/fail gates, reports) tied to DOO/FDS and project KPIs.
- Create layout assembly tools and workflows so engineers can rapidly reconfigure models from ECAD/CAD.
Controls Engineering Support (as bandwidth allows)
- Contribute targeted PLC/HMI work: encoder/position tracking, device AOIs, diagnostic structures, Ignition Perspective widgets, gateway scripts (retry/backoff/audit).
- Support bench testing, I/O checkout, and selected FAT/SAT activities; ensure parity between emulation and live systems.
Standards, Architecture & Tooling
- Partner with controls leadership to evolve standard PLC/HMI libraries and ensure the emulation catalog stays in lock-step (versioning, migration notes).
- Contribute to Git/GitHub workflows (branching, PR templates, release notes) and CI checks (linting, schema validation).
- Define the CAD “markup” standard (mass, friction, materials, sensor faces, elevations) needed from Mechanical to improve model fidelity and reduce rework.
Cross-Functional & Customer Collaboration
- Coordinate technical integration across Mechanical, Electrical, and Software; align emulation with ECAD deliverables and device selections.
- Assist Sales/PM in scoping pilots (deliverables, acceptance criteria, ROI targets) and present emulation results to internal and external stakeholders.
Team Enablement & Mentorship
- Deliver training, “golden example” projects, docs/playbooks; coach Controls Engineers to build/extend models without creating a single-person bottleneck.
- Promote a simulation-first, standards-first culture focused on measurable outcomes (hours saved, defects prevented, accuracy vs. site).
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education and/or Experience
- Bachelor’s in Electrical/Controls/Mechatronics/CS or related field (Master’s a plus).
- 7+ years in industrial controls or virtual commissioning, including hands-on PLC/HMI work and model-based testing.
- Demonstrated experience leading emulation/virtual commissioning efforts tied to real PLC code (not visualization only).
Technical Skills
- Emulation: Strong with Emulate3D / Controls-grade digital twins; custom catalogs and scripted test decks.
- PLC: Rockwell Studio 5000 (AOIs/UDTs/ST) required; Beckhoff TwinCAT (ST/POUs/DUTs) a plus; device-level diagnostics and safe states.
- HMI/SCADA: Ignition (Perspective/Vision), alarm classes, historian basics, role/IdP security.
- Interfaces/Networks: OPC UA, Ethernet/IP (preferred), Profinet; scanners, drives/VFDs, motion/servos; safety fundamentals.
- Tooling: Git/GitHub, semantic versioning, release notes; ability to script/automate (C#/Python) for test harnesses and data prep.
- Data: Comfort with KPIs (rate, gap distribution, divert accuracy, jam MTBF) and basic SQL/time-series queries.
Soft Skills
- Systems thinking; ability to simplify complex problems into testable subsystems.
- Clear communicator; effective with customers and cross-functional partners.
- Documentation discipline; mentors others; biases toward measurable outcomes.
Travel
- Target 15–30% annual travel with short, purposeful trips; surge windows (up to ~1–2 weeks, 1–3×/year) around go-lives may include evenings/weekends. Actual travel varies by project readiness and customer constraints.
Language Skills
Ability to read and interpret documents such as technical specifications, professional journals, and blueprints. Ability to write reports and documentation. Ability to communicate effectively with vendors, customers and other employees of the organization.
Mathematical Skills
Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Reasoning Ability
Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instruction furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Requires the use of hearing and eye protection when in the plant. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, tools, or controls. The employee frequently is required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach above shoulders; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
The position works in an office environment – location Atlanta, GA (preferred)/Milwaukee WI, Remote to office
