Industrial Automation & Systems Specialist

Job Description Job Description

Are You the Person Everyone Calls When the Plant Stops?

You may currently be called a controls technician, automation specialist, PLC programmer, electrical technician, maintenance technician, or controls engineer. Your title and degree matter less to us than your ability to understand a complex industrial system, find the real source of a problem, and make it work.

Factory Systems is looking for a smart, hands-on industrial problem-solver who understands that a production system is more than its PLC. Machines, sensors, wiring, drives, networks, computers, databases, software, operators, and processes all must work together. We need someone who can determine which part is actually causing the problem and take ownership of fixing it.

The strongest candidate may be largely self-taught. You may have learned industrial automation because you were curious, because nobody else could solve the problem, or because keeping the plant running depended on you.

If you are ready to leave shift maintenance and the daily production-floor grind for a clean, professional engineering environment with greater variety, autonomy, and technical responsibility, we would like to talk with you.

What You Will Do

• Support industrial controls, manufacturing software, and connected production systems
• Troubleshoot problems involving PLCs, HMIs, sensors, drives, wiring, industrial networks, Windows computers, databases, and production equipment
• Take ownership of customer problems from the initial call through final resolution
• Determine whether a problem is electrical, mechanical, controls-related, network-related, software-related, or operational
• Connect both modern and legacy production equipment to data-collection and manufacturing-information systems
• Modify and maintain PLC and HMI applications
• Support industrial computers, workstations, databases, communications, and system interfaces
• Perform remote troubleshooting and travel to customer facilities when on-site work is necessary
• Assist with system installation, commissioning, upgrades, backups, and recovery
• Document system configurations, changes, and effective troubleshooting procedures
• Identify recurring problems and develop standardized, repeatable solutions
• Help less-experienced team members develop practical troubleshooting and implementation skills
• Work directly with customer maintenance, engineering, production, and IT personnel
• Escalate genuine architectural, safety, or high-risk issues when appropriate

We are looking for someone who:

• Is naturally curious about how machines and industrial systems work
• Enjoys solving problems that cross traditional technical boundaries
• Can troubleshoot logically instead of changing parts until something works
• Is comfortable working independently and asking for help when appropriate
• Takes personal ownership of problems and follows them through resolution
• Can explain technical issues clearly to both technical and nontechnical people
• Is dependable and understands the importance of supporting operating production systems
• Wants broader challenges and greater responsibility than maintaining the same equipment every day
• Values practical accomplishment more than titles or organizational status

Desired Experience

Candidates should have approximately three or more years of hands-on experience in industrial automation, plant maintenance, manufacturing systems, machine building, systems integration, or a similar environment.

Useful experience includes:

• Allen-Bradley/Rockwell or Siemens PLCs
• HMI or SCADA configuration and troubleshooting
• Variable-frequency drives, servos, sensors, and industrial instrumentation
• Industrial Ethernet and machine networks
• OPC Classic, OPC UA, Ethernet/IP, Modbus, or vendor-specific protocols
• RS-232, RS-485, and other legacy communications
• Microsoft Windows computers and basic network troubleshooting
• Microsoft SQL Server or other relational databases
• Manufacturing data collection, production tracking, OEE, quality, or reporting systems
• CNC equipment, robots, assembly equipment, test systems, or other automated machinery
• Electrical drawings, control panels, and field wiring
• System commissioning and production startup

You do not need experience in every area listed above. We are more interested in your ability to learn, troubleshoot, and connect the pieces than in matching every keyword.

Education

A degree is not required.

An associate degree, engineering-technology degree, technical-school education, military technical training, apprenticeship, or relevant industry certifications are useful. Demonstrated hands-on ability and a history of solving difficult industrial problems are more important than formal credentials.

The Working Environment

This position is based primarily at our Columbia facility in a clean, professional engineering environment. It is not a shift-maintenance position, although occasional customer emergencies and site travel are part of supporting industrial systems.

The pressure here is different from the daily production-floor grind. You will be expected to:

• Learn unfamiliar equipment and processes
• Manage several priorities
• Communicate directly with customers
• Exercise sound judgment
• Take responsibility for delivering a working solution

In return, you will have greater variety, technical autonomy, visibility, and the opportunity to grow into broader system and project responsibility.

Employment Requirements

• Reliable transportation and the ability to commute consistently to our Columbia facility
• Ability and willingness to travel periodically to customer sites
• Ability to work safely in industrial environments when visiting customer facilities
• Legal authorization to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship
• Ability to satisfy applicable export-control and customer-facility access requirements

About Factory Systems

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

Our work spans software, controls, networks, databases, machinery, test equipment, and manufacturing operations. We support established, mission-critical production systems while developing new connected-factory and digital-transformation solutions.

We value curiosity, practical ability, accountability, and people who take pride in making complicated systems work.

Company Description Symbrium is often referred to by our customers as "an engineer's engineering company." We deliver next generation process verification, specialized manufacturing equipment, and enterprise quality management software to some of the top engineering and manufacturing organizations around the world.