Manager Controls Engineering

Empower Your Future: At MetOx International were pioneering the next era of energy security and abundance through breakthrough superconducting technology. As a Manager of Controls Engineering youll join a dynamic team committed to strengthening the worlds energy systems to make them more resilient efficient and reliable.

Based at our global headquarters in Houston TX the Manager of Controls Engineering leads the team responsible for the architecture development implementation and continuous improvement of industrial automation and control systems across MetOxs HTS wire manufacturing operations including MOCVD deposition buffer-layer coating lamination and related vacuum process equipment. This position owns controls engineering strategy for new capital equipment integration including imported tools such as MGO buffer coating systems while directing the teams day-to-day sustaining engineering troubleshooting and reliability improvement work. The Manager of Controls Engineering owns and enforces MetOxs Instrumentation Electrical and Control Systems engineering standard represents Controls Engineering in capital planning and vendor negotiations and builds team capability through coaching hiring and development planning ensuring MetOxs automation infrastructure scales reliably alongside production ramp. This is a hands-on technical leadership role that combines active involvement in designing programming commissioning and troubleshooting control systems with leading and developing the team.

Key Responsibilities

Controls Engineering & Automation Strategy

• Owns the controls engineering architecture strategy across MetOxs manufacturing equipment fleet including PLCs HMIs SCADA systems industrial networks and associated automation technologies.
• Personally designs programs and reviews PLC and HMI/SCADA code for the most technically complex systems setting the technical bar through hands-on contribution rather than oversight alone.
• Owns maintains and enforces MetOxs Instrumentation Electrical and Control Systems engineering standard (ITC-EQS-001) ensuring internal teams OEM vendors and system integrators design and commission equipment in compliance with MetOxs approved architecture components and documentation requirements.
• Enforces MetOxs standardized control system architecture including Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix PLCs programmed in Studio 5000 Logix Designer Inductive Automation Ignition for HMI/SCADA and EtherNet/IP as the primary communication protocol across new equipment while maintaining support for existing Siemens and Beckhoff platforms already deployed in the fleet.
• Ensures all equipment incorporates independent hard-wired safety systems separate from the process control PLC including properly designed Emergency Shutdown (ESD) circuits in compliance with MetOxs safety architecture standards.
• Serves as the final escalation and decision-making authority for the most complex controls-related equipment issues including faults communication failures and systemic performance limitations.
• Identifies and prioritizes automation investments that enhance equipment monitoring process control data collection and manufacturing efficiency.

Equipment Integration & Capital Project Leadership

• Leads controls engineering strategy and resourcing for new capital equipment acquisition including specification review vendor controls audits and commissioning of imported and domestically built tools (e.g. MGO buffer coating systems deposition tools).
• Owns technical requirements and specifications for capital equipment controls in partnership with internal stakeholders and external equipment suppliers.
• Directs the teams most technically complex controls engineering projects end-to-end scope schedule resourcing and budget while personally participating in programming wiring checkout and commissioning activities.
• Oversees controls-related design reviews factory acceptance testing (FAT) site acceptance testing (SAT) and operational readiness assessments for new equipment.
• Ensures OEM equipment suppliers deliver complete controls documentation packages including state diagrams alarm lists control narratives I/O lists instrument indexes and network architecture diagrams prior to equipment acceptance.
• Reviews and approves equipment supplier controls designs and deliverables to ensure alignment with MetOx engineering standards and manufacturing requirements.
• Partners with Finance and Procurement on capital equipment controls budgeting timelines and risk assessment.

Manufacturing Support & Continuous Improvement

• Directly troubleshoots and resolves complex or recurring controls-related equipment failures on the manufacturing floor and in code and leads root cause investigations to ensure sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Oversees recipe and run-configuration management architecture across manufacturing equipment ensuring systems enforce validation controls and integrate cleanly with plant-level data and recipe databases.
• Leads initiatives to improve equipment uptime process repeatability operational efficiency and manufacturing reliability through controls and automation upgrades.
• Owns standards for software version control system backups configuration management and disaster recovery of critical automation systems.
• Partners with Maintenance and Operations leadership to advance predictive and preventive maintenance strategies for industrial control systems.
• Evaluates and recommends new automation technologies control platforms and industrial communication protocols (e.g. OPC-UA MQTT) to support scaling production.
• Partners with EHS and operational leadership to maintain safe equipment operation and ensure compliance with applicable standards.

Leadership & Team Development

• Manages the daily activities and performance of the Controls Engineering team ensuring timely and effective execution of assigned responsibilities and projects.
• Establishes team and individual objectives aligned with departmental and company priorities; monitors progress and holds the team accountable to outcomes.
• Plans and prioritizes work across the team balancing manufacturing support capital equipment projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coaches and develops Controls Engineers providing regular feedback technical mentorship and career development support.
• Assesses team strengths skill gaps and development needs implementing individual development plans to build technical depth and bench strength.
• Leads hiring onboarding and succession planning for the Controls Engineering function.
• Evaluates team capacity and recommends staffing training and resourcing needs to departmental leadership.
• Resolves operational and technical challenges within the teams scope escalating broader cross-functional issues to the CIO as appropriate.
• Represents Controls Engineering in cross-functional leadership forums driving alignment with Manufacturing Process Engineering Equipment Engineering and IT/Data teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering Controls Engineering Automation Engineering Mechatronics or a related technical discipline or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 7 years of progressive experience in industrial controls automation or electrical engineering within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Prior experience managing controls/automation engineers.
• Demonstrated experience owning controls architecture strategy and leading the most technically complex capital equipment integration projects.
• Demonstrated experience with Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix platforms Studio 5000 Logix Designer and EtherNet/IP-based industrial networking MetOxs standard PLC architecture.
• Deep hands-on experience programming troubleshooting and commissioning PLC-based control systems across multiple equipment platforms.
• Extensive experience with industrial HMIs SCADA systems motion control sensors instrumentation and industrial communication networks.
• Experience leading root cause investigations and driving corrective actions that measurably improved equipment reliability at scale.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters degree in Electrical Engineering Controls Engineering Automation Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience in superconductor semiconductor thin-film or advanced materials manufacturing environments.
• Experience with Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley Siemens Beckhoff or comparable industrial automation platforms including sustaining and troubleshooting mixed-vendor equipment fleets.
• Experience with Inductive Automation Ignition for HMI/SCADA implementations.
• Experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT as a secondary/interfacing PLC platform for EtherCAT-only instrumentation.
• Experience with advanced manufacturing technologies including roll-to-roll processing web handling thin-film deposition vacuum systems or semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with vacuum/process instrumentation relevant to MOCVD or thin-film deposition systems (mass flow controllers capacitance manometers vacuum gauges).
• Familiarity with SEMI ISA and IEC standards applicable to semiconductor-adjacent manufacturing equipment (e.g. SEMI E56 ISA-95 IEC 61131 ISA-18.2 ISA-101).
• Direct experience integrating equipment controls with MES historians or plant intelligence/analytics platforms.
• Experience managing capital equipment imports factory acceptance testing (FAT/SAT) and vendor controls audits for custom or international equipment builds.
• Experience building or scaling a controls engineering function during a manufacturing ramp-up.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities:

• Expert-level technical knowledge of industrial automation control systems electrical schematics and applicable safety requirements with the ability to resolve the most complex operational challenges.
• Working knowledge of applicable compliance standards governing MetOxs controls environment including ISA-95 (Enterprise-Control System Integration) IEC 61131 (Programming standards for PLCs) NFPA 79 (Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery) and ISO 13849 (Safety-related parts of control systems).
• Knowledge of HMI design and alarm management standards (ISA-101 ISA-18.2) to ensure operator interfaces meet MetOxs human-factors and situational-awareness requirements.
• Understanding of industrial control panel standards (UL-508A) sufficient to review and approve vendor panel designs.
• Demonstrated ability to set technical direction and engineering standards across a team balancing hands-on technical leadership with people management responsibilities.
• Strong leadership and coaching skills with the ability to assess team strengths and development needs improve individual performance and build high-performing teams.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to represent Controls Engineering credibly to cross-functional stakeholders vendors and executive leadership.
• Strong analytical organizational and project leadership skills with the ability to manage multiple complex technical initiatives and capital projects simultaneously.
• High degree of ownership sound judgment under ambiguity and resilience under production pressure.

Physical Demands: This position requires sitting at a desk and viewing a computer screen for extended periods as well as time on the manufacturing floor around industrial and electrical equipment. Some lifting up to 20 lbs. and the ability to move around a clean climate-controlled manufacturing environment are required. May be required to respond to critical equipment issues outside standard business hours.

MetOx is proud to offer competitive benefits including:

• Health dental and vision available on the first day of the month following your start date
• 401(k) match
• Paid parental leave & adoption assistance
• Educational reimbursement
• And more!

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin disability status protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.