Company:
Located in Peoria, Illinois, the company produces a scalable and sustainable universe of peerless high-performance materials created from natural resources. The company is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to change the world for the better. Innovative ideas and the drive to commercialize new products is in the company DNA. Their workforce is comprised of a team of scientists, engineers, and business leaders that are inspired to transition the materials world from being plastic-addicted to plant-powered. They are looking for exceptional talent who can contribute to their exciting, fast paced, venture-based, and rapidly growing organization.
Summary:
The company is currently seeking an Industrial Automation Engineer to join their growing engineering team. This position will be a key contributor to the success of implementing the company’s next generation of production machinery. The materials produced hold the key to displacing polluting synthetic textiles with high-performing natural alternatives that can be recycled. You can now apply your experience in a way that will make a positive tangible impact on the planet. The ideal candidate will be prepared to join a fast-to-failure, iterative development environment where every day will be spent solving real engineering challenges. Automation control experience (i.e. PLCs, industrial sensors, actuators, motors, servos, and data acquisition) is a must and additional mechanical design ability is a plus. A typical day for an engineer at the company is split between the workstation doing CAD, fabricating prototypes, or making improvements on the shop floor.
Located in Peoria, Illinois, the company produces a scalable and sustainable universe of peerless high-performance materials created from natural resources. The company is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to change the world for the better. Innovative ideas and the drive to commercialize new products is in the company DNA. Their workforce is comprised of a team of scientists, engineers, and business leaders that are inspired to transition the materials world from being plastic-addicted to plant-powered. They are looking for exceptional talent who can contribute to their exciting, fast paced, venture-based, and rapidly growing organization.
Summary:
The company is currently seeking an Industrial Automation Engineer to join their growing engineering team. This position will be a key contributor to the success of implementing the company’s next generation of production machinery. The materials produced hold the key to displacing polluting synthetic textiles with high-performing natural alternatives that can be recycled. You can now apply your experience in a way that will make a positive tangible impact on the planet. The ideal candidate will be prepared to join a fast-to-failure, iterative development environment where every day will be spent solving real engineering challenges. Automation control experience (i.e. PLCs, industrial sensors, actuators, motors, servos, and data acquisition) is a must and additional mechanical design ability is a plus. A typical day for an engineer at the company is split between the workstation doing CAD, fabricating prototypes, or making improvements on the shop floor.
You are an ideal candidate for this position if:
- You enjoy and excel at getting your hands dirty in implementing designs for prototype systems, systems on their way to being production ready.
- You want to be part of something truly unique and new. You want to help commercialize new technologies that are unproven but have a team dedicated to their success.
- You thrive in making order and efficiency out of chaos.
- You are self-starting but can take direction and receive constructive feedback.
- You are an excellent communicator and team player across multiple disciplines spanning chemical engineers, polymer scientists, and business leaders.
- You take a pro-active approach to providing a safe work place.
- You are passionate about environmental stewardship.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design and implement electrical and pneumatic control systems for the next generation of yarn/fabric and plant-based leather production machinery.
- Design machine and facility PLC and HMI code for the purpose of automation and data collection.
- Setup and execute controls and automation tests as needed.
- Commission and debug both systems and code on newly developed machinery or processes.
- Write control system operation and maintenance manuals for in-house designs or customizations on existing equipment.
- Directly discuss problems with operators and production managers to identify and develop labor-saving or product improving automation solutions.
- Discuss projects with key stakeholders to establish underlying budget, scope, and timeline requirements.
- Provide project cost and labor estimates prior to start of work for project evaluation.
- Occasionally troubleshoot production problems related to machine automation.
- Support in the maintenance of company equipment as required/needed.
- Encourage safe work practices and apply appropriate lock-out procedures.
Qualifications:
- Experience with PLC control panel design, documentation, and construction.
- Familiarity with established electrical wiring and control practices (NFPA-70 / NEC, NFPA-79, NFPA-70E).
- Familiarity with industrial machine safeguarding, including NFPA 79 and ANSI B11.
- Ability to read, interpret, and apply established codes related to design (NFPA, OSHA, ASME)
- Able to select appropriate industrial sensors and instrumentation (e.g. level control, inductive proximity sensors, pressure transducers) and actuators (e.g. pneumatic solenoids, pistons, motors)
- Familiarity with 2D design software (AutoCAD Electrical preferred)
- Ability to produce electrical schematics for both in-house fabricators and outside manufacturers.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with industrial scale factory automation projects.
- Familiarity with basic hand and power tools.
- Ability to implement and program programmable logic controllers (Allen Bradley CompactLogix, Siemens S7-1200) and HMIs; Allen Bradley PanelView and Siemens Simatic. Ability to design on rapid, fast-to-failure, iterative development cycles in a research and pilot-scale production environment.
- Prior experience from a machine or automation builder is preferred
Education/Experience Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering is preferred, but not required.
- 8+ years industry experience in controls design and commissioning with no less than 1-year continuous experience in controls development.
