Principal Controls Engineer

About Oshkosh AeroTech, an Oshkosh company

Oshkosh AeroTech is a leading provider of aviation ground support products, gate equipment and airport services to commercial airlines, airports, air-freight carriers, ground handling and military customers. Oshkosh AeroTech offers products that make a difference in people’s lives by supporting those in our communities who do some of the toughest work. They own many of the most trusted brands in the air transportation industry, including LEKTRO®, JetAire®, JetPower®, AmpTekÔ, Jetway®, and more.

The Principal Controls Engineer works within engineering groups to support the development and implementation of control strategies and sub-system requirements for advanced equipment control systems. This role supports a broad range of Ogden products including aircraft ground air conditioning equipment, aircraft ground power conversion equipment, load sharing systems, and military aircraft ground support systems.

Controls work encompasses control strategy development and verification, including:

Component selection (electronic control modules, VFDs, motors, drives, engines, generators, energy storage cells, sensors, etc.)

Embedded printed board systems or programmable logic controllers (Allen Bradley, Beckhoff, IFM)

HMI design, integration development, programming, communications, and applications

This role supports both new product development and sustaining engineering efforts, including modernization of legacy systems due to component obsolescence, and requires strong ownership of PLC programming, operator interface development, and hands-on troubleshooting support.

YOUR IMPACT

These duties are not meant to be all-inclusive and other duties may be assigned

• Perform engineering calculations, investigations, and tasks supporting control system development and implementation
• Deliver results according to Oshkosh and general industry engineering standards and processes
• Support more senior engineers and product leads in preparation of plans, designs, computation methods, integration and reporting
• Support both new product development (NPD) and sustaining engineering efforts, including hardware and software obsolescence updates and system replication using modern components
• Design, develop, and program PLC-based control systems and operator interfaces (HMIs), including:
  • Creation of intuitive, user-friendly displays
  • Alarm handling and system feedback visualization
• Support integration of multiple control systems and communication across networks
• Provide hands-on troubleshooting support for manufacturing and test cell operations, identifying root cause across software, hardware, and process-related issues
• Support production implementation, field service support, and sustaining engineering activities across a wide variety of products
• Collaborate with software engineering, internal engineering groups, and external component suppliers
• Provide guidance or mentorship to entry level engineers, designers, or technicians
• Support equipment sub-system controls research, development, verification and validation, testing, and production implementation
• Support development of requirements including resources, equipment, estimates, test plans, and milestones
• Develop and utilize test environments, including bench testing and simulated systems, to validate control strategies
• Work with internal and external teams (industry consortiums, universities) on advanced control development and component development efforts
• Read and interpret electrical wiring schematics, diagrams, wire tag tables, and P&IDs
• Generate Control Narratives with strong revision control documentation
• Regular attendance is required

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Accredited Bachelor's degree in mechanical/electrical Engineering or related field with five (5) or more years of related experience.

STANDOUT QUALIFICATIONS:

• Eight (8) or more years of experience in controls engineering, systems integration, or a related field
• Experience integrating multiple PLC-controlled systems and enabling communication across networks (SCADA or similar environments)
• Strong experience in:
• PLC programming (Allen Bradley, Beckhoff, IFM)
• Operator interface (HMI) development
• TwinCAT (2 and 3) experience desired, with preference for TwinCAT 3
• Experience developing end-user equipment interfaces with a focus on usability and intuitive operation
• Experience working in high-mix environments requiring standardization across multiple products
• Familiarity with:
• Altium (circuit board design)
• Copia (Gerber file repositories)
• Experience supporting manufacturing environments, including troubleshooting and production support
• Work experience in automotive or heavy-duty vehicle CANbus/Modbus/Bacnet and architecture a plus
• Embedded software development experience using C/C++/C# or Python a plus

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Internal Contacts: Contact with peers and others involving explanation of information (these contacts may be within or outside department or division), and the gathering of factual information; may include the communication of sensitive or confidential information.

External Contacts: Limited external contact to gather information, answer queries, or ask assistance.

Communication Skills: Read, write and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence and memos; Read and interpret safety rules, operating/maintenance instructions and procedure manuals; Write routine reports, correspondence and speak effectively before both internal and external groups; Read, analyze and interpret business manuals, technical procedures and/or government regulations: Read, analyze and interpret scientific and technical journals, financial reports and legal documents.

Decision-Making: Regularly makes significant decisions and final results, typically affecting the entire department. Available guides or precedents are limited. Has authority over the allocation of resources.

Complexity, Judgment and Problem Solving: Work requires the ability to plan and perform work in light of new or constantly changing problems, work from broad instruction, and deal with complex factors not easily evaluated. Decisions require considerable judgment, initiative and ingenuity in areas there is little precedent.

Supervisory/Managerial: General instructing, scheduling, and reviewing the work of others performing the same or directly related work. Acts as “lead worker”.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Physical Demands: Frequent: Standing, Walking/Running, Sitting, Reaching, Hearing, Talking, Visual, Typing; Occasional: Driving, Fine Dexterity, Manual Dexterity; Upper Extremity Repetitive Motion; Seldom: Lifting/Carrying 25lbs., Pushing/Pulling 25llbs.

Non-Physical Demands: Frequent: Analysis/Reasoning, Communication/Interpretation, Math/Mental Computation, Reading, Sustained Mental Activity (i.e. auditing, problem solving, grant writing, composing reports), Writing.

Environmental Demands: Frequent: Work Alone, Frequent Task Changes, Tedious/Exacting Work; Occasional: High Volume Public Contact.

Work Schedule: Routine shift hours. Infrequent overtime, weekend, or shift rotation.

Demands/Deadlines: High volume and variable work demands and deadlines impose strain on routine basis or considerable stress intermittently; OR regular direct contacts with distressed individuals within the immediate work environment; and/or exposure to demands and pressures from persons other than immediate supervisor.

Pay Range:

The above pay range reflects the minimum and maximum target pay for the position across all U.S. locations. Within this range, individual pay is determined by various factors, including the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate's experience, education and skills, as well as the equity of pay among team members in similar positions. Beyond offering a competitive total rewards package, we prioritize a people-first culture and offer various opportunities to support team member growth and success.

Oshkosh is committed to working with and offering reasonable accommodation to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to disability for any part of the employment process, please contact us [email protected].

Oshkosh Corporation is a merit-based Equal Opportunity Employer. Job opportunities are open for application to all qualified individuals and selection decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected characteristic. To the extent that information is provided or collected regarding categories as provided by law it will in no way affect the decision regarding an employment application.

Oshkosh Corporation will not discharge or in any manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with Oshkosh Corporation's legal duty to furnish information.

Certain positions with Oshkosh Corporation require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations or the Export Administration Regulations. Applicants for these positions may need to be "U.S. Persons," as defined in these regulations. Generally, a "U.S. Person" is a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or an individual who has been admitted as a refugee or granted asylum.