Controls Engineer

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking a Controls Engineer for our First Quality Retail Services facility located in Lewistown, PA.  This position will be responsible for specifying, designing, and implementing complex controls systems and software programming on production equipment and associated machinery.  Provides training and assists Controls Technicians in solving complex problems. 

Shift: M-F

Salary Exempt

Primary responsibilities include:

• Observes OSHA and company safety rules and uses the proper safety equipment at all times.
• Identifies potentially dangerous electrical hazards and takes immediate corrective action. 
• Leads/supports internal Controls Technicians, Project and Process Engineers, Maintenance & Production personnel, OEMs, vendors, and contractors to design, install, interface, start up new equipment and process controls.
• Responsible for specifying DCS’s, PLC’s, HMI’s, servo systems, motors, drives, sensors, vision sensors and data collection and analysis software, based on our companies’ controls standards criteria. 
• Assesses, identifies, schematically designs, and makes complex program modifications in DCS’s, PLC logic, HMI programs and servo controller logic to improve individual equipment and overall system performance.  Will appropriately delegate tasks and oversee others completing this work. 
• Performs high level troubleshooting, in-depth critical thinking, and utilizes all internal & external resources to solve any electrical, mechanical or process problem.
• Coordinates machine data collection and archiving as well as assists in the analysis of this data. 
• Assists Production, Maintenance, and Engineers to meet daily priorities, coverage, and special projects.  Ability to lead small capital projects.
• Leads Controls support during machine installations and upgrades. 
• Expected to keep abreast of all of the new controls technologies, industry trends, health and safety regulations and standards that affect current operations.
• Proactively identifies opportunities to increase production operation performance, then initiates and oversees projects through completion.
• Provides technical and operating training to production, warehouse, and other personnel.
• Assists in project planning and forecasting as part of budgeting process.
• Provide training of Controls Engineers and Technicians with new control equipment or schedule outside training to enhance troubleshooting skills.
• Organize equipment documentation from OEMs, FQ produced documents and troubleshooting guides. 

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electronics/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field; or equivalent experience.

• Minimum of 1 year industrial controls experience. Advanced knowledge of electrical theory and principles of operation.
• Can create and modify schematic drawings using AutoCAD software
• Excellent communication skills.
• Devises and performs tests to identify the root cause of problems.
• Strong mathematical skills with numeric analysis software.
• Advanced knowledge of all PLC based hardware and software.
• Must be knowledgeable on all current controls hardware and software.
• Has excellent PLC programming skills, Motion Control, and HMI programming skills.
• Knowledge of product specifications, quality specifications, goals, efficiency, scrap and production.
• Leadership abilities.
• Directs OEM’s, vendors and technicians to accomplish goals in a timely manner.
• Wide degree of creativity is expected.
• Works well with all departments.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (year's worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!