Manager Controls Engineering

Empower Your Future: At MetOx International, we're pioneering the next era of energy security and abundance through breakthrough superconducting technology. As a Manager of Controls Engineering, you'll join a dynamic team committed to strengthening the world's 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 MetOx''s 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 team''s day-to-day sustaining engineering, troubleshooting, and reliability improvement work. The Manager of Controls Engineering owns and enforces MetOx''s 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 MetOx''s 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 MetOx''s 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 MetOx''s 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 MetOx''s approved architecture, components, and documentation requirements.
• Enforces MetOx''s 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 MetOx''s 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 team''s 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 team''s 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:

• Bachelor''s 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 - MetOx''s 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:

• Master''s 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 MetOx''s 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 MetOx''s 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.