Controls Engineer

Controls Engineer

Controls & Automation | Peoria, IL (In-Person) | Full-Time

Compensation: $90,000 – $135,000

Reports To: Controls and Automation Manager

Every machine we build is different, and every one needs a control system that makes it run safely and reliably. If you’d rather design that system from the ground up than tweak someone else’s, keep reading.

Rheo Engineering designs and builds powder handling equipment used to make life-saving medicine. As a Controls Engineer, you’ll design the controls for a wide variety of custom machines and mechanical systems — then see them built and tested right here in our Peoria facility.

What You’ll Do

Review user requirements with Project Managers from an electronics and controls standpoint

Develop functional logic flowcharts and functional design specifications with the Engineering and R&D teams

Source control system components and build a complete bill of materials for each machine

Design pneumatic and hydraulic circuits and complete line diagrams

Create relay ladder logic (wiring) diagrams

Design control panels for equipment

Write PLC code for equipment

Test and debug control systems on the equipment you design

Support the Product Manager on product initiatives like improved functionality and cost reduction

Lead client review meetings to assess product utility and gather customer feedback

What We’re Looking For

Experience

Bachelor’s degree in a technical or engineering field

4+ years of relevant experience with PLC programming, debugging, and testing

Experience with pneumatic systems

Familiarity with Allen-Bradley PLCs or similar

Software

Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Visio, Teams)

Proficiency in AutoCAD Electrical or another 2D CAD package

Traits

Superb Communication — you get your ideas, instructions, and points across clearly and naturally

Detail-Orientation — high attention to detail and highly organized

Extreme Ownership — you see a project through from beginning to end, no matter the obstacle

Mechanical Aptitude — you easily understand and navigate mechanical systems

Team Focused — others find you easy to work with

Self-Starter — you consistently take initiative

Values Alignment

Initiative: instinct for taking action to improve, solve, and deliver.

Collaboration: proactive communication with your stakeholders.

Competence: ability to do your job well.

Reliability: persistent follow-through on commitments.

Bold Humility: courage to speak, act, and listen without arrogance.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with hydraulic systems

Experience with touchscreen HMIs, VFDs, PLCs, and I/O modules

Experience installing and wiring instrumentation

Experience bench testing control systems

Experience with Autodesk Inventor or another 3D CAD package

Why Rheo

Privately owned and operated for 30 years and counting

Excellent benefits – see section below

Smaller team (~100 team members) with a strong, in-person work culture

Unique, high-impact work — direct influence over the safe, reliable, and efficient production of medicine worldwide

Real variety — custom machines, not the same control panel over and over

Vertically integrated — see the systems you design get built and tested in the same building

A growing company in a stable, regulated industry where precision engineering matters

Benefits

Leading medical insurance — consistently low rates compared to other businesses in the area

Health Savings Account with employer contributions (plan-dependent)

Dental, vision, and life insurance

Short-term and long-term disability

Identity theft insurance

401(k) with 4% employer match

Generous PTO

Paid paternity and maternity leave

Paid cell phone plan with stipend for a new phone every 2 years

Employee referral program

Working Conditions — NEEDS REVIEW

Office-based with regular desk and computer work, plus regular time on the manufacturing floor for control system testing and debugging, and periodic visits to vendor and client sites. Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times and to bend/stoop, climb stairs and ladders, squat, kneel, and push/pull as needed. Appropriate PPE is required on the manufacturing floor and at vendor and client sites. Travel up to approximately 5–10% of the time. Standard 8-hour workday; occasional overtime as needed. The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met to perform the essential functions of this role, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Rheo Engineering is an equal opportunity employer.