We are seeking a highly experienced Senior PLC & Machinery Controls Engineer - Naval & Maritime Systems to play a critical technical role supporting mission-critical programs for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Navy. This is an opportunity for a seasoned controls professional to work on some of the most technically sophisticated platforms in the maritime and defense industry.
In this role, you will serve as a senior technical authority responsible for the design, development, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and lifecycle support of advanced shipboard control systems. You will tackle complex PLC and machinery-control challenges, lead technical activities, collaborate with government and industry partners, and help transition next-generation control technologies from engineering laboratories and test environments into operational naval platforms.
Your work will directly support major maritime platforms and programs, including CVN68 Class, CVN78 Class, Columbia Class, Amphibious Class ships, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs, and USCG Cutters.
This is an ideal opportunity for an engineer who enjoys working at the intersection of PLC programming, machinery control, systems integration, shipboard engineering, testing, and real-world mission readiness.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, test, integrate, troubleshoot, and sustain PLC-based machinery control systems for complex naval and maritime platforms.
- Support the development and integration of machinery control, damage control, and networked control system architectures in shipboard and land-based environments.
- Lead troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action development for complex PLC-based control system issues.
- Develop, modify, test, debug, and validate PLC software using:
- Rockwell ControlLogix / Studio 5000
- Siemens SIMATIC Step 7 and/or TIA Portal
- Lead installation, integration, testing, commissioning, and system verification activities onboard vessels and within laboratory/test environments.
- Serve as a technical leader and subject-matter expert, providing mentorship and technical direction to engineers and technical personnel.
- Coordinate engineering activities across controls, electrical, software, mechanical, systems, shipboard, and program organizations.
- Develop and maintain critical engineering and shipboard technical documentation, including:
- Ship Change Documents (SCDs)
- Test procedures and reports
- System design documentation
- Engineering change documentation
- Troubleshooting and technical support documentation
- Work directly with government stakeholders, shipbuilders, engineering organizations, shipboard personnel, and defense-industry partners to resolve complex technical issues.
- Support control systems throughout their complete lifecycle, including new development, design modifications, modernization, upgrades, integration, testing, commissioning, and sustainment.
- Evaluate system performance and identify opportunities to improve reliability, maintainability, cybersecurity, operational performance, and mission readiness.
- Apply sound engineering judgment to complex technical problems where solutions may require analysis across multiple interconnected shipboard systems.
- Support technical reviews, integration activities, shipboard testing, qualification, acceptance testing, and operational readiness events.
- Contribute to the continued modernization of mission-critical maritime control system architectures.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science in an Engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
- 10+ years of professional experience in control systems engineering.
- 7+ years of experience developing, testing, integrating, and installing PLC software using:
- Rockwell ControlLogix / Studio 5000, and
- Siemens SIMATIC Step 7 or TIA Portal.
- 7+ years of experience troubleshooting PLC-based machinery control systems.
- 5+ years of experience serving in a lead engineer, senior engineer, or technical leadership capacity.
- 3+ years of experience creating Ship Change Documents (SCDs) or equivalent engineering/change-control documentation.
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex control-system hardware, software, communications, and integration issues.
- Ability to work effectively in shipboard, laboratory, industrial, and other demanding engineering environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience supporting U.S. Navy or USCG platforms.
- Experience with:
- Aircraft carriers, including CVN68 / CVN78
- Columbia Class submarines
- Amphibious ships
- USCG Cutters
- Experience with Machinery Control Systems (MCS), Integrated Machinery Control Systems (IMCS), Damage Control Systems, or related shipboard automation systems.
- Familiarity with U.S. Navy and USCG engineering processes, standards, testing requirements, and shipboard environments.
- Experience with networked control systems, industrial Ethernet, PLC communications, and industrial communication protocols.
- Prior experience supporting Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs.
- Experience working directly with NAVSEA, USCG, shipbuilders, government customers, ISEA organizations, or other defense/maritime stakeholders.
- Experience with shipboard installation, modernization, commissioning, qualification, or acceptance testing.
- Active U.S. government security clearance or ability to obtain one.
Why This Opportunity?
This is more than a traditional controls engineering position. You will have the opportunity to apply your expertise to highly complex automation and control systems that directly support critical U.S. maritime missions.
You will work alongside experienced engineers, shipboard technical experts, government stakeholders, and defense-industry professionals while solving challenging problems involving PLC programming, machinery control, systems integration, testing, modernization, and shipboard operations.
Your work will have a direct line from engineering design and laboratory testing to installation, sea trials, fleet acceptance, and operational deployment.
If you are a senior controls engineer who enjoys solving difficult technical problems, leading engineering efforts, working with PLC-based systems, and seeing your work deployed aboard real-world naval platforms, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
The salary range for this position is between $113,000 - $136,000 annually, depending on experience.
