Demo

Controls Engineer

Afinitas
Des Moines, IA Full Time
POSTED ON 4/5/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 5/3/2026
About Us:

Afinitas, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a global leader in equipment, forming systems, and essential accessory products that support transportation, water, and utility precast concrete infrastructure worldwide. We provide industry-leading production equipment; highly engineered formwork; and a broad portfolio of precast concrete, electrical, and construction accessories, along with structural products and systems designed for bridge, highway, and heavy construction applications. Afinitas is part of BW Forsyth Partners, LLC, the investment group of global manufacturing and engineering consulting firm Barry-Wehmiller, a $3 billion organization with nearly 12,000 team members, united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world.

Job Description:

Overview

The Controls Engineer will be responsible for designing and maintaining control system programs for our Equipment and Automation (E&A) machinery, ensuring all developments are fully documented and in a standard format. This position will require frequent interaction with our customers and service technicians.

The Controls Engineer will be involved in the servicing of existing machinery both remotely via telephone and onsite at our Customers facilities, including troubleshooting hydraulic and electrical control systems.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

  • Design, develop and implement control systems for our new equipment and upgrades to installed equipment.
  • Troubleshoot and debug new and existing software to ensure optimal performance and improve efficiency or quality of operations.
  • Use engineering skills and knowledge to assist customer with control systems problems for both remote and on-site technical support to customer and service technicians.
  • Build and maintain a technical knowledge base by creating, maintaining and updating technical documents/procedures.
  • Logging development processes, code changes, and technical specifications for future reference.
  • Anticipate potential problems and provide solutions; detect unusual problems and promptly report to supervisor.
  • Collaborate with other departments to resolve technical/logistical issues. Gather relevant information to ensure smooth transitions to other departments.
  • Participate on team to analyze control system malfunctions; make recommendations that will improve efficiency or quality of operations.
  • Participate in the set-up and commissioning of new facilities or upgrading of existing facilities.
  • Provide guidance in the production of system operation manuals and diagnostic aids.
  • Work closely with the engineering and product development teams to communicate client feedback and contribute to product improvement.
  • Stay up to date on latest developments in system architectures, that could be implemented as parts of machine control systems.

Qualifications & Abilities

  • 4-year engineering degree or 2-year technical degree in a related field.
  • 2 years of applicable experience with PLC’s and associated components, ideally within manufacturing/ plant industries.
  • Proficient in Electrical systems, including motors, AC drives and control circuits.
  • Training and/or experience in using Eplan, AutoCAD or similar software.
  • Understanding of electrical and hydraulic schematics.
  • Understanding of ladder logic programming.
  • Experience in creating and designing automation controls systems.
  • Experience in Developing and coding programs for PLCs.
  • Ability to collaborate effectively, partnering across multiple departments, with a capacity for listening and absorbing different points of view.
  • Detail oriented.
  • Excellent verbal communication skills and passion for connecting with others.
  • Ability to work independently.
  • Use judgement to make complex decisions to solve difficult and complex problems.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is an office position associated with a manufacturing facility, with travel to customer plants. The employee must be able to correctly wear and use any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required by the employer when in manufacturing areas.

At Barry-Wehmiller we recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. We know that our differences often can bring about innovation, excellence and meaningful work—therefore, people from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require reasonable accommodations during the interview process.

Barry-Wehmiller is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/D/V This organization uses E-Verify.

Applicants may be subject to pre-employment screening which may include drug screening, reference checks, employment verifications, background screening and/or skills assessments.

Company:

Afinitas

Salary.com Estimation for Controls Engineer in Des Moines, IA
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