Industrial Control System Designer

Industrial Control System Designer

Automation Solutions is a well-established industrial automation and control systems company that has served machine builders and industrial customers for almost 30 years. We design and build control systems, UL 508A control panels, automation equipment, and custom electrical and electronic solutions—all as a small, nimble, cohesive team.

We are looking for a technically capable, detail-oriented person who can work across electrical design and drafting, estimating, BOM development, component research, and completing control-system designs based on engineering direction.

Please note: This is strictly an electrical design, drafting, estimating, and documentation role—it is NOT a PLC programming or field-work position.

This position channels creativity into predictability, repeatability, and world-class engineering standards. Working closely with our senior engineering team, you will turn customer requirements into provisional BOMs and designs for quoting, then complete full documentation packages for production once an order is received.

You do not need to know how to go from concept to quote to production on day one. You need a solid foundation in drafting, electrical systems, and industrial control components, paired with fearless curiosity and genuine satisfaction in accuracy, order, and completeness.

Estimating and Quoting

Automation Solutions specializes in developing turnkey control systems based on customer functional descriptions. Our team creates solutions that meet technical, budgetary, and timeline requirements.

Typical work includes:

• Understanding customer functional requirements and adapting proven architectures
• Using past projects as starting points to develop preliminary BOMs and cost estimates
• Identifying major components, unresolved selections, assumptions, and placeholders
• Checking product availability and pricing through our operations team
• Building material and labor estimates in spreadsheets and business systems
• Providing technical descriptions for our Sales team to incorporate into customer proposals

Electrical Design and Drafting

Grounded in project requirements developed during quoting, you will help convert quoted solutions into production-ready documentation once orders are placed.

Typical work includes:

• Developing I/O lists, power-distribution details, and selecting standard components
• Creating electrical schematics and control-panel layouts using 2D CAD
• Developing terminal, cable, and connector documentation
• Incorporating engineering and production feedback
• Maintaining revisions and producing accurate as-built documentation

Our primary 2D drafting platform is DraftSight. Experienced AutoCAD users transition quickly. You must already be competent in conventional 2D controls drafting and understand industrial controls. UL 508A experience is strongly preferred.

As-Builts, Revisions, and Accuracy

A key responsibility is keeping documentation accurate across all project phases. Many creative thinkers struggle to finish the "boring last 10%" after the core engineering problem is solved. The right candidate must be different—someone who gets genuine satisfaction from knowing records and details are completely in order.

This includes verifying solutions before quoting, catching production changes, reconciling BOMs, and finalizing redlines. The project is not complete until the documentation accurately represents the system delivered.

Component Research and Selection

We specify and distribute a wide variety of industrial automation components. Given supply chain volatility, this role involves solving practical component substitution questions within our preferred product families. You will research replacements for discontinued parts, evaluate electrical/mechanical equivalents, and identify necessary accessories without altering core engineering assumptions.

Growth, Variety, and Opportunity

We do not expect you to take an unfamiliar project from concept to production on day one. We expect questions, discussion, redlines, and iteration. As your judgment develops, reviews will evolve from instructions into collaborative conversations between engineers, with the goal of progressively transferring substantial system design responsibility to you.

Our projects span diverse industries—semiconductor manufacturing, food processing, portable machine tools, chemical processing, material handling, robotics, and utilities. You will not spend your career designing variations of the same parts washer. If you are naturally curious, you will continually encounter new technologies and engineering problems to solve.

3D Design & Additional Skills

Experience with SolidWorks or another 3D CAD package (for enclosure layouts, custom brackets, and machinery) brings significant added value. Other attractive skills include:

• Electrical enclosure and panel design & NFPA 79 familiarity
• Control-panel fabrication, assembly, or wiring experience
• Industrial distribution or purchasing experience
• Basic PCB schematic capture and hardware layout experience
• Hands-on personal projects (electronics, Raspberry Pi, vehicle/equipment restoration, machining, fabrication)

What We Are Looking For

We care far more about technical aptitude, curiosity, judgment, and follow-through than your title. You should already be comfortable reading schematics, working with control components (relays, VFDs, PLCs, terminal blocks), building BOMs, using 2D CAD, reading datasheets, and using spreadsheets.

We value someone who:

• Is curious enough to ask why and learns from direction
• Possesses a confident, open learning mindset with a willingness to ask questions, acknowledge uncertainty, and research independently
• Knows when an assumption needs to be surfaced rather than quietly made
• Takes ownership of accuracy and finishes every remaining detail

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: $85,000 – $105,000/year depending on experience.
• Work-Life Autonomy: Flexible core hours with hybrid/remote flexibility once onboarded.
• Earn-As-You-Go PTO & Vacation: PTO accrues starting week one; 2 weeks paid vacation after year 1 (increasing to 4 weeks over time).
• Health & Retirement: Comprehensive medical/dental with generous employer contributions (after 60 days); 401(k) with 3% Safe Harbor contribution.
• Paid Company Holidays: 9 paid full-day company closures.
• Location: Beaverton, Oregon (Local only, no relocation provided).

When You Apply

In addition to your resume, please tell us briefly about a technical project you built, repaired, modified, improved, or taught yourself outside of work. It does not need to be industrial automation—tell us what you chose to do, how you approached it, what went wrong, and what you learned along the way.