Electrical Controls Manager

U.S. Sugar is one of the nations largest fully integrated producer of sugarcane, a leading provider of fresh vegetables and citrus products and a regional short line railroad operator. Headquartered in Clewiston, Florida the company farms more than 200,000 acres in Hendry, Glades, Martin and Palm Beach counties and employs approximately 3,000 people including many high skilled/wage jobs in automated environments. Produces 650,000 - 700,000 tons of cane sugar a year, providing nearly 8% of the nations sugar production. U.S. Sugar employs nearly 3,000 people including high skilled / high wage jobs in variety of automated environments. Why U.S. Sugar?

Employees are our most valuable asset. When we succeed, our employees succeed. Many have an ownership stake in our privately held business through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). As we grow, we hire new employees who are knowledgeable, energetic and committed to keeping us on the cutting-edge of our industry. We reward them with challenging work, opportunities to learn and grow, competitive compensation, a comprehensive benefits package and a supportive work environment where safety is our top priority.

Summary

The Electrical Controls Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for all electrical, instrumentation , automation and process control systems supporting U.S. Sugar’s manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for ensuring the reliability, availability, safety and continuous improvement of plant electrical and control systems through effective leadership, engineering expertise, capital project execution, asset management, and technical governance. The Electrical Controls Manager leads a multidisciplinary team while partnering with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability to optimize plant performance, implement innovative solutions, and support long-term business objectives.

Functions

• Abide by all Company, Local, State, and Federal safety regulations and participate in required training sessions and safety meetings.
• Lead and oversee all Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls (E,I&C) operations across the manufacturing facility.
• Directly manage salaried engineering and supervisory personnel while providing leadership and technical oversight to hourly E&I technicians.
• Serve as the plant’s subject matter expert for electrical, instrumentation, automation, and control systems.
• Provide technical leadership in troubleshooting complex electrical, instrumentation, and process control issues to maximize plant reliability.
• Develop, engineer, and implement electrical, controls, and instrumentation solutions that improve safety, reliability, efficiency, and operational performance.
• Lead the design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and startup of electrical and automation components for capital improvement projects.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability Engineering, Project Engineering, and external consultants to support manufacturing objectives.
• Ensure electrical and automation documentation, including drawings, P&IDs, schematics, SOPs, IO lists, and standards, remains accurate and up to date.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards and change management processes for all electrical, instrumentation, and automation systems.
• Develop strategic equipment lifecycle plans, modernization initiatives, and technology roadmaps to keep plant systems current with industry best practices.
• Evaluate equipment performance and identify opportunities to improve system reliability, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.
• Support Reliability Excellence initiatives through preventive maintenance strategies, predictive technologies, criticality analysis, and asset management planning.
• Manage E&I maintenance programs, maintenance metrics, and spare parts strategies to reduce downtime and improve equipment availability.
• Collaborate with Information Technology to maintain secure, reliable industrial control systems, plant networks, and manufacturing interfaces.
• Develop and implement technical training programs and career development plans for E&I personnel to strengthen technical capability and succession planning.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, operational excellence, safety, and technical innovation throughout the department.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable electrical codes, regulatory requirements, company policies, and safety standards.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Eight (8) or more years of progressive experience in industrial electrical, instrumentation, and control systems within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, or technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of medium- and low-voltage electrical distribution systems (13.8kV, 4.16kV, and 480V).
• Preferred experience with Allen-Bradley PLC platforms (ControlLogix, PLC-5, SLC) and industrial HMI systems.
• Preferred experience with industrial communication networks including Ethernet/IP, ControlNet, DeviceNet, and AS-i.
• Preferred working knowledge of PID process control and industrial automation systems.
• Experience with Reliability Engineering principles, preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
• Experience utilizing SAP or a comparable CMMS/ERP system.
• Strong project management, budgeting, and capital project execution experience preferred.
  
  

WORKING CONDITIONS

• 80% of the work environment involves office-based activities including reporting, planning, and meetings. Regular requirements include walking production areas and elevated platforms, climbing stairs and ladders, and the ability to respond to site emergencies at any hour.
• 20% of the work environment is conducted in an open outdoor or partially enclosed industrial setting, exposed to extreme heat, high humidity, blowing dust and bagasse particles, steam, and chemical process environments; personal protective equipment (hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, chemical-resistant footwear) is required at all times in production areas.
  
  

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

United States Sugar Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.