Are you ready to join a growing, outside-of-the-box company in a niche market? We are always looking for individuals that want to become part of something great and have a purpose. TFC Poultry is a family-owned poultry processing company with operations in Ashby, Minnesota, and Winchester, Virginia. Founded by two brothers who grew up in the Ashby area and were active in 4-H, TFC has grown from local roots into an industry-leading operation employing more than 200 team members. TFC stands for Teamwork, Focus, and Commitment—values that guide everything we do. From local farm kids to industry leaders, our founders have remained dedicated to supporting rural communities, investing in employees, and delivering high-quality poultry products to customers across the country. At TFC, our people are the foundation of our success. We are proud to provide rewarding career opportunities while staying true to the values that helped build our company.

Title:

Controls Engineer Reports to:

Technology Team Leader Job Purpose:

Designs, supports, and continuously improves industrial automation and control systems across manufacturing operations. Partners with operations, maintenance, engineering, IT/OT, and vendors to improve reliability, safety, data visibility, process capability, and equipment performance.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Develop, troubleshoot, and maintain PLC, HMI, SCADA, historian, and industrial network systems supporting production and utilities operations
• Create and maintain control narratives, electrical drawings, I/O lists, panel documentation, program backups, change logs, and technical standards
• Support automation design, programming, commissioning, FAT/SAT execution, startup, validation, and turnover for capital projects and plant improvement work
• Partner with maintenance and operations to reduce automation-related downtime through root cause analysis, corrective actions, alarm rationalization, and preventive controls practices
• Implement safe, reliable, and maintainable control solutions that support workforce usability, sanitation, food safety, production quality, and equipment reliability
• Support data collection, dashboards, OEE/downtime reporting, historian tags, and integration between floor-level controls and business systems
• Assist with control platform standardization, approved component selection, spare parts strategy, lifecycle planning, and obsolescence risk reduction
• Work with vendors, OEMs, contractors, and internal stakeholders to specify, review, test, and implement automation solutions that meet company standards
• Provide technical support for production issues, utilities systems, process improvements, safety upgrades, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Promote a professional company image through clear communication, strong ownership, safe work practices, and effective collaboration with plant and corporate teams

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or related technical field preferred; equivalent industrial controls experience may be considered
• 5+ years of hands-on experience supporting PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, industrial instrumentation, motor controls, VFDs, sensors, and automated production equipment
• Experience with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley controls platforms preferred; experience with Ignition or similar SCADA/historian platforms strongly preferred
• Ability to read, interpret, and update electrical schematics, panel layouts, P&IDs, network diagrams, control narratives, and equipment documentation
• Working knowledge of industrial Ethernet, control networks, cybersecurity basics, backup/version management, and safe change-control practices
• Strong troubleshooting, root cause analysis, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Ability to support occasional off-hours troubleshooting, project startups, plant shutdown work, and vendor/OEM commissioning activities as business needs require
• Manufacturing, food processing, packaging, utilities, refrigeration, or regulated-industry experience preferred

Pay:

$90,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) matching Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person