Engineering Technician

Engineering Technician – PLC, Controls & Automation

Bootz | American Bath Group

Location: Evansville, Indiana

Employment Type: Salaried | Full-Time | On-Site Manufacturing

Base Salary: $80,000–$90,000 annually

Bonus: Annual bonus program applies; plan terms govern

Build Plant Reliability Through Hands-On Controls Expertise

American Bath Group is seeking an Engineering Technician to join the Bootz manufacturing operation in Evansville, Indiana. This is a hands-on industrial controls and automation role for someone who can move confidently between PLC logic and the physical machine, diagnose the true source of equipment problems, and take ownership from initial troubleshooting through corrective action, validation, documentation, and prevention.

This position serves as the site's technical owner for PLC- and controls-related issues. Maintenance remains the first responder for general equipment breakdowns; when an issue is identified or reasonably suspected to involve PLCs or controls, the Engineering Technician takes ownership of the technical response and resolution path.

The right candidate will bring strong Allen-Bradley/Rockwell troubleshooting capability, experience with industrial automation and robotics, and the judgment to balance production-critical breakdowns with engineering requests, controls-related capital projects, preventive maintenance, compliance activities, and technical documentation.

What You Will Own

PLC & Automation Troubleshooting

• Use Allen-Bradley/Rockwell software and hardware to diagnose malfunctioning industrial equipment.
• Trace PLC logic, inputs, outputs, permissives, interlocks, sensors, wiring, alignment, field devices, and machine conditions.
• Determine actual root causes rather than assuming the PLC program is responsible.
• Drive avoidable PLC-related downtime toward next to zero through disciplined diagnosis, correction, validation, and follow-through.
• Maintain ownership of PLC-related issues through documented completion.

Engineering Request Ownership

• Manage an individual portfolio of PLC-related engineering requests.
• Keep priorities, obstacles, milestones, expected completion dates, and status current through the established Smartsheet process.
• Complete assigned work or actively manage requests against documented milestones.
• Conduct and document appropriate closeout and post-mortem activities.

Controls-Related Capital Projects

• Own assigned controls-related CapEx scope from technical definition through completion.
• Coordinate project milestones and outside vendors or integrators.
• Support implementation, startup, validation, documentation, and project closeout.
• Maintain internal ownership while using specialized automation integrators when equipment knowledge or project complexity warrants outside support.

PLC Preventive Maintenance & Reliability

• Review PLC-controlled equipment, maintenance practices, recurring failures, backups, field-device risks, and other controls vulnerabilities.
• Identify material gaps in the site's PLC preventive-maintenance program.
• Develop a prioritized gap map covering recurring failure points, equipment risks, and recommended actions.
• Help transition the facility from reactive response toward planned reliability and recurrence prevention.

Environmental, Safety & Documentation Responsibilities

• Execute and document assigned weekly and monthly environmental and safety requirements.
• Maintain accurate technical findings, root-cause information, corrective actions, milestones, completion dates, validation records, and post-mortems.
• Ensure technical work is fully closed out rather than stopping once equipment returns to operation.
• Environmental and safety responsibilities represent approximately 5%–10% of the role.
• Documentation, communication, and reporting represent at least approximately 10% of the role and may be higher.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should be able to demonstrate the following capabilities:

• Hands-on Allen-Bradley/Rockwell industrial troubleshooting experience, including use of Rockwell software and associated hardware to diagnose malfunctioning industrial equipment.
• Live-equipment troubleshooting capability—not solely PLC programming familiarity.
• Ability to independently trace PLC logic, inputs, outputs, permissives, interlocks, sensors, wiring, and field conditions to determine actual root cause.
• Demonstrated personal ownership of industrial automation troubleshooting from symptoms through diagnosis, correction, validation, and follow-through.
• Industrial robotics programming or troubleshooting experience that can transfer into the facility's FANUC environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a production-floor manufacturing environment and follow required PPE practices.
• Ability to respond to PLC-related issues outside standard operating hours, including onsite response when necessary.
• Ability to support occasional weekend, shutdown, outage, or planned power-interruption work.
• Ability to maintain appropriate technical documentation and support assigned compliance requirements.

There is no established minimum years-of-experience requirement. Demonstrated troubleshooting depth, ownership, and evidence of successfully operating in an industrial environment are more important than tenure alone.

Preferred Experience

The following experience is helpful but not required:

• Direct FANUC robotics experience
• Prior industrial maintenance employment
• Mechanical press experience
• Press-controls experience
• Metal-stamping experience
• Hydraulic troubleshooting
• Broader industrial electrical troubleshooting
• Controls-related CapEx ownership
• Contractor or systems integrator management
• Arc-flash exposure
• PLC preventive-maintenance program development
• Environmental or safety inspection ownership
• Smartsheet or comparable request-management systems
• Formal root-cause, corrective-action, and post-mortem documentation

Schedule & Work Environment

This is an on-site manufacturing position in Evansville, Indiana.

• Approximately 50% or slightly less of the role is performed on the production floor.
• The position follows a flexible salaried schedule, with start and end times based on operating needs.
• Automation troubleshooting is performed as needed and may interrupt planned project work.
• PLC-related failures may require after-hours contact and onsite response.
• Certain capital projects, shutdowns, outages, or planned power interruptions may require weekend or outside-hours work.
• Time worked outside standard hours is typically offset with time away during another scheduled workday.
• Routine travel to Salem is not intended.
• Facility PPE requirements apply while working in the manufacturing environment.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $80,000–$90,000 annually

Bonus: An annual bonus program applies; plan terms govern.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance, LTD/STD. 401K with company match, Life Insurance. Employee Assistance Programs, Employee Discounts

Who Will Be Successful Here

This role is best suited for a hands-on controls professional who:

• Diagnoses before reacting and uses both PLC data and physical machine evidence.
• Remains composed and methodical when production is down.
• Takes ownership rather than depending on ad hoc escalation.
• Does not consider a problem complete simply because the equipment restarted.
• Validates repairs, documents findings, updates status, and closes the loop.
• Can balance urgent production problems with longer-term engineering projects, preventive maintenance, documentation, and compliance responsibilities.
• Resolves routine issues independently while knowing when specialized outside support is appropriate.

This is not primarily a machine-builder programming position focused on designing new automation systems from scratch, nor is it a desk-based role with completely predictable hours. It is a plant-facing reliability position built around troubleshooting, technical ownership, and follow-through.

Apply Today

If you have hands-on Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLC troubleshooting experience, can independently diagnose industrial automation problems, and want to take meaningful ownership of controls reliability within a manufacturing operation, we encourage you to apply.

Candidates should be prepared to discuss specific examples where they personally diagnosed an equipment or controls problem from the initial symptoms through root cause, corrective action, validation, and final documentation.

Equal Employment Opportunity

American Bath Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Work Authorization and Employment Sponsorship

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. American Bath Group does not sponsor employment visas now or in the future.

Pay: From $80,000.00 per hour

Benefits:

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

Application Question(s):

• Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
• Will you now, or in the future, require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g. H-1B visa status)?
• How many years of work experience do you have with Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)?
• Are you comfortable working in an onsite setting?
• Describe Your Experience independently troubleshooting PLC-controlled industrial equipment by tracing logic, inputs, outputs, permissives, interlocks, sensors, wiring, and field conditions to determine root cause.
• Are you able to work a flexible salaried schedule and respond onsite when PLC-related production issues require after-hours support, including occasional weekend, shutdown, or outage work?
• f selected for this position, would you be willing to accept a base salary within the advertised range of $80,000–$90,000 annually, with eligibility for the applicable annual bonus program?
• Do you have hands-on experience using Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLC software and hardware to troubleshoot malfunctioning industrial equipment?
• Describe your hands-on industrial robotics programming or troubleshooting experience that could transfer into a FANUC robotics environment?

Work Location: In person