About this role.
ICON is seeking a Controls Engineer II to serve as an advanced escalation resource for industrial control-system failures across its fleet, Field Engineering, and customer teams. The role combines hands-on troubleshooting of PLCs, HMIs, SCADA platforms, and industrial networks with development of guided diagnostics, monitoring dashboards, and predictive-maintenance tools. The engineer will collaborate with electrical, mechanical, software, IT, and customer-facing stakeholders while producing training and knowledge-base materials. This Austin-based position requires at least three years of industrial automation or controls-support experience and strong familiarity with safety standards. Preferred qualifications include TwinCAT 3 structured-text development, electrical schematics, startup adaptability, and knowledge of 3D-printing technology.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
4/5Pace & Pressure
4/5Autonomy Level
4/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
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Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would first establish a safe operating state, gather alarms, logs, configuration versions, and a clear timeline, then separate the problem into controller, I/O, HMI, network, and mechanical-process layers. I would test the most likely failure points systematically, validate the root cause with evidence, implement and verify the corrective action, and document preventive steps for the support team.
I would review topology, node status, error counters, cable and termination integrity, power quality, grounding, addressing, and device configuration. I would use network diagnostics and trend data to correlate failures with operating conditions, isolate segments where possible, and confirm the resolution through monitored run time and documented acceptance criteria.
It should define symptoms and safety precautions, identify required tools and access, provide a logical diagnostic flow, include expected values or screenshots, list corrective actions and escalation thresholds, and record revision control. The guide should be tested with intended users so that it is usable by Field Engineering without relying on the original author.
I would identify failure modes with measurable leading indicators, such as cycle counts, temperature, current draw, fault frequency, communication errors, or actuator timing. I would establish baseline behavior, build dashboards and alert thresholds, validate that the indicators predict meaningful degradation, and refine the model using field outcomes to prioritize service before failures occur.
I would communicate the operational impact and expected next steps promptly while making safety the non-negotiable first priority. I would ensure troubleshooting and recommended changes comply with applicable OSHA, NFPA, and IEC requirements, explain constraints clearly to the customer, and document decisions, approvals, and the final resolution.
The Controls Engineer II, Engineering Services designs and maintains the diagnostic infrastructure ICON’s fleet depends on — building troubleshooting tools, guided diagnostics, telemetry-sourced health monitoring dashboards, and data-driven predictive maintenance models that move the fleet from reactive toward condition-based service. This role serves as the escalation point for complex controls failures across Field Engineering and customer teams, and is the technical authority others turn to when standard support can’t resolve the issue.
This role is based at ICON’s headquarters in Austin, TX and reports to the Director of Engineering Services.
Responsibilities
- Design feedback and escalation: Diagnose and resolve complex issues involving PLCs, HMIs, SCADA and industrial communication protocols such as Ethernet and DeviceNet.
- Identify and report design, reliability and maintenance problems or software bugs to design and software engineering teams to facilitate root‑cause analysis and corrective action.
- Network and integration support: Assist with issues related to control system networking, including configuring communication devices and integrating control hardware with enterprise systems. Collaborate with electrical, mechanical and IT teams to ensure seamless integration.
- Advanced troubleshooting and support: Respond to situations where first‑line support cannot isolate or fix problems in malfunctioning control systems.
- Field Engineering training: Develop and deliver training for the Field Engineering team on control system operation, maintenance, and configuration — building the technical notes, how-to guides, and reference materials that raise the team’s capability to support the fleet independently.
- Customer liaison: Serve as a technical liaison to customers, providing guidance on operation, maintenance, and configuration of control systems; deliver remote training sessions and produce technical notes and how-to guides that improve customer understanding.
- Regulatory compliance: Ensure that control systems comply with safety and regulatory standards (e.g., OSHA, NFPA, IEC) and advise customers on best practices for safe operation.
- Documentation and knowledge management: Update knowledge base articles, create troubleshooting documentation and share insights with global support teams to build organisational knowledge.
- Continuous learning: Stay current on emerging control technologies, PLC/HMI software and industry trends to incorporate the latest advancements into support practices.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, control systems engineering or a related technical discipline.
- 3+ years of experience in industrial automation or control systems support.
- Strong working knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems and control network protocols.
- Demonstrated ability to diagnose hardware, software and communication issues in control systems.
- Knowledge of safety regulations and standards for industrial control systems.
- Excellent communication and customer‑service skills; ability to manage customer expectations and document resolutions.
- Ability to work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams and maintain composure under pressure.
Preferred Skills & Experience
- Prior startup experience.
- Twincat 3 Object Oriented Structured Text development.
- Solid conceptual understanding of 3d printing technology.
- Ability to read and contribute to electrical schematics.
- Self-starting attitude, excited to make things happen in new and ambiguous situations.
- Superior ability to influence and collaborate with senior management and work across all levels of the organization.
ICON is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an innovative, inclusive, diverse and discrimination-free work environment. Employment with ICON is based on merit, competence, and qualifications. It is our policy to administer all personnel actions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. Consistent with the obligations of these laws, ICON will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Furthermore, as a federal government contractor, the Company maintains an affirmative action program which furthers its commitment and complies with recordkeeping and reporting requirements under certain federal civil rights laws and regulations, including Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (as amended).
Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit candidates through this application. ICON does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency submissions for candidates and will not pay fees to any third-party agency without a prior agreement with ICON.
As part of our compliance with these obligations, the Company invites you to voluntarily self-identify as set forth below. Provision of such information is entirely voluntary and a decision to provide or not provide such information will not have any effect on your employment or subject you to any adverse treatment. Any and all information provided will be considered confidential, will be kept separate from your application and/or personnel file, and will only be used in accordance with applicable laws, orders and regulations, including those that require the information to be summarized and reported to the federal government for civil rights enforcement purposes.
Annual salary information is not provided for this position. Explore salary ranges for similar roles in our Salary Directory ›
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