Engineering Specialist- Controls & Automation - Paint

Job Description

At Ford's Oakville Assembly Complex, we are expanding and retooling to relaunch vehicle operations like never before. This is more than just a launch-it's an opportunity to shape the future of vehicle manufacturing in Canada. Here is where cutting-edge manufacturing processes will bring to life vehicles that embody unparalleled performance and unwavering dependability. At Ford, we don't just build vehicles; we craft the essential tools that empower businesses and individuals across the globe. Join us in creating the vehicles that keep the world moving and forge a career defined by meaningful impact and innovation.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:
 

• Design, program, and install new automation systems, including PLCs, robotics, and conveyor systems.
• Develop, test, and apply standardized software architectures for industrial control systems, ensuring compliance with specifications
• Manage and maintain comprehensive program backups for all automated machinery.
• Monitor and adjust critical process parameters (e.g., spray booth conditions, Paint kitchen pumps, solvent born application, pretreatment process, sealer dispense and application, heat exchangers, chillers) to consistently achieve quality targets.
• Support the commissioning of new equipment or upgrading systems.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis for PLCs, robots, and other automation issues.
• Coordinate resources to identify and implement validated solutions for complex problems to minimize downtime.
• Plan, schedule, and execute preventive, planned, and emergency maintenance activities.
• Utilize plant monitoring and quality assurance software (e.g., FIS, QLS) to analyze system performance, track projects, review faults, and provide key maintenance and quality metrics.
• Coordinate automation repairs and utilize Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) like Maximo for work order generation and tracking.
• Monitor and adjust critical process parameters (e.g., spray booth conditions) to consistently achieve quality targets.
• Review risk assessments and evaluate equipment safety as part of a team.
• Provide expert technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to plant personnel, skilled trades, and engineering teams.
• Represent controls engineering in meetings, forward planning, and design reviews to ensure robust maintainability and controls integration.
• Review, interpret, and modify technical documents such as electrical schematics and CAD drawings.
• Develop and maintain software solutions and templates for industrial control systems, contributing to the establishment of PLC and CNC standards.
• Create detailed technical documentation, and generate regular reports on maintenance performance and operational metrics.
• Actively drive continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, and standardization initiatives across production processes.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:
 

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or related engineering field. (Successful candidates will be required to provide proof of degree completion for the highest level of education attained. If the degree was obtained from a school outside of Canada, an Education Credential Assessment report showing Canadian equivalency is also required.)

Experience:
 

• 3 years of experience in controls automation in an automotive manufacturing environment using Fanuc Robotics.
• Must be able to work all shifts; days, afternoons, midnights, and weekends.
• Immediate and confirmed eligibility to travel to the USA for training.

Preferred Qualifications:

Education:
 

• Master's Degree in Electrical, Controls or Automation Engineering.

Experience:
 

• Familiarity with applications such as Paint Works, VMT, IR Vision.
• Working knowledge of plant factory information systems and facility processes (pretreatment, paint application-solvent-borne, Graco sealer dispensing, St. Clair TCU, etc.).
• Proficiency in PLC logic and controls, including Allen-Bradley (e.g., RSLogix) programming and troubleshooting.
• Programming experience with assembly and machining controls architectures.
• Familiarity of robotic applications for sealer, paint, and plasma.
• Experience with Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), Servo Drives, Allen-Bradley Servo and VFD drives, Armor starts, and encoders.
• Demonstrated understanding of networking protocols and communication network architectures.
• Ability to read blueprints, interpret, modify, and potentially design electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic schematics.
• Knowledge of international electrical/safety standards and familiarity with safety processes.
• Knowledge of simulation modeling and visual factory management.
• Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma experience.
• Lean Tools - 5S, Kanban, Poka-Yoke, and Value Stream Mapping experience.
• Experience with 8D, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) processes.
• Experience working in a unionized environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Ford of Canada is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a culturally diverse workforce. Accommodations for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment, selection and / or assessment processes, where needed, are available upon request. Please inform Human Resources of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you may require.

Candidates for this position must be legally entitled to work in Canada. Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited does not sponsor work permit applications.