The ASR Group® family of companies make up the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar. The companies produce a full line of grocery, industrial, foodservice and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group® companies operate five sugar refineries, located in California, Maryland, Louisiana, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, ASR Group® companies operate sugar refineries in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and, with a joint venture partner, Italy. The companies also farm sugarcane and own sugar mills in Mexico and Belize. The ASR Group® portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle's®, Sidul® and Whitworths®. ASR Group® companies also produce and market Tellus®, a single-use, compostable tableware and foodservice product made from plant fibers, including sugarcane.
OVERVIEW
The Senior Controls Engineer is the refinery’s technical authority for automation, instrumentation, industrial networking, and process control systems. This role ensures reliable, secure, and sustainable control infrastructure that supports production, quality, safety, environmental compliance, and operational excellence.
The position partners with Corporate Controls Engineering, leads controls lifecycle and modernization strategies, and advances the site from reactive maintenance toward preventive, condition-based, and predictive practices.
DETAILED ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Technical Leadership and Governance
-
Serve as the site technical authority for controls, instrumentation, industrial networks, and process automation.
-
Lead system implementations, upgrades, and modifications in accordance with company, ISA, functional safety, cybersecurity, and hazardous-area requirements.
-
Direct and mentor engineers, technicians, contractors, and cross-functional teams while promoting standardization and knowledge sharing across ASR.
-
Establish and govern programming, alarm management, architecture, documentation, testing, validation, and cybersecurity standards.
Asset Lifecycle, Reliability, and Spare Parts
-
Develop and execute a multi-year controls and automation roadmap aligned with operational, maintenance, and capital priorities.
-
Manage the lifecycle of PLCs, HMIs, historians, servers, operating systems, networks, instrumentation, and automation hardware.
-
Identify obsolescence and criticality risks; develop modernization, replacement, stocking, replenishment, and vendor-supported spare-parts strategies.
-
Maintain automation asset inventories and optimize costs while reducing exposure to obsolete or long-lead equipment.
Predictive Maintenance and Continuous Improvement
-
Lead preventive, predictive, and condition-based programs using PLC/VFD diagnostics, event logs, fault histories, network monitoring, historians, and asset management tools.
-
Use plant data and analytics to identify degradation, improve reliability, and develop asset-health KPIs and dashboards.
-
Lead root-cause investigations for controls and instrumentation failures and implement sustainable corrective actions.
-
Partner with IT, OT, Maintenance, Procurement, and Corporate Controls Engineering to improve system performance, cybersecurity, data access, and asset visibility.
Management of Change and Project Execution
-
Own the controls Management of Change process and ensure modifications meet testing, validation, documentation, cybersecurity, and process-safety requirements.
-
Provide controls and instrumentation expertise for capital projects, modernization work, commissioning, and major maintenance activities.
-
Troubleshoot and optimize refinery, packaging, and auxiliary control systems; lead recovery after failures and prevent recurrence.
-
Anticipate technical risks, provide on-call coverage, and support other engineers as needed.
WORK EXPERIENCES
-
10+ years of controls, automation, instrumentation, or process-control experience in refining, manufacturing, food or chemical processing, power generation, or a related industrial environment.
-
Demonstrated success leading controls lifecycle, predictive maintenance, standards, modernization, and Management of Change programs.
-
Experience upgrading industrial control systems, instrumentation, networks, and automation infrastructure.
-
Experience leading capital projects from concept through startup and commissioning, including technical teams, contractors, consultants, and cross-functional partners.
-
Experience with spare-parts strategy, inventory optimization, asset management systems, or vendor-managed inventory is preferred.
Technical and Leadership Capabilities
-
Advanced knowledge of Allen-Bradley ControlLogix, CompactLogix, PLC5, SLC500, VFDs, soft starters, servo systems, and MCCs.
-
Advanced knowledge of Wonderware System Platform, InTouch, Historian, ArchestrA, and related platforms.
-
Working knowledge of industrial networks, managed switches, communication protocols, Windows Server, virtualization, and industrial cybersecurity.
-
Strong knowledge of process instrumentation, including control valves, transmitters, analyzers, and measurement devices.
-
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, project management, planning, budgeting, communication, and stakeholder-influencing skills.
-
Ability to mentor technical teams, balance immediate operational needs with long-term strategy, and execute technology roadmaps aligned with business objectives.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university is required.
ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES)
-
Light to heavy physical effort.
-
Exposure to varying degrees of noise levels.
-
Must be able to work at different height levels, working on ladders and platforms.
-
Must be able to work in confined spaces.
-
Must be able to work from a stooping, bending, squatting and standing position for extended periods.
-
Must be able to push, pull, and lift equipment into place or from one area to another.
-
Position requires standing and walking eight or more hours per day and the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
-
Working conditions vary from inside and outside elements which includes heat, humidity and cold. Wet conditions exist when using high pressure washing units and dusty conditions when cleaning.
-
Must be able to work rotating shifts, overtime, holidays and weekends as assigned or needed.
-
Overtime is required on a daily and weekly basis as scheduled.
-
Must be able to wear the required personal protective equipment
LOCATION:
REWARD PACKAGE
The expected pay range for this position is $93,000 - $172,500 and will depend on the candidate’s qualifications and prior experience.
-
Full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K and other benefits
IND123
We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
