How To Become A Controls Design Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a controls design engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

A controls design engineer employs the concepts of engineering and mathematics in making systems work efficiently and predictably for machine development and improvement. These systems are intended to function with minimal or even zero human intervention.

Their key role in the company relates to the design and supervision of many types of complex systems, machines, and equipment. They conduct researchers, run tests, and produce analysis of system designs as part of their efforts and responsibility to implement appropriate alterations to make the systems more stable and efficient in accordance with the organization's objectives and customer feedback.

They typically work in large companies such as automotive and electronic appliance manufacturers.

To pursue this line of work, a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field is required.

An expected growth of 2 percent in this line of work is set to generate at least 8,000 jobs across the U.S. between 2018 and 2028.

What general advice would you give to a controls design engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreControls Design EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.1

Avg. Salary $90,850

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.36%

Black or African American 4.88%

Hispanic or Latino 11.38%

Unknown 4.72%

White 64.48%

Gender

female 10.42%

male 89.58%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a controls design engineer

Explore controls design engineer education requirements

Most common controls design engineer degrees

Bachelor's

73.7 %

Associate

12.1 %

Master's

11.5 %

Start to develop specific controls design engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Autocad	9.70%
PLC	6.18%
CAD	5.60%
C++	5.17%
HMI	4.56%

Complete relevant controls design engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New controls design engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a controls design engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real controls design engineer resumes.

Research controls design engineer duties and responsibilities

Establish communication links and prepare machines for bench-testing to attain UL certification.
Specialize in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, system integration, lighting and indoor air quality control.
Perform control system simulation using MATLAB and Simulink.
Upgrade controllers from Lon works to an Ethernet communication scheme.

Prepare your controls design engineer resume

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