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

What is a senior controls engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Fred Garber Ph.D.

A senior controls engineer develops solution-based control systems, presents the customer's answer, provides technical support to customers, resolves problems related to projects, and minimizes delays and unexpected costs. Their responsibilities include producing prototypes and test structures, identifying and understanding the company's needs, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, providing technical support when necessary, and implementing solutions in vulnerable areas.

The academic study of a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, business, or accounting is required for this job. They must also have essential skills like controlling systems, HMI, and procedures for more employer preference.

Per year, the average senior control engineer earns around $97,984. That would be $47.11 per hour. They may have to work in an office, laboratory, factory floor, or all three.

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

Fred Garber Ph.D.

Professor, Electrical Engineering, Wright State University

I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.

In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.

Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.

Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.

ScoreSenior Controls EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $107,298

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 14.52%

Black or African American 4.74%

Hispanic or Latino 10.93%

Unknown 4.69%

White 64.93%

Gender

female 15.39%

male 84.61%

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 senior controls engineer

Explore senior controls engineer education requirements

Most common senior controls engineer degrees

Bachelor's

65.9 %

Master's

15.3 %

Associate

13.1 %

Start to develop specific senior controls engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Control Systems	10.73%
HMI	9.26%
C++	6.58%
Allen-Bradley	5.66%
SCADA	4.74%

Complete relevant senior controls engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior controls 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 senior controls engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior controls engineer resumes.

Research senior controls engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage all G/L, A/R, A/P, bank, loans and equity accounts.
Design reporting system using MatLab program to automate daily and weekly report.
Lead the management team in implementing MISys which fully intergrade QuickBooks regarding the manufacturing process.
Manage all aspects of business start-up, advance daily accounting, and month- and year-end functions.

Get senior controls engineer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior controls engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior controls engineer include controls engineer, controller team lead and project engineer.

Prepare your senior controls engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior controls engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior controls engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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