Senior Controls Process Engineer

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

     

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Working at Abbott

Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Abbott Park, IL location within our Global Engineering Services division. 

The Senior Controls Process Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, optimizing, and supporting automation and control systems that enhance manufacturing reliability, quality, safety, and productivity. This role serves as a technical expert for PLC/HMI/SCADA systems, process instrumentation, industrial networks, and data acquisition tools. The engineer partners closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and IT to drive continuous improvement, troubleshoot complex issues, and support strategic automation initiatives across the site.

What You'll Work On:

Automation & Control Systems Engineering

• Develop, program, test, and troubleshoot PLC, HMI, SCADA, and DCS systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, etc.).
• Lead the lifecycle management of control system hardware/software—including obsolescence planning and upgrades.
• Create and maintain electrical and control system documentation (P&IDs, control narratives, logic diagrams, functional requirements).
• Implement and optimize automation strategies to ensure stable and efficient manufacturing processes.

Process Engineering & Optimization

• Analyze process performance data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead process improvement initiatives using Six Sigma, Lean, or similar methodologies.
• Support technology transfers, equipment commissioning, and process validation activities.
• Ensure processes meet safety, quality, and regulatory compliance requirements.

Troubleshooting & Technical Support

• Provide expert-level troubleshooting support for equipment, instrumentation, and control logic issues.
• Serve as a site SME for automation systems during audits, investigations, and cross-functional meetings.
• Mentor and guide technicians, engineers, and operations personnel on control system functionality.

Project Leadership

• Lead engineering projects from concept through execution, including scope development, vendor management, FAT/SAT, and startup.
• Manage project budgets, schedules, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement new equipment, automation solutions, and system enhancements.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure all automation and control solutions comply with cGMP, FDA, OSHA, NFPA, ISA, and internal standards.
• Develop and maintain control system cybersecurity practices.
• Author and enforce procedures, change controls, and validation documentation.

Required Qualifications:

• A Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Science, or closely related discipline is desired, or equivalent technical experience plus demonstrated competence
• Minimum 7 years experience in automation, controls, process engineering in manufacturing or facility operations.

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