Controls engineer with 7 years of experience programming PLCs and HMIs for automotive and packaging production lines. Commissioned 25 automated cells and raised line throughput 19% on a robotic welding line. Brings Allen-Bradley and Siemens programming, machine safety design and reliable start-ups under tight launch schedules.
Upgraded 6 legacy SLC 500 lines to CompactLogix with no lost production days
Added OEE data collection with Ignition, exposing $600K in annual downtime losses
Wrote standard PLC function blocks for conveyors and fillers, reused across 4 plant projects
Education
B.S. Electrical Engineering, Clemson University (Aug 2015 – May 2019)
Skills
PLCs and HMIs: Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix, Siemens TIA Portal, FactoryTalk View
Robotics and Motion: FANUC, servo drives, VFDs, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET
Safety: ISO 13849, NFPA 79, risk assessments, safety PLCs
Software: Ignition SCADA, AutoCAD Electrical, Studio 5000
How to write a Controls Engineer resume
A strong Controls Engineer resume shows the systems you built, the scale they run at, and the measurable effect on speed, reliability or cost. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
Sections, in order
Summary
Experience
Projects
Skills
Education
Length: One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Summary: Write two or three lines: your role, your strongest skills, and one result that proves them.
Skills to feature
Programming languages
System design
Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
CI/CD
Testing and code review
Databases and SQL
Observability
Security fundamentals
APIs and integrations
Technical documentation
Example bullet points
Rebuilt the checkout service in Go, cutting p95 latency from 900 ms to 180 ms for 2M monthly users
Introduced contract tests and staged rollouts, reducing production incidents by 45% in two quarters
Migrated 30 services to Kubernetes with Terraform, lowering cloud spend by $250k a year
Tips from recruiters
Group skills by category (for example "Languages: Go, TypeScript") so recruiters and ATS parsers find them quickly.
Link to a repository, demo or write-up for at least one project you can talk about in depth.
Name the stack inside each bullet; keyword matching happens at the bullet level, not only in the skills list.
Recommended templates
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Tech (ATS-friendly): Developer style: mono headings and tags, sans body
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Controls Engineer resume FAQ
What should a Controls Engineer resume include?
A Controls Engineer resume should show the systems you built, the scale they run at, and the measurable effect on speed, reliability or cost. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Projects, Skills and Education. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
What is the best resume template for a Controls Engineer?
Classic, Tech and Modern work well for Controls Engineer roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Controls Engineer resume be?
One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Which skills should a Controls Engineer put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Controls Engineer roles are Programming languages, System design, Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), CI/CD, Testing and code review and Databases and SQL.
How do I write strong Controls Engineer resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as latency, uptime and deploy frequency. For example: "Rebuilt the checkout service in Go, cutting p95 latency from 900 ms to 180 ms for 2M monthly users."