How to become a controls and PLC engineer: 83 beginner jobs open today

1. Know what the work is. A controls and PLC engineer programs the controllers that run factory lines, power plants and building systems. Beginner postings today use titles like Controls Technician; Controls Engineer, Manufacturing Automation; SCADA Controls Engineer, Manufacturing Automation; Instrumentation & Controls Engineer II - Modular; Apprentice Controls Technician.
2. Learn the skills employers name first. In today’s 347 postings: SQL (11%).
3. Build proof you can show. Two or three results with a number, from a job, a course project or volunteer work. The kind of line a recruiter looks for: “Designed a housing that cut assembly time from 14 minutes to 9”. Certifications the postings name: CPA.
4. Write the resume and the letter. Start from the controls and PLC engineer resume example and the cover letter example, and replace every line with your own.
5. Apply where beginners are hired. 83 of today’s 347 open controls and PLC engineer jobs are junior or intern roles or ask for two years of experience or less. See the open jobs and check each one with the resume match checker before you apply.

PLC (42%), Industrial automation (39%), Control systems (38%), SCADA (35%), Python (26%), Mechatronics (26%), Electrical troubleshooting (24%), Hydraulics (19%), C++ (16%), Hardware interfaces (16%) of today’s 347 open controls and PLC engineer postings name them. Learn the first three well before the rest.

The step is the level word in the job title; “No level in the title” is usually the mid-level role. After senior, people move into lead, staff or principal roles, or into managing a team. What each level means.

• Get fluent in SQL, the skill today’s postings name most, and prove it with a project you can show.
• Earn a certification employers name in this work: CPA.
• Keep a list of your results with numbers, updated every month: it becomes your resume lines and your interview stories.
• Find one person a few years ahead of you in this work and ask for a 20-minute talk each quarter.

• Headline: the title employers search for, then your strongest skills and one result: “Controls and PLC Engineer | SQL | [one result with a number]”.
• About: three short paragraphs: what you do, two results with numbers, what you want next.
• Skills section: list the skills postings name, in their words: PLC, Industrial automation, Control systems, SCADA, Python.
• Open to work: set the job titles and places you want; recruiters filter by them.

Write the headline with the LinkedIn headline generator.

How much experience do controls and PLC engineer jobs ask for?

The median in today’s postings is 5 years; 28% of the postings that name a number ask for two years or less.

Do I need a degree to become a controls and PLC engineer?

12% of today’s 347 postings say no degree is required. Many others accept equivalent experience: read the requirements of each posting.

How much does a beginner controls and PLC engineer earn?

Junior and intern postings for this work that state pay advertise a median of $118K a year (17 postings).

What qualifications do you need to become a controls and PLC engineer?

Employers name skills first: SQL (11%) of today’s postings. The median posting asks for 5 years of experience. 12% say no degree is required. Certifications named in the full text of 50 postings: CPA (2).

Is AI replacing controls and PLC engineers?

Not in today’s postings: 347 controls and PLC engineer jobs are open on Jobs Every Hour as of Nov 15, 2026, and 16% of them ask for AI or machine-learning skills, alongside SQL (11%).