Director of Controls Engineering

The Role

The Director of Controls Engineering is a technical and people‑leadership role responsible for the overall performance, capability, and strategic direction of the controls engineering function and team.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Engineering, this role ensures technical excellence, on time delivery of scope, beating project budgets, and effective people and team leadership across multiple locations, industries, and projects. This will also include management of the group through resourcing planning and prioritization, capacity planning, and meeting group chargeability targets.

As a hand on, functional people leader, this role is responsible for building and coaching/mentoring the engineering group resources through engagement, connection, development, performance management, and hiring plan/strategies. It is critical to communicate challenges, set expectations, and predict risks to be successful at delivering an extraordinary customer experience (ECE) as well as an extraordinary employee experience (EEE).

Key Responsibilities

• Accountable for achieving controls engineering department targets as aligned to business metrics
• Accountable for the controls department’s project execution, including scope, project budgets, and ensuring on‑time delivery.
• Represent controls engineering in senior leadership discussions and business reviews.
• Serve as the controls engineering escalation point for complex technical challenges, project risks, and cross‑site operational challenges with strategic plans and persistent follow‑through.
• Ensure controls engineering excellence through active participation and governance in critical project milestone and design reviews using Stage‑Gate methodology.
• Act as process owner to approve and enforce compliance with documented standard processes developed collaboratively.
• Maintain and enhance tools and systems to align operational capacity with commercial strategy.
• Drive alignment across teams for standardized controls engineering practices, resource sharing, and document control.
• Work with the Senior Director of Engineering to build a high‑performing and scalable controls engineering team by fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and technical rigor.
• Work with business and divisional leadership, and finance, to ensure project and team reporting
• Lead talent development through coaching, mentoring, training, and direct management of controls engineering leaders and resources.
• Manage resource allocation, performance reviews, and recruitment to meet project schedules and capacity targets.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally to support sales, project management, and executive leadership in strategy and innovation.

Innovation & Technology Development

• Build and manage a team focused on innovation and technology development.
• Collaborate with Technical Leads to drive the assessment and development of innovation and technology that support scalability and long‑term competitiveness in the department.
• Research emerging technologies with partners and suppliers to introduce innovation and competitive advantages.
• Contribute to company level strategic planning and decision making on technical initiatives that improve controls related efficiency and effectiveness.
• Develop and propose business cases and budgets for innovation and CI initiatives.
• Support winning new business through the development of concepts, costing, scheduling, resourcing, and risk management strategies in collaboration with Sales and Applications.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director, Applications and Sales team to improve quoting tools and processes for improved velocity and clarity.

Project Management

• Collaborate with the PMO and local Operational Leadership to drive employee experience and engagement, project success, tools/processes/metrics, and strategy for the business.

Knowledge Management

• Responsible for supporting the Senior Director of Engineering with the development, communication, and adherence of engineering processes, standards, and best practices.
• Organize and implement lessons learned into the controls department, when applicable.
• Stay current on our industry’s technologies, trends, strategies, and customers’ needs
• Conduct knowledge sharing training and maintain a technical training repository
• In conjunction with Convergix strategies, implement document control systems

Qualifications and Experience

• 10+ years of demonstrated leadership experience in a similar environment and department.
• Post‑secondary Degree/Diploma in Engineering from a recognized engineering faculty or equivalent qualification preferred.
• Experience in custom automation/robotics & automated mobile robots (automotive, food and beverage, life science / pharma, aerospace, and/or electronics, etc.)
• Deep hands‑on understanding of industrial control systems, development, and commissioning in a systems integration environment.
• Strong leadership skills, ability to coach and mentor employees, drive team performance.
• Strong technical and project management skills
• Ability to overcome challenges and handle complex situations.
• Well‑rounded skill set (interpersonal, people, business, technology, etc.)
• Experience driving standardization, platform strategies, and transformational initiatives.
• Delivers consistent feedback in a fair and positive manner.
• Reliable transportation and an ability to travel internationally.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to feel objects, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, talk and hear.
• Occasionally lifts or move up to 25 pounds.

Perks of Being Part of the Team

Here at CONVERGIX, we offer a generous compensation and benefits package including:

• RRSP with company match
• Long term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Virtual online Tele-health
• Benefits Plan that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage

CONVERGIX Automation Solutions has an accommodation program in place that provides reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. If you require a specific accommodation because of a disability or a medical need, please contact Human Resources.

Convergix is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to any protected characteristic under applicable law.