Process Control Manager

Eastern Washington | Relocation Assistance Available

A stable, privately held manufacturing company is seeking a Process Control Manager to lead an established controls engineering team supporting a large-scale industrial processing operation.

This is a succession-driven opportunity created by a planned retirement. The incoming leader will inherit a strong team, well-maintained systems, and the opportunity to provide long-term technical and leadership direction for a critical manufacturing facility.

This role is ideal for a hands-on controls leader who enjoys developing people, solving complex automation challenges, and partnering with operations to drive reliability, safety, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Do

• Lead and develop a team of Process Controls Engineers and Automation Specialists.
• Manage staffing, coaching, performance management, and team development activities.
• Provide technical leadership for PLC, DCS, HMI, historian, and industrial networking systems.
• Support plant-wide troubleshooting and root cause analysis efforts.
• Lead controls-related capital projects, upgrades, commissioning activities, and system improvements.
• Establish and maintain process control standards, documentation, and best practices.
• Partner closely with production, maintenance, engineering, IT, and reliability teams.
• Oversee alarm management, process data collection, and automation performance initiatives.
• Support critical plant operations and reliability efforts in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of Process Controls, Automation, or Controls Engineering experience.
• 5+ years of direct people leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of PLC and DCS systems.
• Experience with industrial electrical, mechanical, and pneumatic control systems.
• Proven troubleshooting and commissioning experience.
• Experience leading controls projects within a manufacturing or processing environment.

Preferred Experience

• OSI PI Historian
• Process Safety Management (PSM) environments
• Continuous process manufacturing

Preferred Industry Backgrounds

• Chemical Manufacturing
• Food & Beverage Manufacturing
• Pulp & Paper
• Agribusiness Processing
• Industrial Manufacturing
• Specialty Materials

Leadership Style

The successful candidate will:

• Build trust before driving change.
• Lead through collaboration and influence.
• Develop and mentor team members.
• Bring a practical, hands-on leadership approach.
• Balance continuous improvement with operational stability.
• Annual bonus opportunities
• 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting
• Relocation assistance available
• Temporary housing support available for relocating candidates

Why Join?

• Succession opportunity with long-term career runway
• Stable, privately held company with exceptional employee retention
• Established team and strong organizational culture
• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact without inheriting a broken operation