Target · 16 hours ago
Lead Controls Engineer (Minneapolis)
1000 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis,MN 55403-2542
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$92K/yr - $166K/yr
6+ years expTarget is a Fortune 50 company and one of America's leading retailers, dedicated to helping families discover the joy of everyday life. The Lead Controls Engineer will serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for control systems across Target's advanced automated material handling technologies, driving technical strategy and collaboration on new implementations.
CommunitiesE-CommerceRetailShopping
Responsibilities
Serve as an enterprise subject matter expert for legacy control systems supporting Target’s material handling technologies, maintaining deep knowledge of architectures, capabilities, and constraints
Develop and maintain a multi‑year controls obsolescence and remediation roadmap, partnering with asset management to shape long‑range capital planning and investment strategy
Transform controls performance intelligence into enterprise‑level insights by partnering across maintenance, operations, and asset management to uncover systemic loss drivers, inform modernization roadmaps, and elevate lifecycle investment decisions—supported by scalable, automated reporting where appropriate
Create, optimize, and govern enterprise‑wide controls standards, including documentation frameworks, coding conventions, testing processes, and change‑management practices
Lead end‑to‑end execution of internally scoped controls upgrades and modernization initiatives, coordinating closely with field engineering, activation, and operations partners
Provide high‑level technical consultation and SME guidance to teams delivering controls‑related projects (Design, Activation and Process teams)
Define, document, and continually enhance site‑level controls maintenance practices, developing training and tools that elevate capability across the network
Evaluate vendor capabilities and ensure compliance with Target’s controls standards, informing vendor selection and qualification for internal and external project work
Champion system availability and resilience, driving reliability strategies aligned with the enterprise goal of 99.9% uptime for mission‑critical MHE control systems
Optimize total cost of ownership by reducing vendor dependency, increasing internal ownership of control system intellectual property, and improving engineering leverage
Guide development and governance of controls software repositories, including version control, peer review processes, documentation, and release workflows
Collaborate with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to ensure control system architectures adhere to Target’s OT security standards and risk‑mitigation practices
Define secure connectivity and controls data access patterns that enable diagnostics, troubleshooting, and performance reporting
Support commissioning and acceptance testing of new automated systems, providing architectural guidance and ensuring adherence to standards during implementation
Mentor engineers and site technicians, providing guidance on controls best practices, design patterns, troubleshooting techniques, and system architecture
Contribute to enterprise budgeting and strategy planning, providing technical inputs tied to controls asset health, lifecycle management, modernization scope, and multi‑facility impact
Qualification
Required
Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience)
6+ years of Controls Engineering experience (MHE specific experience preferred)
6+ years of PLC coding experience (ladder logic/structured text)
Expertise with industrial controls hardware, including variable frequency drives, motor starters, control panels, distributed/remote I/O systems, HMI hardware, and major PLC platforms (e.g., Allen-Bradley ControlLogix/CompactLogix, Siemens)
Demonstrated proficiency with industrial control system networks, including configuring, troubleshooting, and optimizing communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS & Modbus TCP)
Experienced owning control system strategy at an enterprise scale, with the ability to define standards, drive alignment across sites, and influence long-term automation roadmaps
A strong systems thinker who can evaluate diverse legacy and modern control platforms, determine business and technical impacts, and guide lifecycle planning, upgrades, and investment decisions
Proven ability to lead code governance initiatives, including establishing documentation standards, version control practices, testing protocols, and technical review processes
Ability to explain complex operational technology solutions in a simple way to align partners
Comfortable engaging at all phases of the automation project lifecycle, from requirements definition and vendor selection to architecture design, FAT/SAT participation, and commissioning support
Exceptional troubleshooting and analytical skills, capable of diagnosing complex system behaviors across PLCs, HMIs, robots, conveyors, ASRS, AMRs, sensors, drives, and supporting OT infrastructure
Skilled at collaborating across engineering, operations, technology, activation, and vendor teams, balancing technical rigor with the ability to build relationships and drive decisions in a cross-functional environment
Experienced guiding modernization efforts, including migrating legacy control platforms, evaluating emerging technologies, and shaping standards that improve availability, resiliency, and maintainability
Working familiarity with controls performance/diagnostic data and reporting practices (e.g., event/alarm analysis, downtime categorization, historian/log aggregation, dashboards) to translate controls signals into reliability and modernization actions
Continuous learning mindset—stays current on controls trends and vendor roadmaps, and is comfortable running small, structured evaluations/pilots to validate approaches before scaling
A natural leader and mentor, able to coach engineers, uplift best practices across the network, and serve as the organization's go-to subject matter expert for controls topics
Strong communicator, capable of translating complex technical concepts into clear guidance for engineers, operations leaders, and senior executives
Ability to travel up to 25%
Benefits
Comprehensive health benefits and programs
Medical
Vision
Dental
Life insurance
401(k)
Employee discount
Short term disability
Long term disability
Paid sick leave
Paid national holidays
Paid vacation
Company
Target
Target is a retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and others.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Target has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2023 (1)
2022 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
unknown2007-12-01Post Ipo Equity
1978-01-13IPO
Leadership Team
Brian Cornell
CEO
Jim Lee
EVP and Chief Financial Officer
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