Controls Technician

Danville, VA
Full Time
Maintenance
Mid Level

ABOUT AEROFARMS:  
AeroFarms is transforming agriculture with people and the planet in mind. As a Certified B Corporation and a pioneer in indoor vertical farming, we have built a proprietary agriculture platform to grow products, delivering superior flavor, better quality, and improved nutrition and food safety in our industry. Now in over 1,000+ store fronts across the nation, we are scaling our award-winning brand and technology.   

Join AeroFarms in revolutionizing indoor farming and high-speed packaging operations as our Production Manager on Night Shift at our cutting-edge facility in Danville, VA. We're seeking an experienced leader to drive operational excellence and ensure adherence to industry-leading standards in vertical farming and packaging efficiency demonstrating superior leadership in Food GMP Standards, and Employee Safety and Wellbeing.  

Job Description: We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Controls Tech to join our team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for improving, troubleshooting, and maintaining robotic and PLC controlled automation equipment in our manufacturing indoor farming facility.

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Promote a safe working environment by following all safety procedures
  • Improve, troubleshoot, and maintain robotic and PLC controlled automation equipment. 
  • Perform work in an FDA/USDA regulated industry like food or medical manufacturing, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations. 
  • Be Fluent to perform PLC troubleshooting and able to modify code as needed in existing PLC programs to optimize efficiency and plant performance while using good change control practices. 
  • Learn and become proficient in multiple PLC branded platforms including Allen Bradley, Siemens, Schneider, Control Logix, Wago, etc. type systems. 
  • Troubleshoot and modify software programs for material handling control systems, including PLC controllers, Allen Bradley Controllogix and Compactlogix PLC platform utilizing RSLogix 5000 software package. Including Industrial networks such as Ethernet, motor control systems, servo drives, frequency drives, and electrical distribution systems.
  • Act as first level escalation support for the technician teams. Appropriately escalate downtime situations to vendors or headquarters for support to restore equipment operation.
  • Maintain and troubleshoot servo and stepper-controlled systems, weigh scales, ink jet printers, network devices, sensors, motors, valves, LED lighting, pumps, environmental sensors, automated packaging lines. 
  • Troubleshoot and maintain motion-controlled system with integrated robotic work cell systems. 
  • Understand VFD motor-controlled systems and troubleshoot for optimal performance and maintenance. 
  • Willingness to work with a 12-hour production shift.
  • Lead shift maintenance team in all reactive, preventative, and corrective repairs
  • Monitor and manage all shift KPIs
  • Any other task as directed by supervisor
Preferred Qualifications: 
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or related field
OR
  • Associate's degree in Automation and Controls or related field, and 3-5 years of experience supporting highly automated facilities and equipment. 
OR
  • 5-10 years of experience in an Automation and Controls or related field supporting highly automated facilities and equipment. 
  • 1-5 years or related leadership experience
  • Experience with a Computer Maintenance Management System (CMMS)
Skills and Competencies: 
  • Strong problem-solving skills and ability to think analytically. 
  • Must be fluent in PLC understanding, troubleshooting and ability to program ladder logic. 
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment. 
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new technologies and systems. 
  • Attention to detail and commitment to quality. 
  • Knowledge of safety protocols and procedures in industrial settings. 
  • Willingness to work on 12-hour rotation schedule with production team
     

    Internal candidates seeking a promotion must have completed a minimum of six months in their current role and/or have less than four attendance points before becoming eligible for consideration. 

    *Please note that AeroFarms does not work with any external staffing/recruitment vendors. Any unsolicited resumes shared with the AeroFarms team will be considered property of AeroFarms and no recruitment fees of any kind will be paid or owed unless an existing recruitment agreement exists alongside with specific engagement for the role in question.

    In accordance with organizational protocol, employees will at times be required to fill absences in the operation process that are equal to or lower than their positional hierarchy. Additionally, if an employee is absent, the role of the absent employee is to be completed by their immediate superior.

Share

Apply for this position

Required*
Apply with Indeed
We've received your resume. Click here to update it.
Attach resume or Paste resume
Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more.
Invitation for Job Applicants to Self-Identify as a U.S. Veteran
  • A “disabled veteran” is one of the following:
    • a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
    • a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
  • A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
  • An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
  • An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.
Veteran status


Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Please check one of the boxes below:

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

You must enter your name and date
Human Check*