Automation and Controls Supervisor

Position

Automation and Controls Supervisor

Location

Arden, NC

About us

BorgWarner is a global product leader in delivering innovative and sustainable mobility solutions. We are a company of innovators and independent thinkers that brings together talented employees, meaningful work and amazing technology in a unique environment. At BorgWarner, we constantly work towards our vision of a clean and energy-efficient world.

Our Culture

BorgWarner promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive environment, honors integrity, strives for excellence, commits to responsibility for our communities and the environment, and builds on the power of collaboration. We believe the health and safety of our employees are a top priority.

Career Opportunities

We manage talent as seriously as we manage our businesses and encourage you to learn about our proud history, strong culture, technologies, and vision for the future. We offer positions locally and globally with over 80 locations in 19 countries.

If this position energizes you and you feel you can help us achieve our mission and vision, you are invited to submit an application for consideration.

You may see the list of requirements and feel you do not meet all of them. However, remember that BorgWarner thinks differently. If your qualifications align with the majority of those outlined in this job description, we encourage you to apply and share your experience and skills with us.

For a listing of Asheville/Arden openings: BorgWarner Openings

Pay & Benefits

All positions start at an above market pay rate for that position. Benefits are also above market and include the below for all fulltime employees:

• Day 1 Medical Coverage with potential of no monthly premium
• Onsite Health Clinic for employees and dependents (age 14 and over) at no cost
• Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, and Disability Coverage
• Tuition Reimbursement Program after 18 months
• Retirement Savings Plan (401k) with a matching program
• Company paid holidays and vacation starting Day 1

Job Purpose

The BorgWarner Arden campus offers two world class technical centers and a cutting-edge manufacturing facility that designs and produces turbos, fan, and fan drive components for the automotive industry. The Arden campus offers a multitude of career opportunities and is in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.

The Automation and Controls Supervisor is a hands-on technical leader responsible for supervising and managing the plant Controls Engineering group while actively participating in automation projects and day-to-day controls engineering activities. This role combines strong people leadership, work management, and project ownership with deep technical expertise in process automation, industrial controls, robotics, and digital manufacturing systems.

The Supervisor ensures safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of automated manufacturing systems while driving continuous improvement, standardization, and modernization of controls architectures.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise, coach, and develop the Controls Engineering team, including work assignment, prioritization, performance feedback, and technical mentoring.
• Act as work manager for the controls group by planning resources, managing workload, and coordinating support for production, maintenance, and capital projects.
• Lead and participate in automation and controls projects from concept through commissioning, including scope definition, cost justification, scheduling, and execution.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Maintenance, Quality, IT, and EHS teams to improve safety, quality, throughput, and equipment reliability.
• Design, program, and troubleshoot PLCs, HMIs, robotics, vision systems, SCADA, and data collection systems as needed.
• Drive process automation initiatives, including robotics, collaborative robots, shopfloor digitalization, and Industry 4.0 solutions.
• Support advanced analytics, IoT, and data-driven manufacturing initiatives for predictive maintenance and process optimization.
• Standardize controls architectures, programming practices, documentation, and change management processes.
• Partner with Maintenance to resolve chronic equipment issues and reduce downtime.
• Manage external vendors and integrators for equipment builds, upgrades, and installations.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, ISO, RIA, and internal safety and quality standards.
• Participate in equipment safety reviews, risk assessments, and corrective actions.
• Support continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives.
• Perform other duties as needed.

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in Controls Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Automation Engineering, Robotics, or Computer Science
• 7+ years of experience in industrial automation or manufacturing controls
• 3+ years of experience as a manager
• A minimum of 3 years of experience working with automated machinery in a manufacturing context is preferred.
• Prior experience leading or supervising technical teams preferred
• Strong background with Allen Bradley PLCs/HMIs; Siemens PLC experience preferred.
• Experience with robotics, vision systems, and industrial safety systems.
• At least 1 year of project management experience including budgeting, scheduling, vendor coordination, cost justification, planning, and milestone management.
• Strong understanding of process automation, manufacturing systems, and data integration.
• Demonstrated ability to program and integrate machine vision systems (required; Cognex 2D/3D; Keyence experience is a plus).
• Strong background in designing, programming, and deploying robotic and collaborative robotic systems.
• Proficiency in programming and troubleshooting Fanuc robots/cobots (EPSON and additional robotic platforms are advantageous).
• Competence in SQL database management, including interfacing with PLCs via RSSQL, FTTM (Factory Talk Transaction Manager), or Ignition.
• Knowledge of SQL programming and Stored Procedures
• Experience designing and managing safety systems within an industrial setting.
• Familiarity with automotive product manufacturing (e.g., engine systems) is preferred.
• Basic knowledge of SAP and experience interfacing manufacturing systems with APIs; advanced SAP knowledge is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Expertise with Ignition modules (Ignition Perspective, Transaction Groups, Vision, Database Connections, IoT integration, shopfloor device connections).
• Experience in process data collection via integrated systems.
• Capability to design and implement API connections using Python, Java, or MS.NET. (JSON, MQTT, RESTful, Web Services, etc.)
• Attendance on the job is essential.
• Must be able to work in a team environment.
• Must be able to follow instructions, safety rules and regulations.

What we believe

• Inclusion: Respecting Individuals
• Integrity: Honoring truth
• Excellence: Focusing on results
• Responsibility: Our commitment
• Collaboration: Building trust

Safety

This position will adhere to the BorgWarner Environmental Health and Safety Program by following all safety rules, procedures, practices, training, and safe use of equipment; this includes use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as required. This individual will work in a way that stresses the importance of preventing injury, accidents, or illnesses to themselves or co-workers by correcting or reporting unsafe situations, incidents, or occurrences to their Team Lead immediately.

Equal Employment Opportunity

BorgWarner is an equal employment opportunity employer such that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Join the company that is creating solutions that support a cleaner, more energy-efficient world.

For more information about BorgWarner, please visit

For a listing of Asheville/Arden openings: BorgWarner Openings

Salary Range:

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