Controls Technician - Houghton

Northern Hardwoods, a producer of world-wide premium hardwoods, is hiring a full-time Controls Technician to join their team in Atlantic Mine, Michigan. · As our Controls Technician, you're the point person for keeping process control systems running reliably, safely, and efficie ...

Job description

Northern Hardwoods, a producer of world-wide premium hardwoods, is hiring a full-time Controls Technician to join their team in Atlantic Mine, Michigan.

As our Controls Technician, you're the point person for keeping process control systems running reliably, safely, and efficiently within a designated area of the facility—so the mill keeps turning out world-wide premium hardwoods the right way, every day.

You report directly to the Maintenance Manager.

WHAT WE OFFER.
$55,000 - $79,000 annual starting salary.
Health, dental, vision, life and short-term disability insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with 4% employer matching contribution.
Paid vacation, paid sick time, and paid holidays.

Full-time Monday – Friday position with flexibility to work early mornings, nights, and/or weekends as needed to perform maintenance when the plant isn't operating.

WHAT YOU WILL DO.

You keep the control systems healthy, the process stable, and downtime short—whether it's a quick tweak, a deeper diagnostic hunt, or a bigger system improvement.

Day-to-day, you:
Support daily and breakdown maintenance—especially troubleshooting automation and PLC-based systems, including interfaced systems, displays/HMIs, and field devices.
Perform repairs to electrical equipment.
Provide after-hours support for process control systems (because stuff likes to fail at the least convenient time).
Review and create loop sheets and logic documentation for new and existing systems.
Monitor control system reliability and process variability—and take action to eliminate shortcomings.
Optimize systems for yield and efficiencies (you see opportunity in every trend line).
Lead software upgrades to plant systems.
Act as a process control advocate, partnering with operations, internal IT, and external vendors.
Develop and lead preventive maintenance and troubleshooting for hardware, software applications, and infrastructure—keeping performance, security, and reliability high.
Assess overall system health using diagnostics and system tools.
Support capital projects through software and PLC integration.
Review spare parts to maintain an adequate inventory of compatible parts and identify upgrade needs.
Develop/document maintenance and troubleshooting procedures that make the next fix faster and smarter.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.
Associate degree in Electronics, Instrumentation, Automation, Electrical Engineering Technology (or equivalent experience).
4+ years in an industrial maintenance setting preferred.
You can configure and troubleshoot PLC-based systems and connected displays/HMIs.

You can create and review installation specs, blueprints, and PLC documentation, including piping & instrumentation diagrams, loop sheets, and logic diagrams.

You can support the network and computer systems tied to automated control systems.
Sawmill and boiler experience (high/low pressure) is a plus, not a requirement.

You diagnose problems, chase continuous improvement, communicate well, stay organized and self-directed, support the team, and lead with safety in mind always.

ARE YOU READY to build something that lasts? Apply online at

Northern Hardwoods manages the full forest-to-finished-products process—harvesting timber and producing premium hardwood lumber, pulpwood, and veneer logs in a modern, state-of-the-art sawmill.

We're part of the J.M. Longyear family of companies, a privately held organization with 150 years of long-term value and stability.