Automation controls engineer Resume: Free Example (2026)

Start with a concise header and contact block that includes your name, phone number, professional email, and LinkedIn or GitHub if relevant.
Follow with a two to three sentence professional summary, a core skills list, a prioritized experience section, and a projects or systems section that highlights hands-on automation work.

Close with education and certifications, and keep the resume to one page if you have under 10 years of experience, otherwise use two pages for senior engineers only.

Place your name at the top in a large, readable font and include city and state so local recruiters can see your location quickly.
Use a professional email address that combines your first and last name, and include a single phone number that you answer professionally.

Add a direct link to a portfolio, GitHub repository, or LinkedIn profile that showcases PLC programs, HMI screenshots, ladder logic samples, or system diagrams.

Write a 2 to 3 sentence summary that states your role, years of experience, main control platforms, and the types of systems you maintain.
Focus on measurable scope such as machine count, production throughput, or uptime improvements and keep the language specific to your control domain.

Example: "Automation Controls Engineer with 6 years of experience programming Allen-Bradley PLCs and FactoryTalk View SE HMIs for packaging and material handling lines, improved line uptime by troubleshooting control logic and optimizing start sequences.

List 8 to 12 hard skills relevant to automation controls in a compact column or inline badges, prioritizing PLC brands, SCADA/HMI platforms, communication protocols, and scripting languages.
Include items like Allen-Bradley RSLogix, Siemens STEP 7 or TIA Portal, Rockwell Studio 5000, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, SQL for data logging, Python or VBA for test automation, and industrial networking basics.

Also list process-related skills such as PID tuning, servo drives, safety relays, and ladder logic optimization so recruiters see both controls and process competence.

For each role use a short position summary followed by 3 to 6 bullet points that begin with strong action verbs and show impact.
Quantify results where possible, for example indicate percent uptime, reduction in mean time to repair, number of PLC panels designed, or annual cost savings from automation improvements.

Show the control platforms and languages used on each bullet so ATS and hiring managers can match your experience to job requirements.

Dedicate a short section for notable projects that demonstrates end-to-end ownership, such as greenfield automation installs, PLC migrations, or HMI redesigns.
For each project note your role, the technologies used, the timeline, and the measurable outcome, for example reduced cycle time by X seconds or increased throughput by Y units per hour.

Include links to portfolio artifacts when available, and avoid including proprietary code or sensitive IP in public samples.

List your degree, school, and graduation year, and place relevant certifications directly beneath the degree block to show technical validation.
Common certifications for controls engineers include Certified Automation Professional, Rockwell or Siemens product certifications, and safety training such as OSHA or NFPA 70E.

If you have significant hands-on experience, keep the education section concise and emphasize certifications and technical training instead.

Use a clean, single-column layout with standard fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica and avoid images or decorative elements that ATS may not parse.
Put keywords from the job posting into your experience and skills sections naturally, and avoid keyword stuffing, which can make bullet points hard to read.

Save and send your resume as a PDF unless the employer requests a Word file, and run your resume through an ATS checker to confirm key fields are recognized.

Adjust your summary and top skills for each application to mirror the employer's required control platforms and protocols, and move the most relevant experience to the top of the experience section.
If a posting emphasizes SCADA, expand bullet points about HMI and networked I/O, and if the role is startup focused, highlight greenfield projects and panel wiring experience.

Use the job posting headers as a guide to include exact phrasing for certifications and tools, which improves ATS match rate.

Header: Name, city, phone, email, LinkedIn.
Summary: Automation Controls Engineer, 5 years, Allen-Bradley PLCs, HMI design, improved uptime by troubleshooting control logic and optimizing start sequences.

Skills: RSLogix 5000, Studio 5000, FactoryTalk, Siemens TIA Portal, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, PID tuning, PLC panel design.
Experience: Position, Company, Dates, then bullets such as "Designed PLC control logic and HMI screens for a five-line packaging cell using Studio 5000 and FactoryTalk, reducing start sequence time by 22 percent.

" Projects: "PLC migration from legacy SLC to ControlLogix, rewrote ladder logic and validated I/O mapping, completed ahead of schedule with zero unplanned downtime.
" Education and Certs: B.

S.
in Electrical Engineering, Certified Automation Professional, Rockwell Automation training.