PLC / Controls Superintendent

Hampton Lumber is a thriving family-owned company aspiring to be North America's preferred source for responsibly-sourced wood solutions. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, we operate nine sawmills in Western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. We also manage timberland and operate a wholesale and import/export division.  

Our mission is to grow, manufacture, and market renewable wood products and deliver innovative solutions for a more sustainable built environment. At Hampton Lumber, we accomplish this through our own operations as well as those of our affiliates—Trapa Forest Products, Idaho Timber, and RedBuilt. Our tagline, "Find a better way every day," encapsulates our commitment to innovation and improvement across all operations. 

We are guided by our core values: 

• Safety – Prioritize safety across all operations.
• Integrity & Authenticity – Operate honestly and ethically while preserving our distinctive family-owned brand.
• Responsible Stewardship – Endeavor to balance and maintain economic, social, and environmental values in everything we do.
• Tenacity – Embrace challenges with grit, determination, and a can-do spirit. 
• Continuous Improvement – Strive to enhance our processes, products, and people.
• Customer Satisfaction – Be nimble, responsive, and solutions-oriented.
• Community Engagement – Be a responsive, supportive, and respected member of the community.

With over 80 years in the sawmill business, we are proud to have cultivated the knowledge and experience needed to grow and prosper, even in challenging times.  We always look to the future and invest in our people, new technologies, and continuous improvement processes and techniques. 

The PLC/Controls Superintendent is responsible for the reliability, performance, and continuous improvement of all automation, control systems, and industrial networks across the mill. This role leads commissioning of automation equipment during construction and start-up, ensures system safety and uptime, and serves as the site expert for PLC, HMI, SCADA, and network infrastructure.

This position is hands-on and highly collaborative, working with OEMs, integrators, maintenance, production, and corporate engineering to ensure smooth ramp-up and long-term operational excellence.

• Substantial company-paid assistance for Medical and Dental insurance premiums; mental health coverage; cost effective co-pays and deductibles
• 401(k) with 5% annual company contribution and generous company matching contributions vested over three years
• Paid time off, including eight paid holidays
• Participation in the employee bonus program
• Employee wellness program that includes free counseling sessions, financial and legal guidance, and more
• Opportunities for paid training to support career advancement and personal development

Key Responsibilities

Start-Up / Construction Phase

• Lead controls commissioning activities with OEMs and system integrators.
• Review and validate PLC code, HMI screens, and network architecture.
• Verify I/O checkout, safety circuits, emergency stops, and interlocks.
• Assist with factory acceptance tests (FAT) and site acceptance tests (SAT).
• Ensure Ethernet/IP, ProfiNet, Modbus, fiber, and wireless networks are correctly installed and documented.
• Participate in redline drawing corrections and as-built documentation development.
• Establish controls standards, file saving conventions, and backup procedures.

Operational Responsibilities

• Monitor and optimize performance of controls for machine centers.
• Troubleshoot PLCs, VFDs, servo systems, industrial networks, and optimization scanners.
• Maintain PLC/HMI programs (Rockwell Studio 5000, Siemens, Wonderware, etc.).
• Perform network diagnostics, latency analysis, addressing, and switch management.
• Collaborate with production leadership to improve throughput, quality, and uptime.
• Implement improvements to reduce downtime and enhance reliability.
• Maintain backups, revision control, and change management for all control systems.
• Manage PLC/HMI licensing, updates, firmware revisions, and cybersecurity patches.
• Guide lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures related to controls systems.

Reliability & Preventive Maintenance

• Develop and oversee a preventive maintenance program for controls equipment.
• Perform periodic checks on scanners, encoders, sensors, photo eyes, VFD cooling, and network gear.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for automation-related failures.
• Implement predictive technologies (thermal imaging, network monitoring, vibration sensors on servo drives, etc.).
• Maintain detailed documentation, one-lines, I/O maps, and equipment manuals.

Leadership & Administration

• Establish mill standards for PLC programming, naming conventions, tagging, labeling, and network structure.
• Train electricians, technicians, and operators on control system basics and troubleshooting.
• Plan and manage controls-related projects, upgrades, and shutdown activities.
• Mentor controls team members.
• Manage vendor and contractor relationships for controls-related work.
• Maintain budget awareness for controls equipment, spare parts, and software licenses.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of experience in industrial automation, controls engineering, or PLC/HMI programming.
• Experience in high-speed manufacturing, lumber, sawmill, paper, or similar heavy industrial environment.
• Proficiency with Rockwell/Allen-Bradley PLCs (ControlLogix, CompactLogix) and Studio 5000.
• Strong knowledge of VFDs, servo drives, safety PLCs, and motor controls.
• Understanding of Ethernet/IP, managed switches, VLANs, fiber, and industrial networking.
• Experience supervising or mentoring automation staff or electricians.
• Ability to read/interpret electrical schematics, one-lines, P&IDs, and network drawings.
• Strong troubleshooting skills under pressure in a production environment.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation, Mechatronics, or related field.
• Experience with:
• Siemens PLCs
• Wonderware or Ignition SCADA
• Optimized scanning systems (USNR, BID Group, Comact, etc.)
• Motion control systems
• Profibus/ProfiNet and Modbus
• Experience in greenfield/start-up environments.
• Cybersecurity knowledge for OT networks (firewalls, patching, segmentation).

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership presence and communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making.
• Ability to collaborate with production, maintenance, and engineering teams.
• Organized, disciplined, and capable of managing multiple priorities.
• High commitment to safety and reliability.

The timber and wood products industry is a vital part of many communities, and we're excited to bring new opportunities to Allendale County, South Carolina. We are committed to supporting the local workforce, investing in training and development, and being active members of the communities where we operate. Many of our employees have built long, rewarding careers with us, and we look forward to welcoming new team members to our family.

Learn more at , follow us on Facebook & Instagram: @hamptonlumber

Hampton Lumber is an equal opportunity employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by law. 

Disability accommodation available: If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, please contact the Human Resources Office for the location that you are applying.

Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please see these government posters: EEO is the Law and its accompanying temporary supplement.