E-3 Visa Project Controls Engineer Jobs
Project Controls Engineer roles in the U.S. qualify as E-3 specialty occupations, requiring a degree in engineering, construction management, or a related field. Australian professionals can secure E-3 visa sponsorship without a lottery, with no annual cap and unlimited two-year renewals, making this one of the most straightforward paths to U.S. employment in the infrastructure and energy sectors.
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Get Access To All JobsJob Summary:
The Controls Engineer provides technical leadership for industrial automation and control systems that support manufacturing operations. This role designs, implements, maintains, and optimizes control technologies that improve equipment reliability, production efficiency, and manufacturing performance. Working collaboratively with operations, maintenance, engineering, and external partners, the Controls Engineer drives automation initiatives and delivers technical solutions that support operational excellence and long-term business growth.
Required Qualifications:
-
Bachelor's of Science in Engineering degree and progressively responsible automation or controls engineering experience.
-
Ability to work safely within a manufacturing environment.
-
Ability to travel occasionally to support equipment installation, vendors, or customer sites as business needs require.
Preferred Qualifications:
-
Experience designing, programming, integrating, or supporting industrial robotic and automated manufacturing systems.
-
Experience with articulated robots, collaborative robots (cobots), machine vision, servo motion control, automated material handling, or comparable industrial automation technologies is highly desirable.
Required Experience:
-
Experience designing, programming, implementing, or supporting industrial automation and machine control systems within a manufacturing environment.
-
Experience troubleshooting electrical, controls, PLC, HMI, motion control, or automated production systems.
-
Experience supporting capital equipment installations, commissioning, equipment upgrades, or process improvements.
-
Experience collaborating with maintenance, engineering, production, and external vendors to resolve technical issues.
-
Demonstrated experience applying engineering principles to improve equipment reliability, productivity, safety, or process capability.
Preferred Experience:
-
Experience supporting composite manufacturing, industrial fabrication, aerospace, automotive, or related manufacturing industries.
-
Experience integrating robotic systems, vision systems, or advanced manufacturing technologies into production environments.
-
Experience supporting facility startups or large-scale automation projects.
-
Experience supporting customer acceptance testing, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), or Site Acceptance Tests (SAT).
-
Experience working within ISO quality systems or regulated manufacturing environments.
Key Responsibilities:
-
Design, implement, maintain, and continuously improve industrial control systems that support safe, reliable, and efficient manufacturing operations.
-
Troubleshoot complex automation, electrical, PLC, HMI, robotics, and machine control systems to minimize downtime and improve equipment performance.
-
Lead automation projects, equipment integrations, and control system upgrades that enhance production capability, reliability, and operational efficiency.
-
Partner with production, maintenance, quality, and engineering teams to identify process improvement opportunities and implement technical solutions.
-
Develop and maintain control system documentation, programming standards, electrical drawings, backups, and technical records that support equipment lifecycle management.
-
Support commissioning, validation, and startup of new manufacturing equipment while ensuring safe and reliable operation.
-
Analyze equipment performance and manufacturing data to improve system reliability, process capability, and production throughput.
-
Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to maintenance, engineering, and production personnel regarding automation and control system operation.
Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements
-
Follow all company safety policies, OSHA regulations, lockout/tagout procedures, and environmental compliance requirements.
-
Properly use required PPE and safely operate tools, machinery, and diagnostic equipment.
-
Identify, report, and correct unsafe conditions and hazardous work practices.
-
Participate in safety investigations, risk assessments, and corrective action activities.
-
Work in industrial manufacturing environments with exposure to moving machinery, electrical systems, noise, heat, vibration, dust, chemicals, and varying temperatures.
-
Maintain clean and organized work areas in accordance with housekeeping and 5S standards.
-
Participate in required safety training, emergency response procedures, and incident reporting activities.
Pay: $96,000.00 - $145,000.00 per year
Benefits:
-
401(k)
-
401(k) matching
-
Dental insurance
-
Health insurance
-
Health savings account
-
Life insurance
-
Paid time off
-
Referral program
-
Retirement plan
-
Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
-
Have you completed a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering?
-
Provide your awarded degree major
Work Location: In person
Job Summary:
The Controls Engineer provides technical leadership for industrial automation and control systems that support manufacturing operations. This role designs, implements, maintains, and optimizes control technologies that improve equipment reliability, production efficiency, and manufacturing performance. Working collaboratively with operations, maintenance, engineering, and external partners, the Controls Engineer drives automation initiatives and delivers technical solutions that support operational excellence and long-term business growth.
Required Qualifications:
-
Bachelor's of Science in Engineering degree and progressively responsible automation or controls engineering experience.
-
Ability to work safely within a manufacturing environment.
-
Ability to travel occasionally to support equipment installation, vendors, or customer sites as business needs require.
Preferred Qualifications:
-
Experience designing, programming, integrating, or supporting industrial robotic and automated manufacturing systems.
-
Experience with articulated robots, collaborative robots (cobots), machine vision, servo motion control, automated material handling, or comparable industrial automation technologies is highly desirable.
Required Experience:
-
Experience designing, programming, implementing, or supporting industrial automation and machine control systems within a manufacturing environment.
-
Experience troubleshooting electrical, controls, PLC, HMI, motion control, or automated production systems.
-
Experience supporting capital equipment installations, commissioning, equipment upgrades, or process improvements.
-
Experience collaborating with maintenance, engineering, production, and external vendors to resolve technical issues.
-
Demonstrated experience applying engineering principles to improve equipment reliability, productivity, safety, or process capability.
Preferred Experience:
-
Experience supporting composite manufacturing, industrial fabrication, aerospace, automotive, or related manufacturing industries.
-
Experience integrating robotic systems, vision systems, or advanced manufacturing technologies into production environments.
-
Experience supporting facility startups or large-scale automation projects.
-
Experience supporting customer acceptance testing, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), or Site Acceptance Tests (SAT).
-
Experience working within ISO quality systems or regulated manufacturing environments.
Key Responsibilities:
-
Design, implement, maintain, and continuously improve industrial control systems that support safe, reliable, and efficient manufacturing operations.
-
Troubleshoot complex automation, electrical, PLC, HMI, robotics, and machine control systems to minimize downtime and improve equipment performance.
-
Lead automation projects, equipment integrations, and control system upgrades that enhance production capability, reliability, and operational efficiency.
-
Partner with production, maintenance, quality, and engineering teams to identify process improvement opportunities and implement technical solutions.
-
Develop and maintain control system documentation, programming standards, electrical drawings, backups, and technical records that support equipment lifecycle management.
-
Support commissioning, validation, and startup of new manufacturing equipment while ensuring safe and reliable operation.
-
Analyze equipment performance and manufacturing data to improve system reliability, process capability, and production throughput.
-
Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to maintenance, engineering, and production personnel regarding automation and control system operation.
Environmental, Health & Safety Requirements
-
Follow all company safety policies, OSHA regulations, lockout/tagout procedures, and environmental compliance requirements.
-
Properly use required PPE and safely operate tools, machinery, and diagnostic equipment.
-
Identify, report, and correct unsafe conditions and hazardous work practices.
-
Participate in safety investigations, risk assessments, and corrective action activities.
-
Work in industrial manufacturing environments with exposure to moving machinery, electrical systems, noise, heat, vibration, dust, chemicals, and varying temperatures.
-
Maintain clean and organized work areas in accordance with housekeeping and 5S standards.
-
Participate in required safety training, emergency response procedures, and incident reporting activities.
Pay: $96,000.00 - $145,000.00 per year
Benefits:
-
401(k)
-
401(k) matching
-
Dental insurance
-
Health insurance
-
Health savings account
-
Life insurance
-
Paid time off
-
Referral program
-
Retirement plan
-
Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
-
Have you completed a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering?
-
Provide your awarded degree major
Work Location: In person
See all 364+ E-3 Visa Project Controls Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new E-3 Visa Project Controls Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding E-3 Visa Sponsorship as a Project Controls Engineer
Align your credentials to U.S. specialty occupation standards
A three-year Australian engineering degree is generally accepted as equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's for E-3 visa purposes, but get a credential evaluation in advance. Officers assess whether your qualification directly supports the project controls role, not just engineering broadly.
Target owners, EPC firms, and PMCs specifically
Owner-operators, engineering-procurement-construction firms, and project management consultancies file the most E-3 LCAs for project controls roles. Prioritize employers active in capital infrastructure, oil and gas, or renewable energy, where this discipline is a defined, recurring headcount category.
Clarify scope creep in your job title during offer negotiation
Roles titled 'Project Controls Lead' or 'Cost and Schedule Engineer' qualify under E-3 specialty occupation rules, but vague titles like 'Project Support' can trigger DOL scrutiny during LCA certification. Push for a title that maps cleanly to an engineering specialty occupation at the offer stage.
Use Migrate Mate's E-3 filing service for LCA and consulate prep
The LCA must be certified by DOL before your consulate appointment, and the prevailing wage level needs to reflect your actual duties. Migrate Mate's E-3 filing service manages the entire process from offer to consulate appointment, reducing the risk of wage-level misclassification.
Check whether the employer's worksite triggers multi-state LCA requirements
Project controls engineers frequently rotate across multiple project sites. If your role involves work in more than one state, DOL requires separate LCA filings or posting obligations for each location. Confirm this with your employer before your I-797 is issued.
Time your E-3 application around project award cycles
Major EPC contracts drive sudden headcount demand, and employers are more motivated to file E-3 paperwork when a project has just been awarded. Targeting firms in active FEED or early execution phases gives you a practical advantage when requesting sponsorship.
E-3 Visa Project Controls Engineer: Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find Project Controls Engineer jobs that offer E-3 visa sponsorship?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for Australian professionals searching for U.S. roles with E-3 sponsorship. Standard job boards don't filter by visa type, so you can't easily identify which employers have filed E-3 LCAs before. Migrate Mate surfaces roles from employers with verified E-3 filing history, so you're not spending time approaching companies that have never sponsored the visa.
How much does it cost to get an E-3 visa?
Migrate Mate's E-3 filing service covers the entire process for $499, including the Labor Condition Application, visa document preparation, and consulate appointment guidance. Traditional immigration lawyers charge $2,000–$5,000+ for the same work. The E-3 has less paperwork than most work visas, so paying thousands for legal help is usually unnecessary.
Does a Project Controls Engineer role qualify as a specialty occupation for the E-3 visa?
Yes. Project controls engineering requires a theoretical and practical application of cost engineering, schedule management, or earned value analysis grounded in a specific degree field, which satisfies the E-3 specialty occupation definition. Roles requiring a bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management, or a quantitative discipline are well-established in DOL's LCA data for this visa category.
How does the E-3 compare to the H-1B for Project Controls Engineer roles?
The E-3 has no annual cap and no lottery, so you can apply any time of year once you have a job offer. The H-1B visa is subject to an oversubscribed lottery and cap of 85,000 per fiscal year, with selection typically running below 30% in recent cycles. For Australian nationals, the E-3 is a far more predictable path for this role.
Can I switch E-3 employers mid-project without losing status?
You can change employers on E-3 status, but the new employer must file a fresh LCA with DOL and you'll need a new visa stamp at a consulate if your current stamp is tied to the previous employer. There's no portability provision equivalent to H-1B AC21, so plan for a gap between projects if a consulate appointment is required.