What should you pay a controls engineer in 2026?
More than the published average, if you want to hire one who is moving.
Jon Woolley
How do smaller integrators win engineers against the giants?
By offering the things the giants structurally can’t: ownership of a project end to end, a founder who interviews you over a meal, pay bands that have moved since 2021 and a say in where the work takes you.
What should you look for when hiring a controls engineer?
Someone who can walk you through a project from spec to startup and tell you what went wrong.
How fast does a controls engineer hiring process need to be?
Two weeks from first interview to offer.
Why is your senior controls engineer role still open?
Usually because the salary band hasn’t moved, the travel expectation is higher than the market will take, or the process is slower than the engineers you’re interviewing.
How do you choose a recruiter for controls and automation engineers?
Choose one who only works in controls and automation and can talk through your platforms and projects on the first call.
W2 or 1099: what does it mean for a hiring manager?
W2 means the contractor is employed, by us or our employer of record, and we handle payroll, taxes, insurance and benefits.
What does it cost to use a specialist recruiter for controls engineers?
Permanent placements are charged a fee agreed in writing before the search starts.
Retained, contingency, embedded or contract: which hiring model should an integrator use?
Use retained for the hire that can’t go wrong, contingency for a single role where you want help without commitment, embedded for a team build with a deadline, and contract when the work has an end date.
How do you write a controls engineer job spec that engineers actually reply to?
Describe the work, not the ideal person.
