Team Lead - Control R&D

Role summary

Armstrong Robotics & Technologies is hiring a Team Lead for Controls R&D to work on warehouse automation projects from Nashik or Pune. This is a full-time position for an experienced controls professional who can guide a team, shape technical decisions, and deliver dependable PLC-based solutions for warehouse logistics, ASRS, ecommerce fulfilment, and industrial manufacturing.

What the role involves

You will take ownership of the complete control-system lifecycle across R&D assignments. The role combines system architecture, PLC development, commissioning, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement. You will act as the link between mechanical engineering, software integration, and customer needs while also mentoring controls engineers and setting the technical direction for the team.

Key responsibilities

• Design control architectures for complex automation setups such as ASRS, conveyor sortation, AGV/AMR integration, and GTP systems, including I/O mapping, control narratives, and functional specifications based on mechanical layouts.
• Create robust system designs with redundancy, fault tolerance, and no single point of failure for critical automation lines.
• Convert requirements from warehouse, logistics, ecommerce, pharma, F&B, automotive, and packaging projects into clear control-system solutions.
• Develop, review, and refine PLC programs using IEC 61131-3 languages such as Ladder Logic, Structured Text, Function Block Diagram, Instruction List, Sequential Function Chart, and Siemens SCL.
• Build reusable code modules and connect PLC logic with WMS and WCS layers.
• Design, commission, and tune servo and drive systems for accurate motion control and high-throughput operations.
• Use mechanics, dynamics, and applied trigonometry to create motion profiles and physics-based control loops.
• Handle fault finding during commissioning and after deployment, using 5-Why analysis, FMEA, PLC log review, and structured root-cause analysis.
• Coordinate closely with mechanical teams to align physical equipment with control logic and identify design conflicts early through design reviews.
• Use AI-based tools for coding support, fault diagnosis, documentation, and simulation, and help the team adopt AI-assisted engineering methods.
• Evaluate modern control technologies such as OPC UA, MQTT, edge computing, cloud integration, digital twins, and AI at controller level, and guide the team toward future-ready architectures.
• Lead FAT and SAT activities, prepare test procedures, and ensure compliance with IEC, ISO, IEC 62061, and ISO 13849 safety requirements.
• Maintain a zero-defect mindset while working in live warehouse environments.

Technical and behavioural expectations

The ideal candidate should bring strong PLC and automation expertise, practical experience with servo systems, industrial networking, and WMS/WCS integration, along with proven leadership ability. You should be comfortable mentoring engineers, coordinating across functions, and solving complex problems quickly in high-pressure environments.

Experience and qualification

The role calls for 5 to 10 years of experience in controls, PLCs, warehouse automation, ASRS, logistics, ecommerce, or manufacturing. Candidates should hold a B.E. or B.Tech in Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Control, or Mechatronics.

Additional note

This position is focused on building advanced automation solutions for warehouse operations and related industrial environments. The organization emphasizes reliability, speed, continuous improvement, and long-term innovation in intralogistics automation.