Job Description

The Controls Engineering Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership, coordination, and administrative management of a multidisciplinary team that supports ride and show control systems. This role ensures the team's efforts are well-organized, properly resourced, and aligned with departmental goals in safety, uptime, quality, and continuous improvement.

While technical aptitude is important, the emphasis of this role is on management, planning, communication, and execution oversight. The Controls Engineering Manager will partner closely with a highly technical team—including the Sr. Manager, Controls—to maintain and evolve automation and show systems across the operation. The successful candidate will be proactive, organized, adaptable, and able to translate strategic goals into effective day-to-day execution.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead, supervise, and support a team of engineers and technicians across Controls, Networking, and Electronics disciplines.
• Manage team scheduling, resource planning, work prioritization, and workload balancing in coordination with the Sr. Manager and operational needs.
• Drive the development and enforcement of standard operating procedures, preventative maintenance plans, and documentation standards.
• Facilitate goal setting, performance reviews, development plans, and career growth for team members, fostering a high-performance and supportive culture.
• Coordinate departmental projects, ensuring alignment with timelines, budgets, safety standards, and operational constraints.
• Collaborate with other departments (Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Entertainment, etc.) to align priorities, remove blockers, and ensure clear communication across workgroups.
• Oversee vendor relationships, scopes of work, contracts, and procurement processes for controls-related projects and services.
• Track and report on team performance metrics, project statuses, operational KPIs, and resource utilization to departmental leadership.
• Serve as a point of escalation for technical, staffing, or scheduling challenges, ensuring issues are addressed promptly and effectively.
• Champion workplace safety, compliance, and training initiatives within the Controls Engineering team.

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website.

Salary range: $105,000 - 140,000 (bonus eligible)

Qualifications

EDUCATION:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Technical Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field. Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing technical teams in an operations or engineering environment.
• Strong project and personnel management skills, including budgeting, scheduling, and delegation.
• High proficiency in organizing team workflows, coordinating cross-functional support, and implementing structured processes.
• Effective communicator—able to translate between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with control system environments and technologies (e.g., Rockwell Automation, motion control, functional safety) sufficient to lead technical discussions and manage subject matter experts.
• Proven ability to mentor and coach diverse engineering and technical teams.
• Detail-oriented with excellent time management and organizational skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in high-reliability, safety-critical operational environments (e.g., themed entertainment, amusement, aviation, industrial automation).
• Familiarity with Rockwell Automation platforms and control system documentation (e.g., schematics, risk assessments, validation protocols).
• Exposure to AV, lighting, show control, and facility automation systems.
• Understanding of relevant safety and engineering standards (ISO 13849, IEC 62061, UL 508A, NFPA, ASTM F24).
• Experience with maintenance planning systems, asset management tools, or CMMS platforms.
• Motor control and VFDs
• Closed-loop motion control and servo systems
• PLCs, PACs, and HMIs
• Hydraulic and pneumatic systems and components
• Safety-rated components, systems, and safety-related parts of control systems

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Directly manages a cross-functional team:

• Controls Engineers
• Controls Technicians
• Network Engineers
• Network Technicians
• Electronics Technician

Responsibilities include support of hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance management, workload distribution, as well as other administrative and team management tasks.

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, or arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to AccessibilitySupport@nbcuni.com.