Lead Controls Engineer in Toronto

Imagine working at the forefront of innovation in fluid-flow technology, with over 1,400 colleagues across the globe and eight manufacturing facilities on four continents. Armstrong Fluid Technology is a community of the brightest and most creative minds, driven by a shared mission to engineer the future and safeguard our planet.

In this role, you will design and develop the complete control system at the heart of a next-generation critical infrastructure product — serving one of the fastest-growing and most demanding applications in our industry. The scope spans the full controls stack: closed-loop pressure and temperature control, state management and safety interlocks, alarm and event management, HMI, secure communications, energy-efficient operation, and product cybersecurity.

This is a standardized product development role, not a one-off project role. Our products are manufactured at scale, so control systems must behave consistently across every unit — released as version-controlled software baselines with standard configurations and formal change control. You will help mature products from concept through production, working alongside electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and embedded software engineers.

Key Accountabilities

• Controls Design and implement closed-loop control strategies for fluid systems — such as pump/flow control and temperature control.
• Architect system control topology.
• Design the alarm, event, and parameter framework.
• Implement secure communications and integration with building/facility management systems and customer equipment, using standard industrial protocols.
• Optimize control strategies for energy efficiency and equipment performance.
• Embedded Develop control software as a standard, repeatable product.
• Provide ongoing firmware support as units are deployed in the field.
• Security Embed cybersecurity best practices into the product, including secure firmware update processes, certificate-based authentication, and alignment with recognized industry security frameworks.
• HMI Develop an intuitive HMI for commissioning, diagnostics, manual overrides, and standalone operation, with role-based access control.
• Standardization & Release Mature the design through proof-of-concept, pre-production, and production phases, incorporating lessons learned while protecting the standard architecture.
• Define controls checkout and factory test procedures so that every production unit is verified consistently.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and embedded software teams, and represent controls design in technical reviews.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and set controls design standards.

What We’re Looking For

• Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in electrical, Controls, Mechatronics, or Computer Engineering; Eng designation is required.
• Minimum 10 years of experience developing control systems for industrial or mission-critical products (thermal, hydraulic, or rotating equipment).
• Proven experience designing and tuning closed-loop control for pumps, valves, or thermal-hydraulic systems.
• Experience implementing secure device communications and embedded product cybersecurity practices.
• Demonstrated experience with engineering change management, BOM and drawing release, and configuration control within a formal product development lifecycle.
• Critical infrastructure, mission-critical, or HVAC controls product experience — including chillers, heat pumps, boilers, or variable-speed pumping — is a strong asset.

Technical Skills

• Controls Closed-loop control design and tuning for pressure, flow, and temperature.
• Sequences of operation for HVAC systems, including ASHRAE Guideline 36.
• Model-based control design and simulation (MATLAB/Simulink).
• Redundant sensor handling and fault management.
• Embedded Embedded controller and PLC development.
• Embedded programming in C/C++ and IEC 61131-3.
• Firmware lifecycle: version control, upgrade procedures, and compatibility matrices.
• HMI HMI design and development for commissioning, diagnostics, and operation.
• Communications & Security Secure device communications and integration using standard building/industrial protocols (BACnet, Modbus, MQTT).
• Alignment with recognized cybersecurity standards, including IEC 62443.
• Event logging, telemetry, and remote diagnostics design.
• Standards & Verification HVAC energy and efficiency standards, including ASHRAE 90.1.
• Product safety and regulatory compliance (UL/CSA 60730, EMC).
• Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and control system verification.

Soft Skills

• Ability to simplify complex problems and provide clear, well-reasoned recommendations.
• A product mindset — designing for repeatability, reliability, and scale, with the discipline to follow standard documentation and release processes.
• An ability to communicate openly and authentically in all situations.

Why Armstrong Fluid Technology? By joining us, you’ll become part of a global community pushing the boundaries of fluid-flow technology while upholding Armstrong’s commitment to sustainability. Together, we’ll build tomorrow’s solutions today.