Talent Maps / Raleigh / Controls Engineers

Raleigh Controls Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What controls and automation engineers earn in Raleigh, the biomanufacturing plants, utilities and grid companies that employ them, real posted pay ranges and where new automation talent is trained.

Hiring controls engineers in Raleigh?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers controls, automation and instrumentation engineers in the Raleigh-Cary metro area, with Research Triangle Park and Durham as a nearby submarket. Raleigh’s controls market is built around drug and vaccine plants, water utilities and grid equipment, so DeltaV, PLC and SCADA skills matter most. BLS has no single code for controls engineers, so we show the occupations they are counted in, using May 2025 wage data for the Raleigh-Cary metro, alongside real pay ranges from Triangle employer postings in 2026. Our controls engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Raleigh electrical, industrial and manufacturing and mechanical talent maps.

$130,240Median electrical engineer pay in Raleigh, the code many controls engineers fall underBLS, May 2025

$104,910Median pay for other engineers in Raleigh, the group that includes mechatronics and robotics engineersBLS, May 2025

$176,800Top of the posted range for Genentech’s principal automation engineer in Holly SpringsGenentech posting, July 2026

$2BGenentech’s Holly Springs plant, built around automation, robotics and a digital twinGenentech, August 2026

1,400Jobs Fujifilm plans at its Holly Springs plant by 2031Fujifilm, September 2025

1,071Graduates of NC State’s BTEC biomanufacturing training centerNC State, 2025

Controls engineer salaries in Raleigh

Occupation (Raleigh metro)	10th percentile	Median	90th percentile
Electrical engineers	$73,380	$130,240	$221,050
Engineers, all other (includes mechatronics and robotics)	$63,130	$104,910	$163,180
Industrial machinery mechanics	$46,430	$62,080	$82,680
Control and valve installers and repairers	$49,020	$68,730	$92,600

Annual pay. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. BLS publishes no Raleigh estimate for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technicians. In neighboring Durham-Chapel Hill their median is $81,190.

What Raleigh-area controls jobs are posting in 2026

Role	Employer and status	Posted pay
Principal Automation Engineer, Warehouse Automation	Genentech, Holly Springs, posted July 17, 2026	$95,200 to $176,800
Manufacturing Systems Engineer: Automation (DeltaV)	Amgen, Holly Springs, posted May 19, 2026, now closed	$105,363 to $142,549
SCADA/Instrumentation Technician	Durham County, posted September 3, 2026, open until filled	$57,027 to $84,000, plus a $6,000 sign-on bonus

Pay as stated by employers. Fujifilm’s Holly Springs automation postings did not state pay. Durham County sits outside the Raleigh-Cary metro, and its wastewater plant serves Research Triangle Park.

What the numbers show: the drug plants pay the most for automation engineers. Amgen posted a DeltaV role starting at $105,363, and Genentech posted a principal role reaching $176,800. Utility SCADA technician pay tops out well below that, at $84,000 in Durham County.

Where Raleigh’s controls engineers work

Biomanufacturing plants

Fujifilm hires automation engineers in Holly Springs for PLC-controlled water and steam skids, centrifuges and autoclaves running Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs. Its MES roles call for DeltaV and Syncade experience.

Amgen hires DeltaV automation engineers for its Holly Springs drug substance plants, which are expected to employ more than 700 people by 2030.

Genentech and Novo Nordisk

Genentech’s roughly $2 billion Holly Springs plant will use automation, robotics and an AI-powered digital twin. Its warehouse automation lead will run AS/RS systems, an AGV fleet and a Körber warehouse control system ahead of a planned 2028 launch.

Novo Nordisk is building a $4.1 billion third plant in Clayton, due between 2027 and 2029, next to its two existing facilities.

Grid and power automation

Hitachi Energy’s planned Cary center will work on advanced grid control devices and serve as the company’s global hub for grid cybersecurity across IT and OT systems.

Siemens Energy is expanding grid technology engineering and R&D in Raleigh.

Water and wastewater

Raleigh Water’s electricians install and maintain instrumentation, PLCs and SCADA at its wastewater plants and pump stations. A 2025 posting paid $42,357 to $68,480.

Durham County’s SCADA technicians maintain PLC and motor control circuits at the 12 million-gallon-a-day Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Where the talent sits: Raleigh submarkets

Holly Springs

Pharma automationRobotics

Fujifilm, Amgen, Genentech and CSL Seqirus.

Clayton and Johnston County

Pharma automation

Novo Nordisk’s two plants and its new fill-finish plant.

Research Triangle Park and Durham

SCADASemiconductors

Durham County’s Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wolfspeed’s headquarters and Novo Nordisk’s Durham tablet site.

Cary

Grid control

Hitachi Energy’s Power Electronics Center of Competence, due in fall 2026.

Raleigh

WaterResearch

Raleigh Water’s treatment plants and NC State’s Centennial Campus.

What’s driving demand for controls engineers in Raleigh

Genentech start-up. Genentech is hiring automation staff now for a plant it plans to launch in 2028.
Fujifilm expansion. Fujifilm is adding finished goods work in 2026 and a second phase that doubles its bioreactors, with 1,400 jobs planned by 2031.
Novo Nordisk. Its $4.1 billion Clayton plant adds 1,000 jobs between 2027 and 2029.
Grid control. Hitachi Energy’s 150-job Cary center adds demand for grid control and OT security skills.

The talent pipeline

BTEC at NC State. The Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center graduated 83 students in May 2025, bringing its alumni to 1,071. More than 80% stay in North Carolina.
NC State University. Its ABET-accredited electrical engineering program had 564 students in fall 2022, and its mechanical engineering department lists controls among its strengths.
Wake Tech. Its Mechatronics AAS covers fluid power in automation and mechatronics troubleshooting, and its Electrical Systems Technology AAS covers PLCs and industrial motor controls.
Apprenticeships. Amgen and Wake Tech run an 18-month manufacturing apprenticeship that does not require a bachelor’s degree.
Licensing. The North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors issues PE licenses. Graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs need four years of progressive experience and a passing PE exam.

What this means if you’re hiring

Name the platform. Raleigh-area postings ask for DeltaV, Syncade, Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs and warehouse control systems. Say which systems you run.
Expect validation work. Fujifilm automation roles write and run URS, FS, DQ, IQ and OQ documents. Candidates from regulated plants will already know this.
Use posted pay as a benchmark. Amgen’s DeltaV role starts at $105,363 and Genentech’s principal role tops out at $176,800.
Plan for plant competition. Fujifilm, Amgen, Genentech and Novo Nordisk are all adding plant jobs through 2031, and the first three posted automation roles in 2026.

Need controls engineers in Raleigh?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place controls, automation, instrumentation and SCADA engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 919.710.8098 or see our Raleigh engineering recruiters page.

Hire controls engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do controls engineers make in Raleigh?

Controls engineers are counted in several BLS codes. In Raleigh, electrical engineers earn a median of $130,240 and other engineers, including mechatronics engineers, $104,910. Genentech posted a principal automation engineer role in Holly Springs in 2026 at up to $176,800.

Who hires controls engineers in Raleigh?

Fujifilm, Amgen and Genentech posted automation roles in Holly Springs in 2026. Other employers of controls and SCADA staff include Novo Nordisk in Clayton, Hitachi Energy, Siemens Energy, Raleigh Water and Durham County.

How does Raleigh controls pay compare with Charlotte?

It depends on the code. Electrical engineers earn a median of $130,240 in Raleigh against $103,360 in Charlotte, but other engineers, including mechatronics engineers, earn $104,910 in Raleigh against $118,230 in Charlotte. See our Charlotte controls engineer talent map.

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