Talent Maps / Austin / Controls Engineers

Austin Controls Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What controls and automation engineers earn in Austin, the fabs, automation companies and robotics firms that employ them, real posted pay ranges and where new automation talent is trained.

Hiring controls engineers in Austin?

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 robotics engineers in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area. Austin’s controls market is built around semiconductor fabs, automation companies and robotics startups, so PLC, SCADA and tool automation skills are in steady demand. BLS has no single code for controls engineers, so we show the occupations they are counted in, using May 2025 wage data, alongside real pay ranges from Austin postings in 2026. Our controls engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Austin electrical, industrial and manufacturing and mechanical talent maps.

$145,360Median electrical engineer pay in Austin, the code many controls engineers fall underBLS, May 2025

$109,610Median pay for other engineers in Austin, the group that includes mechatronics and robotics engineersBLS, May 2025

$165,000Top of the posted range for a robotics and automation engineer at Applied Materials in AustinJob posting, 2026

$520MApptronik Series A extension for humanoid robotsBuilt In Austin, February 2026

About 400Emerson staff moving from Round Rock to its North Austin campusCommunity Impact, April 2026

55,000Square feet in UT Austin’s Texas Robotics home, the Anna Hiss GymnasiumUT Austin

Controls engineer salaries in Austin

Occupation (Austin metro)	10th percentile	Median	90th percentile
Electrical engineers	$81,960	$145,360	$212,900
Engineers, all other (includes mechatronics and robotics)	$75,870	$109,610	$172,820
Industrial machinery mechanics	$47,320	$62,660	$96,240
Control and valve installers and repairers	$43,110	$61,510	$102,550

Annual pay. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.

What Austin controls jobs are posting in 2026

Role	Location and type	Posted pay
Samsung, Experienced Controls Engineer, Gas and Chemical Systems (PLC, HMI, SCADA)	Austin, full time	$95,000 to $120,000 base
Applied Materials, Mechanical Design Systems Engineer, Robotics and Automation	Austin, full time	$120,000 to $165,000
Samsung, TEM Automation Engineer	Taylor, full time	$71,000 to $252,000 base
UT Austin Facilities, Building Automation Systems Analyst	Austin, full time, hourly	From $67,756, depending on qualifications

Postings live in September and October 2026, all from direct employers.

What the numbers show: semiconductor employers post the widest ranges. Samsung’s Taylor automation range runs from $71,000 to $252,000 depending on level, while building automation roles start much lower.

Where Austin’s controls engineers work

Automation companies

Emerson is moving about 400 staff from Round Rock to its North Austin campus at 11500 N. MoPac, which it acquired with National Instruments in October 2023. It listed the Round Rock building for sale in March 2026. That Round Rock center was once the global headquarters of Emerson’s automation systems business and the design center for its DeltaV control systems.

Siemens runs a 34,000-square-foot Austin digital hub for building services, plus an Ingenuity Center.

Semiconductor fabs

Samsung hires controls engineers for gas and chemical systems in Austin and automation engineers at its Taylor fab. Applied Materials hires robotics and automation engineers in Austin.

See our Austin semiconductor recruiters.

Robotics

Apptronik, based in Austin, raised a $520 million Series A extension in February 2026, bringing the round to about $935 million. UT Austin’s Texas Robotics program is based in the 55,000-square-foot Anna Hiss Gymnasium.

ICON cut 114 jobs, more than a quarter of its staff, in January 2025 and shifted its focus to its Phoenix line of 3D printers.

Vehicles and buildings

Tesla built its first production Cybercab at Giga Texas in February 2026. Tesla and SpaceX have also announced a chip fab there called Terafab, which is not yet a committed project.

UT Austin’s facilities team and other large campuses hire building automation specialists.

Where the talent sits: Austin submarkets

North Austin and Round Rock

AutomationTest

Emerson’s North Austin campus, the former National Instruments site, and its Round Rock building, now for sale.

Central Austin

RoboticsBuilding automation

UT Austin’s Texas Robotics and its facilities team.

Taylor

FabsTool automation

Samsung’s Taylor fab.

Southeast Travis County

Vehicles

Tesla’s Giga Texas plant and its Cybercab line.

Hutto

Technicians

Texas State Technical College’s new automation and robotics program.

What’s driving demand for controls engineers in Austin

Fab automation. Samsung’s Austin and Taylor fabs post controls and automation roles for gas, chemical and tool systems.
Robotics funding. Apptronik’s $520 million raise in 2026 adds demand for robotics and controls engineers.
Vehicle production. Tesla started building production Cybercabs at Giga Texas in February 2026.
Emerson consolidation. Emerson is moving its Round Rock teams to North Austin, keeping automation work in the metro.

The talent pipeline

UT Austin. U.S. News ranks UT Austin’s electrical engineering program #12 for graduate study and #9 for undergraduates in 2026-27, and Texas Robotics trains robotics researchers on campus.
Texas State University. Its ABET-accredited BS in electrical engineering offers three concentrations.
Austin Community College. ACC’s automated manufacturing associate degree covers robotics, and it offers a manufacturing bachelor’s degree, with partners including Samsung, Applied Materials and Tesla.
Texas State Technical College. TSTC’s Hutto campus launches semiconductor technology and automation and robotics programs in fall 2026, backed by a $3.5 million state grant.

What this means if you’re hiring

Name the platform. Austin fab postings ask for PLC, HMI and SCADA experience. Say which systems you run.
Budget for fab experience. Applied Materials posted up to $165,000 for robotics and automation work, and Samsung’s Taylor range reaches $252,000 at senior levels.
Hire technicians into engineering roles. ACC and TSTC train automation technicians who can grow into controls engineers.
Expect competition from robotics. Well-funded robotics companies hire the same controls and mechatronics engineers.

Need controls engineers in Austin?

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

Call 512.686.1181 or see our Austin engineering recruiters page.

Hire controls engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do controls engineers make in Austin?

Controls engineers are counted in several BLS codes. In Austin, electrical engineers earn a median of $145,360 and other engineers, including mechatronics engineers, $109,610. Posted Austin controls and automation roles in 2026 ranged from $67,756 to $252,000.

Who hires controls engineers in Austin?

Samsung, Applied Materials, Emerson, Siemens, Apptronik, Tesla and UT Austin all hire controls, automation or building automation staff in the metro.

How does Austin controls pay compare with Houston?

Electrical engineers earn more in Austin, with a median of $145,360 against $131,070 in Houston. Other engineers, including mechatronics engineers, earn more in Houston: $130,270 against $109,610 in Austin. See our Houston controls engineer talent map.

Sources (19)