Talent Maps / Chicago / Controls Engineers

Chicago Controls Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What controls and automation engineers earn in Chicago, the vehicle plants, utilities and research labs that employ them, real posted pay ranges and where new automation talent is trained.

Hiring controls engineers in Chicago?

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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. Chicago’s controls market is built around vehicle plants, utility substations and research labs, so PLC, SCADA and protection and control skills are in 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 Chicago employer postings in 2026. Our controls engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Chicago electrical, industrial and manufacturing and mechanical talent maps.

$113,520Median electrical engineer pay in Chicago, the code many controls engineers fall underBLS, May 2025

$121,910Median pay for other engineers in Chicago, the group that includes mechatronics and robotics engineersBLS, May 2025

$145,000Top of the posted range for a Fermilab controls engineerFermilab posting, August 2026

$126,500Top of the posted range for a ComEd testing and commissioning engineerComEd posting, September 2026

$79,400Median pay for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technicians in ChicagoBLS, May 2025

2,475Jobs planned at Hyundai Translead’s two Joliet plantsThe Herald-News, April 2026

Controls engineer salaries in Chicago

Occupation (Chicago metro)	10th percentile	Median	90th percentile
Electrical engineers	$76,660	$113,520	$165,890
Engineers, all other (includes mechatronics and robotics)	$61,860	$121,910	$172,260
Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technicians	$65,760	$79,400	$97,890
Industrial machinery mechanics	$49,250	$75,800	$102,590
Control and valve installers and repairers	$49,880	$64,220	$117,940

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

What Chicago controls jobs are posting in 2026

Role	Employer and status	Posted pay
Sr Engineer, Transmission and Substation Protection Analysis	ComEd, Oakbrook Terrace, posted April 10, 2026, still listed in October 2026	$103,200 to $141,900
General Engineer, Testing and Commissioning (relays, SCADA, substation automation)	ComEd, Libertyville, posted September 24, 2026	$92,000 to $126,500
Engineering Tech, Testing and Commissioning	ComEd, Joliet, posted April 2, 2026, still listed in October 2026	$80,000 to $110,000
Controls Engineer (firmware and feedback control)	Fermilab, Batavia, posted August 2026, closed September 28, 2026	$88,800 to $145,000

Pay as stated by employers. Illinois requires employers with 15 or more employees to list the pay scale in job postings.

What the numbers show: because Illinois postings must show pay, Chicago controls pay is easy to see. ComEd pays up to $141,900 for senior protection engineers, and Fermilab posted up to $145,000 for a controls engineer.

Where Chicago’s controls engineers work

Vehicle and trailer plants

Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant has about 4,607 employees building the Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator, and its Chicago Stamping Plant about 1,091.

Hyundai Translead is converting 2.4 million square feet of former Lion Electric and Caterpillar plants in Joliet to build semi-trailers, with production planned for 2027.

Utilities

ComEd’s testing and commissioning engineers commission and troubleshoot protective relays, SCADA, substation automation, fiber-optic and metering systems in its substations.

Its protection analysis engineers in Oakbrook Terrace study system faults and protection failures.

Research labs

Fermilab, with 2,160 staff, hires controls engineers to build readout and control systems for detectors and accelerators, including FPGA firmware for feedback control.

Argonne National Laboratory, managed by UChicago Argonne for the Department of Energy, is the region’s other national lab.

Food and building systems

Candy maker Ferrara has more than 8,300 team members and opened a $100 million manufacturing plant near Chicago.

dbHMS, based in downtown Chicago, runs building commissioning, including testing of HVAC and plumbing systems.

Where the talent sits: Chicago submarkets

Southeast Side

VehiclesAutomation

Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant on Torrence Avenue.

Oakbrook Terrace

SCADAProtection

ComEd’s transmission and substation protection engineering teams.

Batavia and the I-88 corridor

Research

Fermilab’s 6,800-acre campus and International’s Lisle headquarters.

Joliet and Will County

ManufacturingSubstations

Hyundai Translead’s trailer plants and ComEd’s Joliet testing and commissioning team.

Lake County

Utilities

ComEd’s Libertyville testing and commissioning team.

What’s driving demand for controls engineers in Chicago

New plants. Hyundai Translead plans 2,475 jobs at its two Joliet plants, with production planned for 2027.
Grid automation. ComEd’s proposed $15.3 billion grid plan includes three new substations in Chicago and added capacity at more than 70 others, and ComEd is hiring for relay, SCADA and substation automation work.
Large loads. About 100 proposed data center projects in northern Illinois have asked ComEd for a combined 33 GW, adding demand for power and building automation skills.
Quantum and research. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park is under construction in South Chicago with PsiQuantum as anchor tenant.

The talent pipeline

Harper College. Its three-year mechatronics technician apprenticeship pairs classes with on-the-job training at hiring companies and ends with an AAS in manufacturing technology and three NIMS credentials.
Northern Illinois University. NIU in DeKalb offers a BS in mechatronics engineering, alongside electrical and mechanical engineering.
Northwestern University. Its McCormick School of Engineering offers a master’s program in robotics.
UIC and Illinois Tech. Both offer ABET-accredited electrical engineering degrees in the city.
Licensing. Professional engineers are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Read more in our guide to PE and EIT licensing.

What this means if you’re hiring

Name the platform. Chicago postings ask for relay, SCADA, substation automation and FPGA firmware experience. Say which systems you run.
Use posted pay as a benchmark. Illinois postings must show pay, so candidates will compare your range with ComEd’s $92,000 to $126,500 for a mid-level engineer.
Plan for plant competition. Hyundai Translead’s Joliet hiring and Ford’s Chicago plants draw on the same automation talent pool.
Hire technicians into engineering roles. Mechatronics technicians earn a median of $79,400 in Chicago, and Harper College and NIU train the people who grow into controls engineers.

Need controls engineers in Chicago?

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 847.994.3030 or see our Chicago engineering recruiters page.

Hire controls engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do controls engineers make in Chicago?

Controls engineers are counted in several BLS codes. In Chicago, electrical engineers earn a median of $113,520 and other engineers, including mechatronics engineers, $121,910. Fermilab posted a controls engineer role in 2026 at up to $145,000.

Who hires controls engineers in Chicago?

Ford, Hyundai Translead and Ferrara run plants in the metro. ComEd hires protection, SCADA and substation automation engineers, Fermilab hires controls engineers and dbHMS hires commissioning staff.

How does Chicago controls pay compare with Dallas-Fort Worth?

It depends on the code. Electrical engineers earn a median of $124,390 in Dallas-Fort Worth against $113,520 in Chicago, but other engineers earn more in Chicago: $121,910 against $110,010. The national medians are $120,630 and $122,930. See our Dallas-Fort Worth controls engineer talent map.

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