Controls Technician
North Charleston, South Carolina
Onsite
About Red Metals
Red Metals is rethinking the domestic copper supply chain at a pivotal moment in American industry.
U.S. demand already exceeds domestic supply, and the gap is widening as grid modernization, the energy transition, and buildout of AI infrastructure accelerate. We are building a new model for this critical industrial layer in the United States.
Conventional refining moves copper through concentrate, matte, anode, and cathode before it becomes rod. We go straight from scrap to rod in one facility, using our integrated flowsheet that brings together shredders, mills, physical AI, and molten metal chemistry.
We are building our first production line in North Charleston, South Carolina: a $70M investment in the future of American-made copper.
The Role
We are looking for a Controls Technician to install, commission, and maintain the automation systems that run our first scrap-to-rod production line.
Our control systems are a mix of systems we build in-house and automation skids that come with our equipment. You will start during equipment installation and will work with our engineering team, vendors and subcontractors to install, commission, and start up all of our processes. After commissioning, you will be part of the team that supports keeping these systems running and improving them for our operations team. Over time, our goal is to build our plant ownership to include both the electrical hardware and the software side of the facility as a means to sustained career and technical growth.
You will be fully integrated into our controls team. Our controls team has a wide scope, covering electrical, instrumentation, and software. You will work day shift, hand in hand with our engineering team. As our first controls technician, you will wear many hats. This role suits technicians who want to learn fast, take ownership, and grow with the plant.
What You’ll Do
Install, wire, and terminate control panels, field devices, and instruments
Run I/O and loop checks, and support commissioning of in-house systems and vendor skids through our production ramp-up
Lead, design, and own continuous improvement projects for our plant once the plant is stable
Calibrate and maintain the instruments that measure process conditions and product quality
Troubleshoot PLC, HMI, and Ignition faults on the line
Write and change PLC, HMI, and Ignition logic; taking ownership of smaller systems over time
Configure, maintain, and repair VFDs, motor controls, MCCs, and industrial networks
Install and function-test safety devices and interlocks across the plant, from e-stops and light curtains to burner and combustion controls
Build and run the preventive maintenance and calibration program for controls equipment
Keep drawings, as-builts, spare parts lists, and documentation current
Red Metals Non-Negotiables
Bias for Action
We move fast. Speed beats polish. We use every tool, especially AI, to accelerate decisions, execution, and learning.
Grit
We do hard things because they matter. We keep pushing when others quit.
Ownership
We own outcomes, not tasks. We see problems, fix them, and follow through across functions.
Signal
We cut through noise. We communicate clearly and directly so decisions are fast and execution stays sharp.
Craft
We take pride in our work. Quality, care, and precision are the standard.
What We’re Looking For
Associate degree or technical certificate in industrial electricity, electronics, instrumentation, or mechatronics, or military or apprenticeship training, or equivalent hands-on experience
2+ years of experience as a controls, I&E, or automation technician in an industrial plant
Strong fundamentals in electrical systems, control circuits, and instrumentation, including the ability to read schematics, wiring diagrams, and P&IDs
Hands-on experience troubleshooting PLCs (any platform), VFDs, and field instruments with meters, loop calibrators, and other test tools
NFPA 70E training, or willingness to complete it in your first 90 days
Experience working with vendors and subcontractors during installation or start-up
Drive to learn new skills fast, including PLC programming, and take ownership of systems end to end
Comfortable working on the plant floor near molten metal and heavy equipment, in FR PPE, on ladders and lifts, and lifting up to 50 lb
Ability to operate with incomplete information and make sound decisions quickly
Strong Pluses:
Background in metals, foundry, casting, recycling, or heavy industry
Experience commissioning new plants or first-of-a-kind systems
Experience with Siemens TIA Portal and Ignition
Experience with machine vision or sorting equipment
Python or other scripting experience
Startup or early-stage experience
Why Red Metals
Build a company from zero, not optimize an existing system
Direct ownership of critical process and operational decisions
Work on a problem that matters: rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity
Small team, high trust, no bureaucracy
Location
This role is based in North Charleston, South Carolina and requires on-site work.
