Sr. Engineer - Advanced Manufacturing Automation
Job Number: 9853
External Description:
About This Role
As a Sr. Engineer - Advanced Manufacturing Automation, you will lead the full lifecycle of automation delivery—from design and commissioning to long-term sustainment. You’ll pair deep technical expertise in PLC, HMI, and safety systems with a sharp financial lens, using cost modeling and ROI analysis to prioritize high-impact projects. By bridging the gap between engineering and Finance, you will identify and validate "hard savings" while providing technical leadership to external integrators. A data-driven problem solver at heart, you will ensure all automated solutions are high-performing, cost-effective, and rooted in a rigorous safety-first culture.
Job Description:
1) Automation Delivery Across Products & Processes (Technical Core)
Heat Exchanger Automation
Water‑cooled (shell‑and‑tube): tube bundle handling, tube‑to‑tube sheet joining (expansion and/or seal welding), shell/nozzle welding, and automated pressure/leak test systems.
Air‑cooled (finned‑tube coils): tube insertion/expansion, header/manifold joining (brazing), automated coil leak/pressure testing, and coil handling/fixturing.
Final Assembly Automation
Implement flexible automation/assist solutions for heavy assembly, refrigerant charging systems, piping/brazing/welding support, sensor installation, control integration, and end‑of‑line (EOL) test automation and reporting.
2) Controls, Test Systems & Manufacturing Digital Integration
Own or support PLC/HMI/safety logic for manufacturing automation systems. Rockwell / Allen Bradley, Siemens are the typical PLC used.
Drive reliability improvements through enhanced diagnostics, alarm rationalization, and fault recovery.
Build/expand automated test capabilities (pressure/leak/functional) with recipe‑based execution and data capture. LabVIEW is typical test automation.
Enable or improve traceability and test data capture through MES interfaces or structured data collection.
3) Business Case, ROI & Hard Savings Ownership (What Makes This Role Different)
Identify and quantify hard savings opportunities tied to automation:
Labor reduction (direct touch time, overtime reduction, staffing flexibility)
Scrap and rework reduction (weld defects, leaks, brazing defects, coil/piping rework)
Downtime reduction / uptime gains (availability improvements and reduced lost units)
Yield / FPY improvement (fewer retests, fewer escapes, reduced MRB burden)
Warranty/field failure reduction where attributable to process improvements
Energy and consumables reductions (where meaningful: gas, nitrogen, helium, tooling wear, etc.)
Build clear automation investment cases (CapEx requests) including:
Baseline losses and constraints
Proposed solution options (buy/build/integrate)
Payback period, NPV/IRR (when applicable), and sensitivity analysis
Implementation costs (equipment, integration, downtime, training, spares)
Prioritize project pipeline with focus on:
Fast payback (e.g., ≤12–24 months) for many initiatives
Scalable solutions that can replicate across lines/products
Own benefits realization:
Create a savings tracking plan with Finance
Validate savings post‑implementation (30/60/90 days and quarterly)
Put controls in place to sustain the savings (standard work, training, audits)
4) Supplier/Integrator Leadership & Project Execution
Lead vendors/integrators end‑to‑end: requirements, RFQ, technical evaluation, acceptance criteria, FAT/SAT, commissioning, ramp, and handoff.
Define run‑at‑rate metrics and require demonstrable performance (cycle time, uptime, quality).
Ensure maintainability: documentation, code management, spare parts, PM plans, and training packages.
5) Quality, Safety & Compliance
Embed safety and compliance into automation design and commissioning:
Risk assessments, guarding, interlocks, LOTO readiness, safety validation
Partner with New Product Introduction Engineers, Manufacturing Engineering and Quality to maintain:
PFMEAs, control plans, reaction plans, capability checks for automated processes
Drive defect reduction and escape prevention across welding/brazing/leak test operations
.
6) Continuous Improvement & Standardization
Drive continuous improvement using data‑based root cause (8D/5‑Why/Fishbone) and Lean tools.
Develop standards for automation:
Preferred sensor types, safety architectures, HMI conventions, test data formats
Reduce “tribal knowledge” dependence by building repeatable processes and troubleshooting playbooks
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree
10+ years of experience delivering manufacturing automation in production environments
8+ years of experience building business cases and delivering verified savings (labor, scrap, uptime, FPY).
8+ years of experience in commissioning and sustaining automation systems in a live factory
5+ years of experience translating manufacturing problems into measurable improvement initiatives
Ability to travel up to 25% of the time (international as needed)
Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering
Masters degree
Experience with heat exchanger manufacturing (shell‑and‑tube and/or finned‑tube coils) and/or commercial HVAC chiller assembly.
Experience with automated welding, brazing processes, and/or automated leak/pressure testing.
Familiarity with MES/traceability, test data acquisition systems, and industrial networking.
Lean/Six Sigma certification or equivalent CI leadership experience.
Control Panel process and automation is a plus: Standardize and automate panel build processes where feasible: wire processing/labeling, poka‑yoke terminations, torque verification, functional test, PLC/VFD parameter loading, and traceability.
Job Number: 30199928
Community / Marketing Title: Sr. Engineer - Advanced Manufacturing Automation
Location_formattedLocationLong: North Carolina, US