Senior Manager, Manufacturing Automation & Systems Engineering

Key Responsibilities

• Automation Strategy & Roadmap Execution

  • Develop and execute a multi-site automation roadmap aligned with manufacturing, product, capacity, quality, and cost objectives.

  • Identify, prioritize, and justify automation opportunities based on improvements in quality, yield, throughput, labor efficiency, safety, and return on investment.

  • Translate operational needs into scalable automation concepts, technical requirements, and phased implementation plans.

• Automation Standards & Product/Site Alignment

  • Define and maintain common automation architectures, equipment specifications, design standards, and technical best practices across products and manufacturing sites.

  • Ensure automation solutions are reusable, supportable, maintainable, and appropriately standardized while accommodating product and site-specific requirements.

  • Partner with Product, Process Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Maintenance to align automation requirements early in product and process development.

• System Design & Technical Leadership

  • Provide technical leadership for robotics, machine vision and automated inspection, conveyance and material handling, PLC and control systems, motion systems, industrial safety, and equipment integration.

  • Guide development of robust system concepts, layouts, interfaces, control strategies, and performance requirements for automated manufacturing equipment.

  • Evaluate emerging automation technologies, pilots, and proof-of-concept solutions for practical production application.

• Qualification, Validation & Deployment

  • Define qualification and acceptance plans, including measurable requirements for safety, quality, yield, cycle time, uptime, throughput, and defect detection.

  • Lead automation projects from feasibility and business case through specification, vendor selection, design reviews, build, factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, commissioning, and handoff to Operations.

  • Ensure successful startup, performance qualification, documentation, training, and closed-loop lessons learned for deployed systems.

• Operational Performance & Continuous Improvement

  • Establish and monitor automation KPIs, including uptime, yield, cycle time, throughput, defect detection, labor efficiency, and cost per unit.

  • Lead structured root-cause analysis and corrective actions for automation-related performance gaps, reliability issues, and process bottlenecks.

  • Partner with Operations, Quality, and Maintenance to optimize deployed systems and sustain expected performance over the equipment lifecycle.

• People Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Lead, coach, and develop automation, controls, and technical program resources; build capability in system integration, qualification, and structured problem solving.

  • Coordinate internal teams, external equipment suppliers, and system integrators to deliver projects safely, on schedule, within budget, and to defined performance targets.

  • Communicate automation plans, risks, performance results, and recommendations clearly to cross-functional and leadership stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience
  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Controls, Industrial, Manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline; advanced degree preferred.
  • 8–12 years of progressive experience in manufacturing automation, industrial automation, robotics, controls, or related engineering disciplines, including 3+ years of people-management or technical-leadership experience.
  • Demonstrated experience leading capital automation projects from concept through commissioning and production handoff.
  • Experience deploying automation across multiple products, production lines, sites, or external manufacturing partners.
• Technical Expertise
  • Deep expertise in industrial robotics, machine vision and automated inspection, conveyance and material handling, and automated manufacturing equipment.
  • Strong knowledge of PLC-based control systems, HMIs, industrial networks, sensors, motion systems, machine safety, and equipment/system integration.
  • Experience with automation qualification, FAT/SAT, commissioning, validation, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.
  • Familiarity with manufacturing data, MES/ERP interfaces, traceability, and digital-manufacturing technologies is preferred.
• Leadership & Business Acumen
  • Ability to develop automation roadmaps, evaluate technical and operational tradeoffs, and convert priorities into executable programs.
  • Strong vendor-management, stakeholder-management, and cross-functional leadership skills.
  • Working knowledge of capital planning, ROI analysis, cost justification, and project risk management.
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical recommendations to nontechnical audiences.

• Skills & Competencies

  • Strong systems-thinking, analytical, and structured problem-solving capabilities.

  • Hands-on technical judgment combined with practical program and project leadership.

  • High degree of ownership, integrity, adaptability, and attention to safety, quality, and detail.

  • Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, results-driven manufacturing environment.

Work Environment & Travel

Primarily flexible office and manufacturing-plant environments. Travel is expected up to approximately 25%, depending on