Sr. Automation Engineer

General Purpose / Summary Description of Job

The Senior Automation Engineer serves as a key leadership position responsible for implementing, overseeing, and continuously improving automation systems throughout all North American manufacturing facilities. This professional will champion best practice adoption, lead a team of process control engineers or contractors, manage automation-related capital investments, and ensure effective integration and utilization of control system data enterprise-wide.

This position requires comprehensive knowledge of manufacturing processes, expertise in control system technologies (particularly DeltaV), exceptional project management abilities, and the capacity to drive innovation and operational efficiency through automation while maintaining strict adherence to safety policies, environmental regulations, published codes, standards, internal policies, and Recognized And Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP).

Responsibilities:

Execute corporate automation strategy that aligns with business goals, manufacturing excellence initiatives, and digital transformation objectives.

Maintain corporate technical standards for control system design, instrumentation specifications, programming standards, system architecture, and cybersecurity protocols.

Evaluate emerging technologies (i.e. advanced process control, machine learning, AI tools, etc.) to determine implementation value and feasibility.

Facilitate regular technical forums to promote knowledge sharing, collaboration, and standardization among site engineers and corporate personnel.

Conduct systematic benchmarking of current automation systems against industry standards and best practices to identify improvement opportunities.

Provide oversight for the design, configuration, programming, simulation, testing, and commissioning of process control solutions for major capital projects and standardization rollouts.

Champion the design and implementation of robust S88-compliant batch control systems, providing tools and training for plant engineers.

Oversee the specification and selection of instrumentation, control valves, and network hardware, ensuring adherence to corporate standards and hazardous area requirements (where applicable).

Direct the development and maintenance of control system architecture, ensuring scalability, reliability, and secure integration with enterprise systems.

Lead initiatives for control loop optimization, alarm management rationalization, and the implementation of advanced regulatory control strategies.

Develop and manage control system lifecycle plans, including obsolescence management and upgrade strategies to minimize operational risk.

Develop and manage the corporate automation capital plan, working with plants to identify needs, justify projects, and secure funding.

Provide final technical approval for automation-related Capital Expenditure Requests (CERs), ensuring strategic alignment and technical soundness (typical project values $25k - $2M+).

Oversee the execution of major automation projects, ensuring adherence to scope, schedule, budget, quality, and safety standards.

Manage relationships with key automation vendors, system integrators, and engineering contractors; negotiate service agreements, pricing levels, and support structures.

Approve high-value invoices and significant project change orders.

Ensure the seamless integration and effective utilization of the data historian system (Aveva’s PI System) across all sites, connecting various process control platforms.

Leverage the business intelligence tools to develop insightful reports, dashboards, and analytics supporting operational efficiency, quality control, and leadership initiatives.

Ensure all automation designs, implementations, and modifications rigorously adhere to Process Safety Management (PSM), OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and other relevant federal, state, and local regulations and codes.

Champion safety-in-design principles for control systems, including participation in HAZOPs and LOPA reviews.

Actively contribute to the development and enforcement of Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity policies and procedures, including network segmentation, access control, patch management strategies, incident response planning, and vendor security assessments.

Requirements:

BSCHE, BSME, or BSEE with 10+ years experience

DeltaV experience required,  Batch experience and PSM experience preferred.