Senior Automation Engineer

Description

The role is a senior automation position in the manufacturing, utilities and facilities control systems of a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.

You will configure and program operation technology systems of moderate to complex scope under the company's change management procedures, lead small to medium automation projects to keep them on schedule, and provide technical support and troubleshooting for assigned systems and areas.

You will also handle administration and maintenance of assigned operation technology systems under the applicable department procedures.

The company is listed as the employer throughout, and there is no mention of the team beyond the work described here.

Responsibilities

• Build moderate to complex control configurations and programs that follow the design documents and meet functional requirements.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for automation applications and process control systems.
• Advise on process control matters, including manufacturing continuity issues and process improvements.
• Perform and review configuration and programming against defined practices to confirm compliance with user and functional requirements.
• Lead delivery of operation technology lifecycle items, including validation work and documents such as functional and design specifications.
• Assess and roll out new tools for system administration and maintenance, such as operating system and antivirus updates, user account management and critical data backups.
• Apply project management methods to monitor, report on and control small to medium automation projects, and support capital projects when automation expertise is needed.
• Plan schedules with supply chain and operations for maintenance and system changes in production, often during off-peak hours, which may include overtime, overnight or weekend work.
• Follow EHS management system requirements and compliance obligations, drive continuous improvement, and weigh EHS factors in design and change work.
• Train operation technology users and engineers on new automation technologies and process control applications.
• Diagnose and fix hardware, software and network faults in operation technology systems, replacing defective parts as needed.
• Implement and validate upgrades and data migrations for DCS, PLC, SCADA and data historian systems.
• Follow all EHS procedures and policies, including incident reporting.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering or a related field and at least 6 years of relevant experience, or a master's degree in one of those fields and at least 4 years of relevant experience.
• Required experience administering or configuring distributed control systems such as Emerson DeltaV or Foxboro I/A.
• Experience with SCADA and PLCs such as Allen-Bradley ControlLogix, including ladder logic and structured text programming. Experience building and managing HMI graphics is preferred.
• Experience with commissioning and qualification, including computerized systems validation. Experience administering or configuring a data historian such as OSIsoft PI is preferred.
• A solid grasp of pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing, including operating best practices and regulatory expectations.
• Exposure to FDA, GMP, 21 CFR Part 11, data integrity, and safety and environmental legislation in an industry setting.
• Experience designing and implementing Windows Server and related components, such as Active Directory, NTFS setup and security, user administration, and TCP/IP with DHCP, WINS and DNS, is preferred.
• Preferred qualifications: working experience with Ignition MES, architecture development, equipment integration, and steady state management.

Conditions

Pay range: the company expects base pay within a range set by the job grade at posting, with the actual figure depending on factors such as location. The range may change, and pay may fall above or below it. This applies only where state or local law requires pay disclosure.

The job is eligible for the company's short-term incentive programs.

Bonus, commission, incentive and other compensation remain at the company's sole discretion until paid, and may change under applicable law.

The company is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits

• Paid time off covering vacation, holidays and sick leave.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance, and a 401(k), for eligible employees.