Engineering Manager - Automation

Engineering Manager - Automation

The Engineering Manager - Automation owns the governance, planning, and execution of automation and integration initiatives that support new facilities, process improvements, capacity expansions, and smart factory capabilities across FTI manufacturing operations. This role defines integration standards, manages the automation program roadmap, and ensures that automation systems are safely deployed, validated, and connected to enterprise systems for visibility and control.

This position leads cross-functional teams to capture requirements, design automation solutions, oversee vendor selection and commissioning, and translate automation outcomes into sustainable operational performance for fab, weld, paint, and assembly. The manager collaborates closely with Operations Engineering, Manufacturing, IT/Business Technology, Controls Engineering, Safety, Quality, Materials, Planning & Scheduling, and Continuous Improvement to ensure that automation and integration projects deliver measurable benefits and align with long-term capacity and digital transformation strategies.

The Manager serves as a subject-matter leader for manufacturing automation and smart factory practices, guiding technology selection (AGVs, AMRs, PLCs, SCADA, MES, WMS), integration architecture, cybersecurity, and data standards. The role establishes KPIs for automation effectiveness and financial impact, provides regular executive-level reporting, and supports Lean and change management by enabling data-driven decisions and continuous improvement based on real-time production data.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required (engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing, computer science, controls engineering, or related field). Master's degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, automation engineering, controls integration, or related field.
• Significant experience with manufacturing automation systems (AGVs, AMRs, robotics, conveyors, PLCs, SCADA, HMI) and their integration into production environments.
• Demonstrated experience with ERP, MES, WMS, or similar enterprise systems integration in manufacturing.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional programs that span automation deployment, controls integration, and IT/OT convergence.

Travel: 0-25%

Work Schedule: This position works between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

Work Location: This role is a hybrid opportunity. The person can sit out of Little Chute, WI, Lebanon, TN, El Paso, TX or Olathe, KS.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the portfolio of automation and integration programs supporting AGV/AMR deployment, material conveyance, robotics, controls integration, and smart factory initiatives across fab, weld, paint, and assembly.
• Establish and maintain standards for automation and integration projects, including controls architecture, data protocols, cybersecurity, safety interlocks, and validation criteria.
• Manage programs that deploy AGVs, AMRs, and automated material handling systems to move materials and assemblies between operations, reducing manual transport and improving throughput and safety.
• Oversee integration of manufacturing automation systems (PLCs, robotics, SCADA, HMI) with IT infrastructure and business systems (ERP, MES, WMS) to enable real-time scheduling, inventory replenishment, cycle time tracking, and labor visibility.
• Define and execute smart factory roadmaps that connect production equipment, sensors, and automation systems to cloud or on-premise data platforms for monitoring, analytics, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with IT/Business Technology to design and implement secure, scalable IT/OT network architectures that support automation systems while maintaining cybersecurity and uptime requirements.
• Lead vendor selection, procurement, installation, commissioning, and validation of automation equipment and systems, ensuring adherence to project scope, schedule, budget, and quality standards.
• Coordinate with Controls Engineering and Operations Engineering to develop and maintain control system standards, PLC/SCADA programming standards, and change management procedures for automation systems.
• Collaborate with Safety and Quality teams to ensure all automation systems meet safety standards (e.g., risk assessments, guarding, e-stops, lockout/tagout) and quality requirements (e.g., process capability, traceability).
• Define and track KPIs for automation programs, including equipment uptime, cycle time reduction, labor productivity, material flow efficiency, integration completion, and ROI.
• Provide regular executive-level reporting on the automation and integration program roadmap, active projects, key findings, risks, and financial impact (CapEx, labor savings, throughput gains).
• Lead and develop a team of automation project managers, controls engineers, or integration specialists (as assigned), setting priorities and ensuring consistent practices and documentation.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of technology improvements in automation and integration, including evaluation of new hardware, software platforms, AI/ML capabilities, and predictive maintenance tools.
• Support Design for Automation and Design for Manufacturability initiatives by providing feedback to engineering on product and process designs that enable or constrain automation opportunities.
• Drive structured decision making using Choosing By Advantages or similar methods to evaluate automation technology options, vendors, and integration approaches.
• Support Lean and continuous improvement initiatives by providing real-time production data, automation-enabled problem solving, and scenario analysis for operational changes.
• Champion change management and training to help operations teams understand, trust, and effectively use automation systems and real-time data for decision making.
• Performs other related duties as required and assigned.