Associate Engineer II, Automation

Job Description

Job Description

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq ARWR) is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead's RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.

Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.

Arrowhead's corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI.  Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need. 

The Position

The Associate Engineer II, Automation, plays a critical role in plant engineering operations and contributes to continuous improvements to enhance efficiency, safety, and productivity for the manufacturing plant. The Associate Automation Engineer II is responsible for supporting the lifecycle of our process control programming, hardware, and supporting network infrastructure under the guidance of management and subject matter experts. Core duties will include implementing efficiency/safety/process automation improvements, providing technical support to the Plant Operations team, and participating in projects to transfer new automated equipment to manufacturing facilities.

Responsibilities

• Program, troubleshoot, and maintain PLC and SCADA programs and process control hardware to support pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Troubleshoot simple to moderate automation and associated electrical and mechanical system issues with support from subject matter experts.
• Independently identify and complete simple controls and equipment corrective actions or work as part of team to identify root cause and correct moderate to complex electrical, controls, and mechanical issues.
• Define scope and deliverables of automation improvement projects of simple to moderate complexity; lead or work as part of a cross functional team to plan, implement and test improvements.
• Participate on project teams to implement moderate to complex automation projects; collaborate on shared deliverables, mitigate project risks, provide project updates, and meet timelines
• Support and coordinate with contracted system integrators with project delivery as part of a cross functional project team.
• Update and maintain engineering documents, electrical / network drawings, and equipment records with changes.
• Advance standard operating procedures (SOPs) for process control system administration, maintenance, and management of changes.
• Work independently as a super user for simple automation systems, such as Environmental Monitoring. Perform routine administrative level tasks such as new device addition, user addition and review, and alarm strategy review with end user input.
• Execute process control system administrative and maintenance tasks such as hardware and software version reviews, back-up and patching in adherence to prescribed schedule and procedures.  
• Partner with IS&I to troubleshoot process control system network infrastructure and hardware.
• Ensure all automation activities comply with internal and external compliance requirements by following good engineering practices and change management procedures.
• Provide front line troubleshooting of process automation programming and hardware issues to support business continuity. Provide second level troubleshooting to maintenance departments for process control instrumentation and wiring.
• Act as a point of contact and escalation for colleagues in Metrology, Process Engineering, and IS&I for automation needs and issues
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical) or similar field
• Minimum of 3+ years of experience in an Automation Engineering role
• Prior experience with PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and/or SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) programming
• Growing understanding of FDA compliance requirements
• Awareness of cGMP / GAMP automation requirements
• Developing communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to participate on cross-functional
• Developing technical writing skills with high attention to
• Ability to work with management to prioritize timelines and deadlines across assignments.

Preferred:

• Prior experience with SIEMENS process control hardware and programming (STEP 7, WinCC, Process Historian) systems.
• Prior experience with commissioning, qualification, and change management in a regulated environment.
• Knowledgeable in process control instrumentation troubleshooting.
• Hands on experience with process equipment operations, mechanical integration with control systems, and mechanical troubleshooting.
• Prior experience using CAD software for updating electrical and automation drawings.
• Working knowledge of process control network infrastructure, troubleshooting, and administration.

Wisconsin pay range

$75,000—$90,000 USD

Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.   

Candidates must have current, valid authorization to work in the country where this role is located.

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