Advanced Manufacturing Engineer

The Advanced Manufacturing Engineer owns end-to-end automation for water-cooled and air-cooled HVAC products, including heat exchangers and full unit assembly for vertical and data center chillers. This role combines deep technical ownership with strong business impact by identifying high-value automation opportunities, building compelling investment cases, and leading projects from concept through commissioning to deliver sustainable performance improvements. The engineer will drive automation delivery, integrate controls and test systems, and ensure that every initiative delivers measurable gains in productivity, quality, and cost.

Responsibilities

• Own the delivery of manufacturing automation across heat exchanger and final assembly processes for water-cooled (shell and tube) and air-cooled (finned tube coil) HVAC products.

• Design and implement automation for water-cooled heat exchangers, including tube bundle handling, tube-to-tube sheet joining via expansion and/or seal welding, shell and nozzle welding, and automated pressure and leak test systems.

• Develop and deploy automation for air-cooled finned tube coils, including tube insertion and expansion, header and manifold joining through brazing, automated coil leak and pressure testing, and coil handling and fixturing solutions.

• Implement flexible automation and assist systems for heavy final assembly operations, including refrigerant charging systems, piping, brazing and welding support, sensor installation, control integration, and end-of-line test automation and reporting.

• Own or support the design, configuration, and maintenance of PLC, HMI, and safety logic for manufacturing automation systems, using platforms such as Rockwell and Siemens.

• Drive reliability improvements in automation systems through enhanced diagnostics, alarm rationalization, and robust fault recovery strategies.

• Build and expand automated test capabilities, including pressure, leak, and functional testing, using recipe-based execution and structured data capture, with LabVIEW as a typical test automation platform.

• Enable or improve product and process traceability and test data capture through manufacturing execution system (MES) interfaces or structured data collection systems.

• Identify and quantify hard savings opportunities tied to automation, including labor reduction, scrap and rework reduction, downtime reduction and uptime gains, yield and first-pass yield improvement, warranty and field failure reduction, and energy and consumables savings.

• Develop clear automation investment cases and capital expenditure requests that document baseline losses and constraints, proposed solution options, financial metrics such as payback period and NPV/IRR when applicable, sensitivity analysis, and detailed implementation costs.

• Prioritize a pipeline of automation projects with a focus on fast payback, scalable solutions that can be replicated across production lines and product families.

• Own benefits realization by creating savings tracking plans with Finance, validating savings at 30, 60, and 90 days and on a quarterly basis, and putting controls in place to sustain savings through standard work, training, and audits.

• Lead suppliers and system integrators end to end, including requirements definition, RFQ issuance, technical evaluation, acceptance criteria development, factory and site acceptance testing, commissioning, ramp-up, and handoff to operations.

• Define and enforce run-at-rate metrics and require demonstrable performance in cycle time, uptime, and quality from vendors and integrators.

• Ensure long-term maintainability of automation systems by driving thorough documentation, code management practices, spare parts strategies, preventive maintenance plans, and training packages for maintenance and operations teams.

• Embed safety and compliance requirements into automation design and commissioning activities, including risk assessments, guarding, interlocks, lockout/tagout readiness, and safety validation.

• Partner with New Product Introduction, Manufacturing Engineering, and Quality teams to maintain PFMEAs, control plans, reaction plans, and capability checks for automated processes.

• Drive defect reduction and escape prevention in welding, brazing, and leak test operations through robust process controls and continuous improvement.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using data-based root cause analysis tools such as 8D, 5 Why, and Fishbone diagrams, along with Lean methodologies.

• Develop and standardize automation design practices, including preferred sensor types, safety architectures, HMI conventions, and test data formats.

• Reduce reliance on tribal knowledge by building repeatable processes, standard operating procedures, and troubleshooting playbooks for automation systems.

• Oversee and lead manufacturing automation delivery from design through commissioning and sustaining, ensuring that systems perform reliably in live factory environments.

• Oversee and lead controls and test system troubleshooting for PLC, HMI, and safety systems by understanding control processes and guiding PLC technicians who perform hands-on work.

• Perform cost modeling and ROI-based prioritization of automation projects to ensure capital is deployed effectively.

• Lead savings identification and validation activities with Finance, maintaining a disciplined focus on verified hard savings.

• Provide technical leadership to vendors and integrators, ensuring alignment with technical requirements, safety standards, and performance expectations.

• Apply a strong safety culture and compliance mindset to all aspects of automation design, implementation, and operation.

• Travel extensively to vendor sites, international manufacturing locations, and greenfield sites to support automation deployment, commissioning, and ramp-up activities.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree.

• 10+ years of experience delivering manufacturing automation in production environments.

• 8+ years of experience building business cases and delivering verified savings in areas such as labor, scrap, uptime, and first-pass yield.

• 8+ years of experience commissioning and sustaining automation systems in live factory settings.

• Proven ability to translate manufacturing problems into measurable improvement initiatives.

• Demonstrated experience overseeing and leading manufacturing automation delivery from design through commissioning and sustainment.

• Experience overseeing and leading controls and test system troubleshooting, including PLC, HMI, and safety logic, with the ability to understand control processes while working with PLC technicians who perform hands-on programming.

• Proficiency in cost modeling and ROI-based prioritization of automation projects.

• Experience in savings identification and validation in collaboration with Finance, with a strong discipline around hard savings.

• Demonstrated vendor and integrator technical leadership, including managing requirements, evaluations, and acceptance testing.

• Strong data-driven problem-solving skills using structured methodologies.

• Demonstrated commitment to a strong safety culture and compliance mindset in manufacturing environments.

• Ability and willingness to travel extensively as projects advance, including international and domestic travel.

• Experience in manufacturing process automation, including automation leadership, commissioning, vendor management, and sustaining activities.

• Experience with welding automation and leak and pressure testing automation in manufacturing environments.

• Experience with control panel automation and related processes.

• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.

• Experience with HVAC-related manufacturing processes or products.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent experience; a Master’s degree is a plus.

• Experience with heat exchanger manufacturing, including shell and tube and/or finned tube coil designs.

• Experience with commercial HVAC chiller assembly, including water-cooled and air-cooled units.

• Hands-on experience with automated welding and brazing processes in production environments.

• Experience with automated leak and pressure testing systems.

• Familiarity with MES systems, traceability solutions, test data acquisition systems, and industrial networking.

• Lean or Six Sigma certification, or equivalent continuous improvement leadership experience.

• Experience standardizing and automating control panel build processes, including wire processing and labeling, error-proofed terminations, torque verification, functional testing, PLC and VFD parameter loading, and traceability.

• Experience working with Rockwell and Siemens PLC platforms for manufacturing automation.

• Experience using LabVIEW for test automation and data acquisition.

• Strong vendor leadership skills, including RFQ development, technical evaluation, and management of factory and site acceptance testing.

• Ability to build clear automation investment cases, including payback period, NPV, IRR, and sensitivity analysis.

• Experience in developing and maintaining PFMEAs, control plans, reaction plans, and capability checks for automated processes.

Work Environment

This role is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with significant travel expected as projects progress. The position requires extensive travel, including approximately two trips to China, visits to vendor facilities, and travel to greenfield manufacturing sites in the Southern United States. The anticipated travel cadence includes roughly one week of travel per month in the first quarter, two weeks per month in the second quarter, weekly travel in the third quarter, and reduced but ongoing travel in the fourth quarter. The assignment is structured as a 12-month role and may involve working up to 60 hours per week during peak periods, with straight-time compensation for all hours worked as described by the hiring organization. The work environment includes a mix of office, factory, and field settings, interacting with automation equipment, test systems, and production lines. Standard benefits, two weeks of paid time off, and company holidays are provided, creating a supportive environment for balancing demanding project work with time away from work.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Charlotte, NC.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $70.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Charlotte,NC.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 6, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.