Senior Automation Design Engineer (LSNA-PA/OH/IN/NC)

At Jacobs, we’re not just building structures, we’re helping our clients innovate and grow by designing, engineering, and executing the construction of their state-of-the-art facilities that are changing our world. We push the limits of what’s possible to make the world smarter, more connected and more sustainable.

Become part of our team as an Automation Engineer in either Conshohocken, PA/Cincinnati, OH/Cary, North Carolina/Indianapolis, IN locations and you’ll have the chance to work on projects including state-of-the-art institutional and commercial facilities.

some of the job responsibilities will inclue:

The Senior Automation Design Engineer is a highly experienced automation professional who drives the architectural and detailed design of industrial automation solutions across regulated manufacturing environments. This role is intentionally design-focused and requires a minimum of 8 years of hands-on project delivery experience prior to transitioning into a lead design role.

The individual will be responsible for defining automation strategies, system architectures, standards, and design deliverables across multiple platforms and technologies, ensuring compliance with GMP, GAMP 5, ISA-88, and ISA-95. The position works closely with stakeholders across engineering, IT, manufacturing, quality, and validation to ensure automation solutions are robust, scalable, and fit for regulated production environments.

Key Responsibilities:

Automation Architecture & Design

• Lead the end-to-end design of automation systems, from conceptual and front-end engineering through detailed design and handoff to implementation teams.

• Develop automation architecture standards.

• Define system topologies including PLC, DCS, MES, Historian, ERP integration, networks, servers, and thin-client architectures.

• Translate business and user requirements into technical automation design specifications, including functional design specifications (FDS) and architecture diagrams.

Compliance & Validation Support

• Ensure automation designs are compliant with GAMP 5 principles and support a risk-based validation approach.

• Collaborate with Quality and Validation teams to ensure systems are inspection-ready and documentation supports IQ/OQ/PQ execution.

• Embed data integrity, audit trail, security, and lifecycle management principles into all designs.

Digital & Advanced Technologies

• Incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics opportunities into automation designs where appropriate (e.g., predictive maintenance, process optimization).

• Define data flows and architectures that support manufacturing intelligence and digital transformation initiatives.

Infrastructure & Networking

• Design industrial network architectures including segmentation, redundancy, cybersecurity considerations, and IT/OT integration.

• Specify and design server, virtualization, and thin-client environments to support control system applications.

• Collaborate with IT teams to ensure alignment with corporate infrastructure and cybersecurity standards.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to project engineers and other design disciplines.

• Act as the primary technical interface between project design teams, vendors, OEMs, and internal stakeholders.

• Support project planning, risk identification, and technical decision-making during project execution.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Electrical, Automation, Controls, Computer, or related discipline) or equivalent job experience in lieu of degree.

• Minimum 6+ years of experience delivering industrial automation projects in regulated manufacturing environments before transitioning into a design-focused role.

• Demonstrated experience designing large-scale automation systems rather than solely implementing them.

• Hands-on experience with multiple automation platforms, including:

o Emerson DeltaV, Siemens automation systems and Rockwell automation systems

Ideally you’ll also have:

• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, or other highly regulated GMP industries.

• Previous role as a Lead Engineer, Automation Architect, or Technical Authority.

• Experience developing automation standards and reusable design patterns.

• Strong documentation and communication skills.

• Strong systems-level thinking with attention to detail.

• Ability to balance compliance, standardization, and innovation.

• Collaborative mindset with the confidence to make and defend technical design decisions.

• Passion for automation design excellence and continuous improvement.

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Jacobs is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, medical condition, marital or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and transgender status, mental disability or physical disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship, low-income status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law. Learn more about your rights under Federal EEO laws and supplemental language.