Automation Project Lead

Netwerk; Antwerpen; Vor Ort; EUR 70.000 - 95.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Netwerk in Belgium seeks an Automation Project Lead to structure and drive initiatives from concept to solution design on the shop floor. You will learn processes, gather needs with IT, EHS, safety and production, write technical specs, select solutions, build business cases and hand projects to engineering for implementation.

The role requires a Master’s degree in engineering and 6+ years in industrial environments, with strong knowledge of automation systems, lean initiatives and

Qualifikationen

• Master’s degree in Engineering or equivalent experience
• 6+ years in industrial or production environments
• Experience delivering automation projects from concept to handover
• Background in manufacturing sectors (pharma, automotive, food & beverage, chemical)
• Strong knowledge of industrial automation systems and lean initiatives
• Ability to translate operations needs into technical specs
• Experience building business cases for technical investments
• Understanding of IT and OT integration (LIMS, MES, networking, safety systems)
• Fluent in English; Dutch is an advantage

Aufgaben

• Lead automation projects during concept and design phases
• Define scope, timeline, resources, risks, and dependencies
• Coordinate cross-functional inputs for a complete specification
• Ensure project readiness for execution and handover to engineering

Kenntnisse

Project leadership

Automation systems

Lean principles

Stakeholder management

IT/OT integration

Documentation & specs

Strong communication

English fluency

Dutch language (advantage)

Ausbildung

Master’s in Engineering

Jobbeschreibung

As Automation Project Lead, you lead and structure individual automation projects, from concept to solution design. The role combines process understanding, technical solution design, cross-functional coordination and project leadership to deliver high-quality, scalable automation solutions aligned with the program strategy.
You own the front-end of each initiative: you learn the process, gather needs with stakeholders (IT, EHS, safety, production,..), write the technical specification, select a solution (internal resources or external suppliers), build the business case, and hand the project over to the engineering team for implementation.

• Process and conceptual design:
  o Understand the end-to-end process to be automated, on the shop floor and with operators
  o Challenge existing ways of working and apply lean principles, together with the OE team
  o Identify cross-functional dependencies (safety, IT, maintenance, operations,…)
  o Evaluate feasibility considering operational and environmental constraints
• Technical and solution design:
  o Capture and structure functional and technical requirements
  o Write the first technical specifications and concept descriptions
  o Design and evaluate automation solutions and architectures
  o Scout for solutions, using internal resources or external suppliers
  o Supervise and validate solution design choices
  o Assess technical feasibility, including integration requirements across IT, LIMS, MES, networking and safety systems
• Business and stakeholder alignment:
  o Build business case proposals for automation initiatives
  o Facilitate alignment across operations, maintenance, engineering, IT, EHS and safety
• Project leadership and front-end definition:
  o Lead assigned automation projects during the concept and design phases
  o Plan and manage scope, timeline, resources, risks and dependencies
  o Prioritise across several initiatives running in parallel
  o Track progress and report status to the program level
  o Coordinate cross-functional inputs to ensure a complete and consistent definition
  o Ensure the project is well defined, validated and ready for execution, and hand it over to the engineering team for implementation

• Master’s degree in Engineering (Automation, Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial or similar), or equivalent experience
• 6+ years of experience in industrial or production environments, open for strong medior profiles
• Background in manufacturing, such as pharma, automotive, food and beverage or chemical; a pure IT background is not a fit
• Proven experience delivering automation or engineering projects, ideally from concept through to handover
• Strong knowledge and experience with industrial automation systems, process improvement or lean initiatives, and multidisciplinary project environments
• Ability to translate operational needs into functional and technical requirements and specifications
• Experience building business cases for technical investments
• Understanding of how automation integrates with IT and OT layers (LIMS, MES, networking, safety systems)

• Creative and analytical thinker with solid process understanding
• Strong stakeholder management and communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Builds relationships, manages change and addresses resistance
• Strong priority management; able to analyse and consolidate input from many sources into one clear definition
• Structured, methodical and solution-oriented
• Strong coordination and teamwork capabilities
• Keeps a clear head under pressure
• Language proficiencies:Fluent in English /Dutch is an advantage, not a blocking requirement