Automation Business Director

The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services, and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials, and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of €5.5 billion, and locations in over 60 countries worldwide, making it one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

Dear all,

We are currently looking for an enthusiastic Automation Business Director (w/m/d).

As the Automation Business Director in VPTA, reporting to the VPTA Managing Director, you will lead, develop, and inspire our local automation service and engineering team. Your goal is to ensure the right capabilities and strategy to drive growth in the automation business through standalone projects and rebuilds.

This role requires deep market insight, technical expertise, and leadership skills to develop a high-performing service and engineering team capable of executing automation orders robustly.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Analyze market needs to refine a robust strategy for VPTA Automation Business.
2. Utilize existing resources (sales, service, engineering) flexibly across different markets (rebuilds, standalone).
3. Support and inspire the VPTA Application and Sales teams to expand automation’s scope in our offerings.
4. Manage, develop, and motivate the local service and rebuild engineering teams, ensuring high expertise and motivation aligned with market trends and future needs.
5. Identify skill gaps and implement training programs to enhance technical and service capabilities.
6. Ensure team growth in size and expertise to match market demand.
7. Reinforce engineering capacity to deliver automation platforms for rebuild components (MCS-DCS, PLCs).
8. Project Delivery & Execution:
9. Secure reliable, high-quality execution and delivery of service orders and automation projects related to rebuilds and system upgrades.
10. Strengthen the engineering and service team to ensure seamless integration and implementation of automation platforms for rebuild components.

Qualifications & Experience:

1. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
2. 7+ years of experience in the automation business, preferably in the paper industry.
3. Leadership experience managing service and engineering teams.
4. Strong analytical, strategic, and problem-solving skills.
5. Proven experience working with major automation suppliers in the industry.
6. Fluent in English and Spanish (preferred).
7. Ability to build strong customer relationships and drive automation service growth.
8. Willingness to travel for customer visits and project oversight.