Advanced Manufacturing Engineer

Pentangle Tech Services | P5 Group; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Pentangle Tech Services | P5 Group seeks an Advanced Manufacturing Sr. Engineer to own end-to-end automation for water- and air-cooled HVAC products, including heat exchangers and unit assembly for chillers.

You will identify high-value automation opportunities, build ROI cases, and lead commissioning for sustained performance gains. Responsibilities include delivering automation across products, owning PLC/HMI/safety logic, expanding test capabilities, and ensuring traceability and data capture

Qualifications

• 10+ years delivering manufacturing automation in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Automation delivery across products and processes with end-to-end ownership.
• Controls, test systems, and manufacturing digital integration responsibilities.
• Quality, safety & compliance embedded in automation design and commissioning.

Skills

Automation ownership

ROI & cost modeling

PLC/HMI troubleshooting

Data-driven problem solving

Safety & compliance mindset

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical/Electrical/Mechatronics

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Rockwell/AB PLC

Siemens PLC

LabVIEW

MES systems

Job description

The Advanced Manufacturing Sr. 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 blends deep technical ownership with business impact—identifying high‑value automation opportunities, building investment cases, and leading execution through commissioning to deliver sustained performance gains.

RESPONSIBLITIES

• 1) Automation Delivery Across Products & Processes (Technical Core)

  Air‑cooled (finned‑tube coils): tube insertion/expansion, header/manifold joining (brazing), automated coil leak/pressure testing, and coil handling/fixturing.

  Final Assembly Automation

  Implement flexible automation/assist solutions for heavy assembly, refrigerant charging systems, piping/brazing/welding support, sensor installation, control integration, and end‑of‑line (EOL) test automation and reporting.

• 2) Controls, Test Systems & Manufacturing Digital Integration

  Own or support PLC/HMI/safety logic for manufacturing automation systems. Rockwell / Allen Bradley, Siemens are the typical PLC used.

  Drive reliability improvements through enhanced diagnostics, alarm rationalization, and fault recovery.

  Build/expand automated test capabilities (pressure/leak/functional) with recipe‑based execution and data capture. LabVIEW is typical test automation.

  Enable or improve traceability and test data capture through MES interfaces or structured data collection.

• 3) Business Case, ROI & Hard Savings Ownership (What Makes This Role Different)

  Identify and quantify hard savings opportunities tied to automation:

  Labor reduction (direct touch time, overtime reduction, staffing flexibility)

  Scrap and rework reduction (weld defects, leaks, brazing defects, coil/piping rework)

  Downtime reduction / uptime gains (availability improvements and reduced lost units)

  Yield / FPY improvement (fewer retests, fewer escapes, reduced MRB burden)

  Warranty/field failure reduction where attributable to process improvements

  Energy and consumables reductions (where meaningful: gas, nitrogen, helium, tooling wear, etc.)

  Build clear automation investment cases (CapEx requests) including:

  Baseline losses and constraints

  Proposed solution options (buy/build/integrate)

  Payback period, NPV/IRR (when applicable), and sensitivity analysis

  Implementation costs (equipment, integration, downtime, training, spares)

  Prioritize project pipeline with focus on:

  Fast payback (e.g., ≤12–24 months) for many initiatives

  Scalable solutions that can replicate across lines/products

  Own benefits realization:

  Create a savings tracking plan with Finance

  Validate savings post‑implementation (30/60/90 days and quarterly)

  Put controls in place to sustain the savings (standard work, training, audits)

  Define run‑at‑rate metrics and require demonstrable performance (cycle time, uptime, quality).

  Ensure maintainability: documentation, code management, spare parts, PM plans, and training packages.

• 5) Quality, Safety & Compliance

  Embed safety and compliance into automation design and commissioning:

  Risk assessments, guarding, interlocks, LOTO readiness, safety validation

  Partner with New Product Introduction Engineers, Manufacturing Engineering and Quality to maintain:

  PFMEAs, control plans, reaction plans, capability checks for automated processes

  Drive defect reduction and escape prevention across welding/brazing/leak test operations.

  Develop standards for automation:

  Preferred sensor types, safety architectures, HMI conventions, test data formats

  Reduce “tribal knowledge” dependence by building repeatable processes and troubleshooting playbooks.

Required Qualifications

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

8+ years of experience building business cases and delivering verified savings (labor, scrap, uptime, FPY).

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

Ability to translate manufacturing problems into measurable improvement initiatives.

Experience in the following areas:

Oversee & Lead Controls and test system troubleshooting (PLC/HMI/safety) – Must understand the process, there will be other PLC technicians who will do the hands‑on work on the PLC

Cost modeling and ROI-based prioritization

Savings identification and validation with Finance (“hard savings” discipline)

Vendor/integrator technical leadership

Data-driven problem solving

Lead strong safety culture and compliance mindset

Must be able to travel extensively as the project advances. This will include two trips to China, travel to vendors, and travel to green field sites in the Southern US

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering (or equivalent experience). (Master’s a plus).

Experience with heat exchanger manufacturing (shell‑and‑tube and/or finned‑tube coils) and/or commercial HVAC chiller assembly.

Experience with automated welding, brazing processes, and/or automated leak/pressure testing.

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

Lean/Six Sigma certification or equivalent CI leadership experience.

Control Panel process and automation is a plus: Standardize and automate panel build processes where feasible: wire processing/labeling, poka‑yoke terminations, torque verification, functional test, PLC/VFD parameter loading, and traceability.