Automation Engineer

AppleOne Employment Services; Canóvanas (PR); Remote; USD 69,000 - 138,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct Hire

Remote opportunity

Competitive pay

Job summary

AppleOne Employment Services seeks an Automation Engineer for a remote, direct-hire role supporting a site-wide alarm rationalization program in a regulated manufacturing setting. The position covers manufacturing, utilities, and 24/7 operations at a Canóvanas, PR site.

You will optimize alarms, reduce nuisance alarms, ensure validation compliance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve process robustness and data integrity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in an engineering discipline as listed.
• 6–10 years in automation, controls, or related engineering role in manufacturing.
• Experience in GMP environments with data integrity and validation focus.
• Knowledge of PLC/HMI, DCS, and industrial instrumentation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical resource for alarm configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization.
• Analyze alarm data to identify nuisance alarms and improvement opportunities.
• Lead alarm rationalization activities including setpoints, causes, and actions.
• Develop alarm documentation, master alarm records, and validation materials.
• Coordinate change controls for approved alarm modifications per GMP.
• Support testing, validation, KPI reporting, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Alarm rationalization

GMP familiarity

Data integrity

Excel proficient

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Chemical, Computer, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering

Tools

DeltaV

Rockwell PLC/HMI

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Automation Engineer for a direct hire opportunity supporting a site-wide Alarm Rationalization Program in a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. This remote role supports automation and alarm management initiatives across manufacturing, utilities, fermentation, purification, and wastewater treatment operations connected to a site in Canovanas, PR.

This is an excellent opportunity for an Automation Engineer who enjoys solving complex process control challenges, improving alarm performance, and working in a highly collaborative GMP environment. The role offers strong visibility across Automation, Process Engineering, Operations, Quality, EHS, and Technical Services teams, making it ideal for someone who values technical ownership, cross-functional teamwork, and continuous improvement.

The selected candidate will help improve alarm quality, reduce nuisance alarms, support compliance, and strengthen operational reliability across a 24/7 manufacturing operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical resource for alarm configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization within DeltaV and/or Rockwell Automation PLC/HMI systems.
• Extract, consolidate, and analyze alarm and event data to identify nuisance alarms, bad actors, alarm floods, and improvement opportunities.
• Support and lead alarm rationalization activities, including evaluation of setpoints, priorities, causes, consequences, and corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain alarm rationalization documentation, master alarm database records, engineering documentation, and supporting validation materials.
• Initiate, coordinate, and manage change controls related to approved alarm modifications in compliance with GMP, data integrity, and quality requirements.
• Support configuration, testing, validation, troubleshooting, KPI reporting, and continuous improvement activities for automation system alarm changes.

Compensation and Benefits

• Job Type: Direct Hire.
• Pay Range: $50 to $100 per hour.
• Work Arrangement: Remote opportunity supporting automation and alarm management initiatives.
• Location Supported: Canovanas, PR.
• Availability to support a 24/7 manufacturing operation when required.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Support a site-wide Alarm Rationalization Program across manufacturing and utilities areas.
• Analyze alarm and event data to improve alarm system performance and reduce nuisance alarms.
• Configure, test, validate, and document approved automation alarm changes.
• Collaborate with Automation, Process Engineering, Operations, Quality, EHS, and Technical Services teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Chemical, Computer, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 6 to 10 years of relevant experience in automation, controls, process control, or a related engineering role within manufacturing.
• Experience working in GMP-regulated operations with strong understanding of data integrity, validation, and quality requirements.
• Knowledge of PLC/HMI systems, DCS platforms, industrial automation, and control system alarm functionality.
• Experience with Computer Systems Validation, testing protocols, change controls, and regulated engineering documentation.
• Strong knowledge of industrial instrumentation, including smart and conventional instrumentation.
• Proficiency with Excel and the ability to analyze alarm data, trends, KPIs, and system performance information.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, organization, and documentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities independently while working effectively in a remote, cross-functional team environment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to facilitate technical discussions with multidisciplinary stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with DeltaV and/or Rockwell Automation PLC/HMI systems.
• Previous alarm management or alarm rationalization experience.
• Knowledge of ISA-18.2 and/or EEMUA 191 alarm management principles.
• Experience managing change controls in Veeva Vault or a similar electronic quality management system.
• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Bilingual English and Spanish skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

The Know Your Rights poster is available here: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf

The pay transparency policy is available here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf

For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program: https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.