Automation Engineer

Direct Recruiters, Inc.; Newbury Township (OH); On-site; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Direct Recruiters, Inc. is seeking a Senior Applications Engineer in Northeast Ohio to tackle custom automation challenges from the start. You will work with customers to define machine concepts, assess feasibility and cost, and present technical solutions before detailed engineering begins.

The role emphasizes upstream concept development, collaboration with mechanical and controls teams, and mentoring junior engineers while expanding the Applications group.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in custom automation or a related engineering environment.
• Strong understanding of mechanical machine design and automation principles.
• Experience developing or designing custom automated equipment from concept.
• Ability to look at a manufacturing problem and creatively determine how it can be automated.
• Familiarity with robotics, vision, sensors, controls, feeding and other automation technologies.
• Strong technical judgment and ability to identify potential project risks.
• Experience with project estimating, quoting or proposal development is highly valued.
• Strong communication skills and comfort interacting directly with customers.
• Experience with high-speed assembly, small-part automation or precision manufacturing is attractive.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with customers and Sales to understand manufacturing challenges, technical requirements and project objectives.
• Develop creative mechanical concepts for custom automated machinery and assembly systems.
• Determine the appropriate automation approach based on cycle time, throughput, reliability, cost and feasibility.
• Develop project scopes, concepts, estimates and technical proposals.
• Evaluate potential project risks before equipment moves into detailed engineering.
• Collaborate with mechanical, controls and other engineering teams to validate proposed solutions.
• Incorporate robotics, vision, sensing, precision motion and automated part handling into machine concepts.
• Present technical solutions and answer engineering questions during customer meetings.
• Support the transition of awarded projects from Applications into detailed engineering and execution.
• Help mentor and develop less experienced engineering talent as the team grows.

Skills

Mechanical design

Customer interaction

Estimating/quoting

Project development

Robotics

Vision systems

Controls integration

Technical judgment

High-speed assembly

Tools

Robotics

Vision systems

Sensors

Controls engineering

Job description

Senior Applications Engineer - Custom Automation

Location: Northeast Ohio
Travel: Less than 10%

The Opportunity

We are partnering with an established, growing custom automation company in Northeast Ohio to identify a Senior Applications Engineer who enjoys solving complex manufacturing problems and turning ideas into real-world automated systems.

This is an opportunity for an engineer who wants to be involved at the very beginning of the automation process.

Rather than receiving a finished machine specification and simply executing against it, you will work directly with customers to understand their manufacturing challenges and help determine:

How should we automate this?

You will develop the initial machine concept, evaluate technical feasibility, collaborate with mechanical and controls engineering, help establish scope and cost, and ultimately communicate the proposed solution to the customer.

The company specializes in designing and building highly customized automation and machinery, with particular expertise in high-speed, small-part and precision assembly applications.

Projects can incorporate robotics, vision, precision motion, feeding, inspection, testing and other advanced automation technologies.

What You'll Do

• Work directly with customers and Sales to understand manufacturing challenges, technical requirements and project objectives
• Develop creative mechanical concepts for custom automated machinery and assembly systems
• Determine the appropriate automation approach based on cycle time, throughput, reliability, cost and technical feasibility
• Develop project scopes, concepts, estimates and technical proposals
• Evaluate potential project risks before equipment moves into detailed engineering
• Collaborate with mechanical, controls and other engineering teams to validate proposed solutions
• Incorporate technologies such as robotics, vision, sensing, precision motion and automated part handling into overall machine concepts
• Present technical solutions and answer engineering questions during customer meetings
• Support the transition of awarded projects from Applications into detailed engineering and execution
• Help mentor and develop less experienced engineering talent as the Applications team continues to grow

What We're Looking For

We are primarily looking for someone with a strong mechanical engineering foundation within custom automation or machine building.

Previous Applications Engineering experience is highly desirable, but not required.

We are also interested in experienced Mechanical Engineers, Machine Designers, Project Engineers or Engineering Leaders who have spent their careers designing custom machinery and are interested in moving further upstream into concept development, customer interaction and technical strategy.

Strong candidates will likely bring:

• 7+ years of experience in custom automation, machine building or a closely related engineering environment
• Strong understanding of mechanical machine design and automation principles
• Experience developing or designing custom automated equipment from concept
• Ability to look at a manufacturing problem and creatively determine how it can be automated
• Familiarity with robotics, vision, sensors, controls, feeding and other automation technologies
• Strong technical judgment and ability to identify potential project risks
• Experience with project estimating, quoting or proposal development is highly valued
• Strong communication skills and comfort interacting directly with customers
• Experience with high-speed assembly, small-part automation, medical device manufacturing, automotive automation or precision manufacturing is particularly attractive

Why Consider This Opportunity?

Work on genuinely custom engineering challenges.
The company doesn't simply build the same machine repeatedly. Customers bring unique manufacturing problems, and the engineering team develops the automation required to solve them.

Have an impact before the machine is ever designed.
You'll help determine what the machine should be, how it should function and which technologies should be incorporated into the solution.

Get closer to the customer and the business.
For an experienced Mechanical Engineer, this can be an opportunity to move beyond detailed design and become more involved in customer discovery, technical strategy, estimating and project development.

Join an established company that is growing.
This is a stable, privately held organization with decades of experience in custom automation that continues to invest in its engineering and commercial teams.

Maintain technical depth without living on the road.
Travel is typically less than 10%, with the majority of work performed alongside the engineering and machine-building teams in Northeast Ohio.

Build a career around your strengths.
The organization offers flexibility for talented people to grow into areas where they can have the greatest impact rather than forcing employees through a rigid corporate career path.

Compensation

Target base salary is approximately $100,000-$125,000, with additional $10,000 - $15,000 variable compensation. Flexibility depending on experience and the value an individual can bring to the organization.

A competitive benefits package is also provided.

If you've spent your career designing custom machinery and find yourself most energized by the question "How would we automate this?", this could be an opportunity worth exploring.

All inquiries will be handled confidentially.