Automation Engineer: Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics

Wabtec Corporation; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 69,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Wabtec Corporation seeks an Automation Engineer to advance manufacturing automation across our global sites. You will partner with operations, product engineering, maintenance, quality, IT, and EHS to deliver scalable automation solutions using robotics and digital tools.

You will design and simulate automation concepts, lead ROI analyses, and support production launches with hands-on technical expertise. The role emphasizes safety, process improvement, and cross-site knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Automation/Controls, Robotics Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 3+ years of industrial automation, manufacturing engineering, robotics, controls, or advanced manufacturing experience.
• Hands-on experience applying industrial robots and automation equipment in a production environment.
• Ability to design automation concepts, cell layouts, tooling approaches, and equipment interfaces.
• Experience with robot or manufacturing simulation, offline programming, or digital manufacturing tools.
• Strong understanding of machine safety, controls, integration, manufacturing processes, and production readiness.
• Effective project execution, problem-solving, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to travel as required to support enterprise manufacturing sites.

Responsibilities

• Support automation projects from concept through production launch.
• Evaluate manufacturing processes and identify practical automation opportunities.
• Develop automation concepts, layouts, simulations, cycle-time estimates, and technical specifications.
• Perform robot reach, payload, interference, and process simulations to reduce project risk.
• Support capital estimates, ROI business cases, equipment scopes, and project documentation.
• Participate in vendor selection, RFQs, design reviews, FAT, SAT, commissioning, and startup.
• Work with controls, manufacturing, quality, maintenance, EHS, suppliers, and integrators to resolve technical issues.
• Troubleshoot and optimize existing robotic and automated manufacturing systems.
• Document lessons learned and help replicate successful automation solutions across sites.
• Support Automation & Advanced Manufacturing standards, roadmap, and preferred technology strategy.
• Evaluate emerging technologies including robotics, vision, simulation, digital twins, and AI-enabled manufacturing.
• Provide hands-on technical support and knowledge sharing for site engineering teams.

Skills

Industrial automation

Robotics experience

Automation design concepts

Robot simulation/offline programming

Machine safety & controls

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Automation/Controls, Robotics Engineering

Tools

FANUC ROBOGUIDE

Process Simulate

Visual Components

3D CAD

Job description

Wabtec Corporation seeks an Automation Engineer to advance manufacturing automation across our global sites. You will partner with operations, product engineering, maintenance, quality, IT, and EHS to deliver scalable automation solutions using robotics and digital tools.

You will design and simulate automation concepts, lead ROI analyses, and support production launches with hands-on technical expertise. The role emphasizes safety, process improvement, and cross-site knowledge sharing.