Automation Engineer — Plant Optimization (Racine, WI, Onsite)

Whirlpool, Inc.; Racine, Northern (WI, KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discount

Benefits package

Fitness reimbursement

Educational reimbursement

Job summary

Whirlpool Corporation in Racine, WI is seeking an Automation Engineer to lead plant-wide automation standards, governance, and continuous improvement projects. This onsite role focuses on optimizing equipment efficiency and eliminating process waste.

You will maintain control systems knowledge across PLCs, HMIs, and robotics, manage version control, develop SQL-based dashboards, and collaborate with internal teams and system integrators to uphold plant standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or STEM field.
• 3+ years in industrial manufacturing; PLC logic (Rockwell Studio 5000), HMI (FactoryTalk View), robotics, SQL databases, and SCADA.
• 2+ years with industrial protocols (EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP) and data mapping; 1+ year of people leadership.

Responsibilities

• Standards Development & Governance: Create, update, and enforce plant-wide automation and control standards across all existing production lines and new capital projects.
• Continuous Improvement & Data Analysis: Lead root-cause problem-solving and continuous improvement initiatives. Extract and analyze machine performance data from plant historians to identify bottlenecks and reduce downtime.
• Version Control Management: Oversee master code repositories and software configuration management platforms for all PLCs, HMIs, drives, and robotics across the facility.
• Asset Lifecycle & Obsolescence: Track technology lifecycles, maintain the automation risk register, and assist in developing the 3-to-5-year equipment replacement roadmap.
• Performance Reporting: Develop SQL queries, reports, and real-time OEE dashboards to translate operational data into actionable engineering improvements.
• Vendor & Integration Oversight: Partner with internal teams and external system integrators to establish technical benchmarks, review project specifications, and ensure alignment with plant standards.
• System Documentation & Network Support: Maintain clear technical documentation, code libraries, circuit diagrams, and system architecture drawings for all automated production equipment, including basic network diagnostics.

Skills

PLC logic

SCADA systems

SQL databases

Robotics

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechatronics

Tools

Rockwell Studio 5000

FactoryTalk View

EtherNet/IP

Profinet

Modbus TCP

Job description

Whirlpool Corporation in Racine, WI is seeking an Automation Engineer to lead plant-wide automation standards, governance, and continuous improvement projects. This onsite role focuses on optimizing equipment efficiency and eliminating process waste.

You will maintain control systems knowledge across PLCs, HMIs, and robotics, manage version control, develop SQL-based dashboards, and collaborate with internal teams and system integrators to uphold plant standards.