Automation Engineer - Robotics & Capital Projects Lead

Reliable Safety and Flow Corporation; Columbia (PA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Reliable Safety & Flow Corporation is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer - Automation to drive automation on the production floor in Columbia, PA. You will lead capital projects, control scopes, budgets, and schedules, and manage integrators or internal teams to deliver automated cells and tooling.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering and 3–5+ years in CNC/robotics, with hands-on PLC/HMI troubleshooting and UR5/industrial robot programming.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, or related engineering field.
• 3-5+ years of experience with CNC, robotics, and automated systems.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLCs and HMIs.
• Experience programming and troubleshooting collaborative robots, specifically UR5s, as well as industrial robots (e.g., FANUC, ABB).
• Working knowledge of grippers and EOAT, pneumatics, sensors, and machine safety systems.
• Experience leading at least one automation or capital project from concept through launch, with an integrator or an internal team.
• Ability to read electrical schematics and mechanical drawings.
• Project management skills, including managing scope, schedule, budget, and vendors.
• Strong problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills, and the ability to work well under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital projects from concept through installation and startup, including scope, budget, schedule, and status reporting to management.
• Identify automation and semi-automation opportunities and prepare cost/benefit and ROI justifications for capital requests.
• Manage external integrators and vendors, including writing specifications, evaluating quotes, leading design reviews, and running factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT).
• Lead internal teams in the design, build, programming, and commissioning of automated cells, fixtures, and end-of-arm tooling (EOAT).
• Apply flexible automation, such as Universal Robots UR5 collaborative robots, vision, and quick-change tooling, so cells can adapt to changing product mix and volumes.
• Support material handling automation, including upcoming AGV/AMR projects: define routes and workflows, coordinate with vendors, and integrate vehicles with cells and production equipment.
• Hand off new equipment successfully, with operator and maintenance training, documentation, and a spare parts plan.
• Troubleshoot a wide range of equipment, including CNC machines, robotic cells, and other automated systems, and drive root cause corrective actions.
• Diagnose controls and robotics issues, including Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLC and HMI logic, sensors, safety circuits, robot faults, and gripper/EOAT problems.
• Partner with maintenance to improve preventive maintenance and coordinate repairs and service providers to maximize uptime.
• Help select our machine monitoring platform: evaluate options, define requirements with Operations, Maintenance, and IT, and recommend one platform that works across both our CNC machines and our legacy tapping equipment.
• Lead the rollout, including connecting CNC machines, robots, and PLC-controlled equipment, retrofitting older tapping machines with sensors or I/O where they have no built-in data connection, setting up downtime reason codes, and building dashboards that operators and leadership will actually use.
• Use real-time machine data to find bottlenecks, reduce downtime, and decide where automation will have the biggest payoff.
• Track and report downtime, scrap, OEE, and cycle time, and turn the data into prioritized improvement projects.
• Plan workflow, layouts, and equipment placement to improve efficiency and material flow.
• Work with Quality to improve processes and add error-proofing where it makes sense.
• Ensure equipment and processes meet OSHA, machine safety, and other regulatory requirements, including risk assessments on new equipment.

Skills

CNC & robotics

UR5 collaboration

Industrial robots

Electrical schematics reading

Project management

Leadership & communication

Problem solving

Safety awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

UR5

FANUC

ABB

MTConnect

HMI/PLC troubleshooting

Job description

Reliable Safety & Flow Corporation is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer - Automation to drive automation on the production floor in Columbia, PA. You will lead capital projects, control scopes, budgets, and schedules, and manage integrators or internal teams to deliver automated cells and tooling.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering and 3–5+ years in CNC/robotics, with hands-on PLC/HMI troubleshooting and UR5/industrial robot programming.