Automation Engineering Manager

Grahamjobs; Browns Summit (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Grahamjobs seeks an Automation & Integration Engineering Manager to lead a skilled team delivering innovative automation and system integration solutions. You will drive technical leadership, safety, and project success while shaping standards and scalable architectures.

The role emphasizes talent development, collaboration with customers, and adoption of AI-assisted engineering, digital twins, and advanced integrations to improve quality, reliability, and productivity across manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Ten (10) years of engineering experience and four (4) years of leadership experience.
• Experience delivering validated solutions in FDA-regulated manufacturing environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Automation & Integration Engineering team to deliver safe, high‑quality solutions on time and within budget.
• Build and develop a high‑performing engineering organization through hiring, mentoring, and retention.
• Provide technical leadership across controls, integration, networking, robotics, and digital manufacturing.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Industrial automation

Systems integration

AI-assisted engineering

Digital twins

Robotics & AMRs

Engineering judgment

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

OPC UA

MQTT

REST APIs

Ignition

Node-RED

PLC/HMI/SCADA

Job description

Job Summary

The Automation & Integration Engineering Manager leads an engineering team delivering innovative automation and systems integration solutions. This role provides technical leadership, develops talent, establishes engineering standards, and drives successful project execution focused on quality, safety, reliability, and customer satisfaction. Collaborating with customers and internal teams, this leader shapes technical solutions, improves processes, and adopts technologies ranging from AI-assisted engineering and digital twins to advanced integrations, industrial networking, and mobile robotics. Success requires deep industrial automation experience, a passion for developing people, sound engineering judgment, and the energy to build a collaborative, high-performing team.

Major Accountabilities

• Lead the Automation & Integration Engineering team to deliver innovative, high-quality solutions safely, on schedule, and within budget.
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing engineering organization by recruiting, mentoring, evaluating, and retaining exceptional talent.
• Establish engineering priorities, allocate resources, and optimize team capacity to meet business objectives and customer commitments.
• Provide technical leadership for controls, systems integration, industrial networking, robotics, AMRs, digital manufacturing, and emerging automation.
• Drive adoption of AI-assisted engineering, digital twins, simulation, and automated workflows to improve engineering quality, consistency, and productivity.
• Develop and maintain engineering standards, reusable software architectures, design practices, and documentation to improve scalability and execution.
• Ensure solutions comply with applicable safety, regulatory, and electrical standards (including SCCR, NFPA 70E, NFPA 79, ISO 13485, and ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025) while promoting secure, reliable system designs.
• Partner with Sales, Project Management, Operations, and customers to develop winning technical solutions, manage risk, and support profitable growth.
• Provide technical oversight for project execution, resolving engineering challenges and removing barriers to ensure successful delivery.
• Support the successful delivery of validated automation solutions, regulatory compliance activities, and field commissioning.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous innovation, and operational excellence.
• Drive continuous improvement through standardization, engineering metrics, process improvements, and effective use of design tools.
• Build trusted customer relationships by providing technical leadership and delivering long-term value.
• Develop the technical capabilities and long-term direction of the organization to meet evolving customer needs and industry trends.
• Model company values through integrity, professionalism, accountability, and commitment to teamwork.
• All other duties as properly assigned.

Working Conditions

Working environment is generally favorable with adequate lighting and temperature. Minimal exposure to hazardous or unpleasant conditions caused by noise, dust, smells, etc. Typically, less than 25% travel required.

Minimum Education Required

Bachelor Science in Electrical Engineering.

Minimum Years of Experience Required

Ten (10) years of engineering experience and four (4) years of leadership experience. Experience delivering validated solutions in FDA-regulated manufacturing environments preferred.

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

Leadership & People Development

• Proven ability to build, coach, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to recruit, assess, and retain technical talent while building future leaders.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands‑on execution in a fast‑paced environment.

Industrial Automation & Integration

• Extensive experience designing and delivering industrial automation, robotics, and systems integration solutions.
• Expert knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, motion control, machine vision, industrial networking, and control architectures.
• Experience integrating manufacturing systems with MES, ERP, IIoT, cloud platforms, historians, and enterprise applications.
• Working knowledge of modern integration technologies (OPC UA, MQTT, REST APIs, web services, SQL, Ignition, and Node-RED).
• Experience designing scalable automation architectures from machine‑level controls through enterprise‑level integration.
• Experience with digital twins, virtual commissioning, and simulation tools.

Engineering & Technology

• Strong understanding of software architecture, engineering standards, reusable code, and documentation best practices.
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted engineering tools and automated workflows to improve quality and productivity.
• Deep knowledge of electrical design, industrial control panels, machine safety, laser safety, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance (including AutoCAD Electrical, SCCR, NFPA 70E, NFPA 79, ISO 13485, and ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025).
• Ability to evaluate and adopt emerging automation technologies that create measurable value and improve effectiveness.

Business & Project Leadership

• Ability to evaluate technical risk and support successful project pursuits and execution.
• Strong understanding of project financial performance, resource planning, and engineering utilization.
• Experience driving continuous improvement, standardization, and operational excellence.
• Ability to build trusted customer relationships and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Personal Attributes

• High-energy, collaborative leader who enjoys developing people and solving complex challenges.
• Curious, adaptable, and committed to continuous learning and technology change.
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen, engineering judgment, and high safety standards.
• Demonstrates integrity, accountability, professionalism, and a commitment to shared success.