Engineering Automation Engineer

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC; Tampa, Northern (FL, KY); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental & vision plans

401K with match

Three weeks vacation + 10 holidays

Tuition reimbursement

EAP

Job summary

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC in Tampa is seeking an Automation Engineer to lead the strategy, design and delivery of automation across our manufacturing and distribution network. You’ll own projects from concept through commissioning, ensuring safety, performance and ROI.

Collaborate with finance, planning and operations to drive scalable automation platforms, governance, and best practices, while guiding multiple projects to successful completion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required.
• 6+ years’ automation or materials handling experience.
• Experience managing capital projects from concept to commissioning.
• Strong PLC/SCADA and warehouse systems knowledge.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Exposure to SAP and enterprise systems is a plus.
• PMP certification or master’s degree strengthens candidacy.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end automation initiatives across manufacturing and distribution.
• Develop business cases with ROI and cost-benefit analyses.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align with network strategy.
• Establish testing, commissioning, and maintenance protocols.
• Provide SME guidance for automation systems and safety.
• Oversee integration with enterprise systems and optimize performance.
• Manage risks and coordinate with partners and contractors.

Skills

Automation engineering

Capital project management

PLC & SCADA

Warehouse management systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Emotional intelligence

Influence without authority

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

PMP Certification

Master’s degree in engineering

Tools

Allen-Bradley PLC

SCADA

SAP

WCS/WMS Tools

Job description

10117 Princess Palm Ave, Tampa, FL 33610, USA

Job Description

Posted Friday, August 21, 2026 at 4:00 AM

Who We Are

• Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is a family‑owned independent Coca‑Cola bottler that is the third largest privately‑held and the sixth largest independent Coca‑Cola bottler in the United States.
• Coke Florida sells, markets, manufactures and distributes over 600 products of The Coca‑Cola Company and other partner companies including Monster Beverage Corporation and BODYARMOR.
• In 2026, for the 5th year in a row, Coke Florida was named as a US Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. This program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture, and governance/financial performance.

What We Offer

Eligible full time Coke Florida Associates can participate in our Total Rewards Program which includes:

• Total Wellness Programs including health, dental and vision plans
• 401K program with healthy company match
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Three weeks of vacation pay, and 10 company paid holidays*
• Tuition reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Competitive compensation

Coke Florida is looking for an Automation Engineer based out of our Tampa HQ location. We’re currently looking for 8:00am- 5:00pm, Monday- Friday.

What you’ll do

As Coke Florida’s Automation Engineer, you will lead the strategy, design and execution of automation initiatives across Coke Florida’s manufacturing and distribution network. This role owns the full lifecycle of automation solutions, which includes concept and business case development through implementation, integration and performance stabilization.

This position drives scalable, standardized automation platforms aligns to the network strategy ensuring solutions deliver on safety, performance and ROI. The Automation Engineer will partner cross-functionally with finance, distribution, planning and manufacturing to help influence others, guide multiple projects while establishing governance, best practices and long-term automation decisions.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of multi‑stie automation initiatives, including planning, design, cost estimation, execution and performance ramp‑up
• Develop, valid and champion business cases (ROI, payback, cost-benefit, etc.) to support future company investments
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to prioritize automation investments aligning to network strategy, productivity and capital efficiency goals.
• Establish and manage standardized testing, commissioning, and maintenance protocols across Coke Florida facilities
• Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for automation systems, material handling, and warehouse technologies
• Lead integration of automation platforms with enterprise systems such as (Coca-Cola North America (CONA), manufacturing systems and related technologies)
• Provide technical oversight for Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Advanced Process Control (APC) environments to optimize performance and reliability
• Standardize automation designs, specifications and best practices to enable scalable deployments across the network
• Lead identification and mitigation of risks associated with automation systems, such as machine guarding, material handling hazards and elevated work environments
• Lead systems integrators, contractors and external partners deliver high‑quality automation solutions
• Drive alignment and decision making across complex, milt‑site initiatives

Education and Skills Required

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial or related field)
• 6+ years’ experience in automation, controls engineering, or material handling systems in a manufacturing or distribution environment
• Proven experience managing capital projects from concept through commissioning
• Strong knowledge of PLCs (preferably Allen Bradley), SCADA and warehouse management systems
• Proven track record of delivering capital automation (or similar) projects ($1M-$20M) from concept through commissioning and stabilization
• Knowledge of Warehouse Control Systems (WCS) and automated material handling systems (conveyance, robotics, etc.
• Excellent communication skills to include:
• Ability to demonstrate high emotional intelligence
• Ability to influence without authority
• Prepare and conduct complex meetings for range of audience
• Proven ability to have difficult conversations

Additional skills and education that will strengthen your candidacy

• Previous experience working on a high-volume Consumer‑Packaged Goods (CPG) or Fast‑Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) environment
• Exposure to enterprise systems such as SAP
• Advanced knowledge of material flow, warehouse automation and robotics
• PMP Certification
• Master’s degree in engineering or similar field

This job description is not an exhaustive list of all functions that the employee may be required to perform, and the employee may be required to perform additional functions. Coke Florida reserves the right to revise the job description at any time and to assign additional duties and responsibilities as needed.

Employment with Coke Florida isat-will. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

10117 Princess Palm Ave, Tampa, FL 33610, USA