Head of Physical Automation & Robotics

First Quality; State College (Centre County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus opportunities

Paid time off

Medical, dental and vision

401(k) with employer match

Paid parental leave

Dependent care assistance

Diaper benefit

Tuition assistance

Wellness program

Job summary

First Quality is seeking a Physical Automations Leader to design, implement, and optimize automation solutions across our manufacturing sites. The role will drive the strategic roadmap for physical automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies to improve productivity, safety, and quality.

The ideal candidate brings a deep automation engineering background, strong project leadership, and experience delivering measurable improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or Automation Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in automation engineering, robotics integration, or industrial controls in high-speed manufacturing.
• Experience with Manufacturing 4.0 concepts, IoT integration, and smart manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

• Establish automation goals, objectives, and overall strategy for the division.
• Lead the design, selection, and deployment of physical automation systems, including robotics, conveyors, AGVs, and machine vision solutions.
• Assess manufacturing processes to identify automation opportunities and efficiency gains.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, IT, and safety teams to ensure safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Automation leadership

Project management

Lean/Six Sigma

Data-driven decision making

Communication

Education

Bachelor's in Engineering

Tools

PLC programming

Robotics control systems

Machine vision

Job description

First Quality is seeking a Physical Automations Leader to design, implement, and optimize automation solutions across our manufacturing sites. The role will drive the strategic roadmap for physical automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies to improve productivity, safety, and quality.

The ideal candidate brings a deep automation engineering background, strong project leadership, and experience delivering measurable improvements.