Lead Automation Engineer

Eaton Group; Appleton (WI); Remote; USD 97,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

Eaton's Mobility division is seeking a Lead Automation Engineer to drive manufacturing efficiency through automation projects. This is a remote high travel role; candidates must reside in MI, OH, IL, IN, SC, NC, GA, TN, or Kentucky and travel 50–75% across the USA.

The role leads automation initiatives across North American sites, develops scopes, justifications, and CARs, and partners with Finance to secure approvals.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Engineering Technology from an accredited institution.
• At least 3 years automating manufacturing processes.
• U.S. work authorization; no immigration sponsorship.
• Remote work allowed with specified state residency.
• Occasional travel 50–75% across the USA.

Responsibilities

• Identify automation opportunities within the North American region.
• Develop scopes of work for automation projects.
• Establish a reliable automation supplier base and obtain proposals.
• Prepare financial justifications for automation projects.
• Develop Capital Appropriation Requests (CAR) for projects.
• Coordinate with Finance and leadership to obtain CAR approvals.
• Procure equipment and tooling per project plans and standards.
• Investigate and implement new manufacturing methods and equipment.
• Share best practices across multiple facilities.
• Provide troubleshooting for current automation systems including controls/robotics.

Skills

Automation opportunity

Scope of work development

CAR development

Project management

Supplier management

Troubleshooting automation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Engineering Technology degree

Tools

PLC ladder programming

HMI programming

Robot programming

Job description

Eaton’s Mobility division is currently seeking a Lead Automation Engineer. This is a remote high travel role. Role can be supported remotely ; however, candidates must live in any of the following states: MI, OH, IL, IN, SC,NC, GA, TN, or Kentucky. This role will support 5+ Mfg. site US locations . Travel is expected to be 50%-75% .

The Lead Automation Engineer is responsible for leading efforts to drive manufacturing efficiency through implementation of automation projects.

The expected annual salary range for this role is $97000 - $143000 a year.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

Eaton announced, on January 26, 2026, the intent to separate its Mobility Group (including both the Vehicle and eMobility segments) into an independent, publicly traded company. We expect to complete the separation by the end of the first quarter of 2027. The compensation and benefits that will initially be offered for this position are based on Eaton's plans, programs and practices. If you are offered and accept this position and are actively employed by the Mobility Group when the spinoff closes, the new company will provide further details to employees concerning compensation and benefits at that time.

What you’ll do:

• Identify automation opportunities within the North American region
• Develop scopes of work for automation opportunities
• Establish a reliable automation supply base and work with them to obtain proposals for automation opportunities
• Prepare financial justification for automation projects
• Develop Capital Appropriation Requests (CAR) for automation projects
• Work with Finance and regional leadership to obtain CAR approvalManage capital and expense spending for assigned projects
• Procure equipment and tooling per project plan and standards
• Investigate, analyze and recommend new and/or alternate equipment and manufacturing methods
• Identifies and coordinates best practice implementation between multiple facilities
• Recommends and implements improvements to existing manufacturing operations, equipment and procedures
• Troubleshooting support for existing automation with controls and robotic programming expertise
• Attend Trade shows and seminars to stay current with automation technology

Qualifications:

Required Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelors Degree in Engineering and/or Engineering Technology from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of three (3) years experience in automating manufacturing processes.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any "CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc."
• Role can be supported remotely ; however, candidates must live in any of the following states: MI, OH, IL, IN, SC,NC, GA, TN, or Kentucky .
• Candidate must be willing to travel 50-75% across the USA.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five (5) years of experience in Manufacturing Engineering
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes such as Forging, Machining, Grinding, Assembly
• Experience writing and debugging PLC ladder logic
• Experience Programming HMI’s (human machine interface) and developing/implementing Robot programs
• Bi-Lingual (Spanish)

Skills

• Ability to define specifications for automation of manufacturing operations
• Proficient with managing suppliers to ensure on time project execution
• Project management skills to define, track, and report project statusesTeam oriented, flexible, must be able to work with all levels of management
• Recognize and define safety improvements for all aspects of manufacturing processes
• Travel will range between 50-75% to support business

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability-related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families.

• Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work.
• Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview.
• Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.