Senior Advanced Manufacturing Automation Engineer – LabVIEW & HVAC

Global Connect Technologies; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 130,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Global Connect Technologies in Charlotte, NC, seeks a Senior Manufacturing Automation Lead to drive end-to-end automation projects for heat exchanger and heavy assembly lines. You will design, implement, and sustain automation solutions, troubleshoot PLC/HMI/safety systems, and lead vendors through RFQ, FAT/SAT, and commissioning.

The role requires 10+ years in manufacturing automation, a strong ROI mindset, and travel up to international sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of manufacturing automation experience in production environments.
• 8+ years of experience developing business cases and delivering verified manufacturing savings.
• 8+ years of experience commissioning and sustaining automation systems in live facilities.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing automation from design through commissioning and production support.

Responsibilities

• Lead automation projects from concept through commissioning, ramp-up and sustaining.
• Develop automation solutions for heat exchangers and heavy assemblies.
• Support automation for tube insertion/expansion, welding, brazing, leak/pressure testing, material handling, and fixturing.
• Lead final assembly automation including refrigerant charging, piping, brazing/welding, sensor installation, and EOL testing.
• Troubleshoot PLC/HMI/safety systems (Rockwell/Allen-Bradley and Siemens).
• Support automated test systems using pressure/leak/functional testing and LabVIEW.

Skills

PLC/HMI/Safety

Rockwell AB

Siemens

Data-driven

Root-cause analysis

Travel willingness

Project leadership

Lean Six Sigma

Automation systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

MS Excel

SCADA

Job description

• Lead manufacturing automation projects from concept, design, and integration through commissioning, ramp-up, and sustaining.
• Develop automation solutions for heat exchangers, including shell-and-tube and finned-tube coil manufacturing.
• Support automation for tube insertion/expansion, welding, brazing, leak/pressure testing, material handling, and fixturing.
• Lead final assembly automation for heavy assemblies, refrigerant charging, piping, brazing/welding, sensor installation, and EOL testing.
• Understand and troubleshoot PLC, HMI, and safety systems, primarily Rockwell/Allen-Bradley and Siemens.
• Support automated test systems using pressure/leak/functional testing and LabVIEW.
• Improve machine reliability through diagnostics, alarm management, fault recovery, and downtime reduction.
• Support MES integration, traceability, industrial networking, and automated test data collection.
• Identify automation opportunities and develop CapEx business cases, ROI, payback, NPV/IRR, and savings models.
• Partner with Finance to validate hard savings from labor reduction, scrap/rework reduction, uptime, FPY, warranty, energy, and consumable improvements.
• Lead automation vendors and system integrators through RFQ, technical evaluation, FAT/SAT, commissioning, run-at-rate, and handoff.
• Establish cycle-time, uptime, quality, and performance requirements for automated equipment.
• Ensure proper documentation, code management, spare parts, preventive maintenance, and operator/maintenance training.
• Support risk assessments, machine guarding, safety interlocks, LOTO readiness, and safety validation.
• Work with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and NPI teams on PFMEA, control plans, reaction plans, and process capability.
• Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, 8D, 5-Why, and Fishbone methodologies.
• Develop standardized automation architectures, sensors, safety systems, HMI conventions, troubleshooting procedures, and test-data formats.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of manufacturing automation experience in production environments.
• 8+ years of experience developing business cases and delivering verified manufacturing savings.
• 8+ years of experience commissioning and sustaining automation systems in live manufacturing facilities.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing automation from design through commissioning and production support.
• Experience with PLC/HMI/safety systems, particularly Rockwell/Allen-Bradley or Siemens.
• Ability to translate manufacturing problems into measurable improvement projects.
• Strong experience with ROI, cost modeling, CapEx justification, and savings validation.
• Experience leading automation vendors/system integrators.
• Strong troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and data-driven problem-solving skills.
• Strong safety and compliance mindset.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively as project requirements increase.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering.
• Master’s degree is a plus.
• Experience with heat exchanger manufacturing or commercial HVAC/chiller assembly.
• Experience with automated welding, brazing, leak testing, and pressure testing.
• Experience with MES, traceability, industrial networking, and test data acquisition.
• Experience with LabVIEW.
• Lean/Six Sigma certification or equivalent continuous improvement experience.
• Experience with automated control-panel manufacturing, including wire processing, labeling, poka-yoke, torque verification, functional testing, PLC/VFD parameter loading, and traceability.

Travel Requirements

Travel will increase as the projects progress:

• Q1: Approximately 1 week/month
• Q2: Approximately 2 weeks/month
• Q3: Weekly travel
• Q4: Monthly or bi-weekly travel
• Travel to vendors and greenfield manufacturing sites across the Southern U.S.
• Two international trips to China are expected.