Senior Automation Engineer, GMP Biotech Plant

OXB; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and benefits

Comprehensive wellbeing programmes

Learning and development opportunities

Inclusive, collaborative culture

State-of-the-art laboratories

Values-driven organisation

Job summary

OXB, located in Durham, NC, seeks an Automation Engineer III to join the Manufacturing team. You will support cGMP manufacturing by working with process equipment, control systems, and instrumentation across project phases, ensuring reliability, compliance, and operational excellence.

You will lead automation projects, troubleshoot complex issues, and collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, Validation, and Quality teams to optimize performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering or related discipline.
• 5+ years automation experience in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of experience within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of GMP regulations and Good Engineering Practice (GEP).
• Facility start-up, commissioning, and qualification activities.
• Design, programming, or qualification of bioreactor and chromatography skid recipes.

Responsibilities

• Plan, implement, and maintain automation systems supporting GMP manufacturing processes and facility utilities.
• Provide technical expertise across: Control system design, Hardware specification and design, Control panel design, Alarm management strategies and Instrument start-up, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver automation projects safely, efficiently, and compliantly.
• Support the configuration, administration, maintenance, and continuous improvement of manufacturing automation systems.
• Troubleshoot complex automation, instrumentation, and process control issues.
• Participate in an after-hours support rotation to ensure critical manufacturing operations remain uninterrupted.
• Work closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Validation, and Quality teams to optimise system performance.
• Develop and maintain technical standards, procedures, and best practices.
• Support automation system integration and validation activities, including: Functional and User Requirement Specifications, Hardware and Software Design Specifications, System Testing and Qualification, Develop P&IDs, loop descriptions, and documentation.

Skills

Automation experience

GMP knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering

Tools

Bioreactor systems

Chromatography skid

Job description

OXB, located in Durham, NC, seeks an Automation Engineer III to join the Manufacturing team. You will support cGMP manufacturing by working with process equipment, control systems, and instrumentation across project phases, ensuring reliability, compliance, and operational excellence.

You will lead automation projects, troubleshoot complex issues, and collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, Validation, and Quality teams to optimize performance.