Senior Automation Engineer – Onsite Manufacturing

Cadence Inc; Staunton (VA); On-site; USD 84,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

Cadence Inc. is seeking an Automation Engineer for our Staunton, VA site to design, implement, and optimize automated production systems across manufacturing operations.

You will improve safety, quality, efficiency, and reliability while supporting equipment builds, FAT, commissioning, and production release activities. The role requires at least 5 years in automation engineering in manufacturing, a relevant bachelor's degree, and strong PLC/HMI, robotics, and vision system experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of Automation Engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Automation Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
• Experience with PLC and HMI programming, troubleshooting, and system integration.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and integrate automated manufacturing equipment and production systems.
• Program, troubleshoot, and support PLCs, HMIs, robotics, servo systems, vision systems, sensors, drives, and machine controls.
• Develop automation concepts, control architectures, sequence-of-operation documents, and equipment specifications.
• Support equipment builds, FAT, commissioning, startup, validation, and production release activities.
• Troubleshoot automation, controls, robotics, electrical, communication, and equipment performance issues to improve uptime and reliability.
• Analyze downtime and production data, perform root-cause analysis, and implement corrective actions.
• Support robotic applications including material handling, assembly, machine tending, automated inspection, and other manufacturing processes.
• Design and implement machine safety systems, including safety PLCs, light curtains, interlocks, scanners, and emergency-stop systems.
• Partner with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, and external suppliers to support manufacturing operations and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead or support automation projects from concept through implementation while managing project scope, timelines, costs, and technical requirements.
• Evaluate and implement emerging automation technologies to improve productivity, quality, and manufacturing capability.

Skills

Automation engineering

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Troubleshooting

Root-cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechatronics/Automation/Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

PLC programming

HMI programming

Industrial robotics

Vision systems

Motion control

CAD

Industrial networking protocols

Job description

Cadence Inc. is seeking an Automation Engineer for our Staunton, VA site to design, implement, and optimize automated production systems across manufacturing operations.

You will improve safety, quality, efficiency, and reliability while supporting equipment builds, FAT, commissioning, and production release activities. The role requires at least 5 years in automation engineering in manufacturing, a relevant bachelor's degree, and strong PLC/HMI, robotics, and vision system experience.