Software Engineering Technician - Manufacturing Automation Software

SEL Engineering Services; Washington; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is seeking a Software Engineering Technician I/II for our Manufacturing Automation Software (MAS) team. You will be the hands-on representative on the production floor, helping build and support automation systems that keep our lines running.

You will work with operators, engineers, and software teams to improve automation, reliability, and uptime, documenting issues and contributing to guides, setups, and deployments in a high-throughput environment.

Qualifications

• Must be hands-on with production systems and able to troubleshoot across software, hardware, and networks.
• Ability to create clear guides and documentation for operators and peers.
• Experience supporting high‑throughput automation in manufacturing settings.

Responsibilities

• Rapid and accurate troubleshooting of system components including software, services, instruments, networking and hardware interfaces.
• Help operators recover from common equipment and software issues.
• Develop clear guides for operator self-sufficiency in resolving routine problems.
• Hands-on setup tasks for new automated machines, assembling automation infrastructure, verifying connections and configuration, and coordinating parts.
• Document evidence and outcomes for reported issues.
• Communicate issues to operators and engineers.
• Identify opportunities to improve reliability and consistency of machine deployments.
• Teach and mentor engineers and technicians across Manufacturing.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Windows

Job description

We are adding a Software Engineering Technician I/II role in our Manufacturing Automation Software (MAS) team. You will be the MAS team's hands‑on production‑floor representative, helping build and support the automation systems that keep our manufacturing production lines running.

Your focus will be on constantly improving the operation experience of our production team, the level of automation, and the robustness/uptime of our systems. Our goal is maximum throughput with zero unplanned downtime for manufacturing production and test systems. Direct collaboration with Production Operators, Process Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Test Engineers, and Software Engineers to ensure that our solutions exceed the expectations of all stakeholders is a key success factor.

This role rewards disciplined people who love to get to the bottom of hard problems and who thrive in a high-throughput production environment. Every day is different and every day is an adventure. Experience with supporting production systems is especially valuable.

Why This Work Matters

Our work at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories makes electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical. Our devices must operate flawlessly for decades, then when called upon to act, respond to system faults within milliseconds to ensure safety, avoid damage, and minimize outages. Global utilities supplying hundreds of millions of industrial, commercial, and residential consumers depend on SEL products every day. Our team ensures that we continuously produce the highest quality products at high volume. Our automation solutions are the key to safe, smooth, efficient operation of our product factories.

What You Will Do

The solutions you will support have an immediate impact on the efficiency of factory operations and on the quality of the products SEL delivers. You will build, bring‑up, support, and optimize the infrastructure that automates operation of our production systems and continuously collects data to drive improvement.

• Rapid and accurate troubleshooting of system components including software, services, instruments, networking and hardware interfaces.
• Helping operators recover from common equipment and software issues.
• Developing clear guides that enable operators to be self‑sufficient in resolving routine problems.
• Hands‑on setup tasks for new automated machines as we expand. This includes assembling automation physical infrastructure, verifying equipment connections and configuration, and coordinating parts and inventory to ensure that installations are ready when needed.
• Documenting evidence and outcomes for reported issues.
• Communicating issues to operators and engineers.
• Identifying opportunities to make SEL's automation more reliable and machine deployments more consistent.
• Teaching and mentoring engineers and technicians throughout Manufacturing.

This Role Might Be for You If:

• You're compelled by collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team of highly skilled technical professionals doing real work that really matters to ensure uninterrupted high‑volume production.
• You're excited by the opportunity to support mission critical automation software and data analytics solution.
• You can establish clear priorities and work efficiently.
• You have a highly disciplined approach to work that minimizes mistakes and you will help us learn from incidents that do occur.
• You have a proven ability to troubleshoot issues to determine both a solution and root cause quickly.
• You demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly with people across technical levels both verbally and in writing.
• You can document your work so that others can leverage the material to do their job more effectively
• You are willing to follow established procedures and safe work practices
• You are comfortable asking for guidance or escalating issues. Discipline, curiosity, reliability, and the ability to organize work and follow through are important.
• You would rather find the real root cause than apply a quick patch.
• You love sharing knowledge with your coworkers.
• You understand the challenges of supporting mission critical production software solutions.
• You have at least one year of hands‑on experience troubleshooting technical equipment, systems, or processes through work, education, military service, or comparable practical experience.

Even Better If

• You have hands‑on experience with high throughput test automation systems for mission critical products in a high‑volume manufacturing environment.
• You are able travel to other SEL manufacturing sites when necessary.
• You understand, and have experience with, modern communications protocols.
• You have proven leadership experience.
• You are familiar with installing or maintaining computers, networks, controls, sensors, or other connected equipment; using logs and measurements to diagnose issues; and maintaining technical documentation or inventory is also helpful.
• You have experience with Windows