Sr. Manager Automation Sustainment

Safeway; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly pay

Earned wage access via Stream

Associate discounts

Health and well-being benefits

Time off (vacation, holidays, sick pay

Training and career development

Inclusive work environment

Job summary

Albertsons Companies, a major grocery retailer, is seeking a Senior Manager to sustain and enhance warehouse automation systems within the supply chain network. You will define sustainment standards, coordinate with maintenance teams and suppliers, and drive uptime and continuity across multiple sites.

The role emphasizes strategic planning, lifecycle replacements, and budget stewardship, with travel ~40% to sites and distribution centers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or related field.
• Master's degree is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute an automation sustainment strategy to maximize utilization, uptime, and continuity across the network.
• Develop and implement an OEE methodology with standard reporting cadence.
• Lead performance governance using KPIs to identify chronic losses and drive corrective actions with site teams and vendors.
• Coordinate incident and problem management, ensuring rapid restoration and RCA/Corrective Action.
• Own lifecycle sustainment programs including replacement of high-cost components and obsolescence mitigation.
• Manage multi-million-dollar annual automation sustainment CapEx budget and forecast outcomes.
• Collaborate with Maintenance and suppliers to minimize operational disruption and upgrade planning.

Skills

Leadership

Problem solving

Vendor management

Communication skills

Data-driven

Reliability practices

Education

Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or related field

Master's degree is a plus

Job description

Why choose us?

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? Join us for an exciting opportunity at Albertsons Companies, where innovation and customer service go hand-in-hand! At Albertsons Companies, we are looking for someone who’s not just seeking a job, but someone who wants to make an impact. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to lead, innovate, and contribute to the growth of a company that values great service and lasting customer relationships. This position offers the chance to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment that’s constantly evolving.

What You Will Be Doing

The Senior Manager will be responsible for facilitating and overseeing the priorities associated with sustained, reliable operation of existing automation systems within the Albertsons Supply Chain network.

This role is strategic in nature—focused on network-level performance monitoring, governance, and disciplined reinvestment to extend the useful life of existing systems. The Senior Manager will drive continuity by defining sustainment standards (reliability routines, troubleshooting playbooks, escalation paths, and governance cadences), coordinating with suppliers and distribution center operations, and using KPI/OEE reporting to identify systemic losses and risk drivers. The Senior Manager will own a multi-million-dollar annual automation sustainment CapEx budget, ensuring spend is aligned to uptime, utilization, safety, and continuity outcomes.

The Senior Manager will also develop and maintain a 3–5-year sustainment roadmap focused on lifecycle replacements and obsolescence mitigation, with emphasis on high-cost mechanical components and controls hardware; inputs such as spare-part obsolescence risk (owned by Maintenance) will inform where upgrades and replacements are prioritized to ensure longevity.

Main Responsibilities

• Partner with the Director of Automation to define and execute an automation sustainment strategy that maximizes utilization, uptime, and continuity across the network.
• Drive an OEE culture by defining a consistent OEE methodology for automation systems, establishing a standard reporting cadence using existing data, and enabling sites to interpret losses and prioritize actions.
• Lead performance governance using KPIs (availability, throughput, utilization, OEE loss categories, MTBF/MTTR, and maintenance/automation backlog) to identify chronic losses, diagnose root causes, and drive corrective actions with site teams and suppliers.
• Coordinate incident and problem management for automation systems, ensuring rapid restoration, disciplined follow-up (RCA/Corrective Action), and prevention of recurring failures.
• Own lifecycle sustainment programs, including systemic replacement and standardization of high-cost mechanical components and controls hardware, obsolescence risk mitigation, and coordinated deployment planning to minimize operational disruption; partner with Maintenance to incorporate spare-part obsolescence signals into upgrade prioritization.
• Own the multi-million-dollar annual automation sustainment CapEx budget, including forecasting, prioritization, spend governance, and tracking outcomes against availability, utilization, and risk metrics.

We Are Looking For Candidates Who Possess The Following

• Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field. Master's degree is a plus.
• 5 plus years of experience sustaining/operating warehouse automation systems (e.g., conveyor/sortation, AS/RS, shuttle, robotics; common platforms/integrators include Dematic, Witron, Symbotic, and KNAPP), with demonstrated impact on uptime and utilization.
• Strong knowledge of reliability and maintenance practices (PM/PdM, root cause analysis, MTBF/MTTR), and experience building standard work and governance routines.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional problem solving with operations, maintenance, engineering/automation, and vendors to restore service and prevent recurrence.
• Experience managing vendor performance and support models, including service levels, support response, and contract/commercial discussions.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical system health and risks into clear operational actions for non-technical audiences.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort using data to prioritize work, quantify losses, and track sustainment outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to drive standardization and disciplined execution in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Travel will be required for the role ~ 40% (variable)

We Also Provide a Variety Of Benefits Including

• Competitive wages paid weekly
• Access to up to 50% of your earned wages before payday, via our partnership with Stream
• Associate discounts
• Health and financial well-being benefits for eligible associates (Medical, Dental, 401k and more!)
• Time off (vacation, holidays, sick pay). For eligibility requirements please visit myACI Benefits
• Leaders invested in your training, career growth and development
• An inclusive work environment with talented colleagues who reflect the communities we serve

Our Values – Click below to view video: ACI Values

A copy of the full job description can be made available to you.