Sr. Manager Automation Sustainment

Safeway; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly wages

Earned wage access up to 50%

Associate discounts

Health & wellness programs

Paid time off

Career development

Inclusive work environment

Job summary

Albertsons Companies in Phoenix, AZ seeks a Senior Manager of Automation Sustainment to lead strategic initiatives ensuring uptime and durability of warehouse automation systems. You will drive governance, KPI reporting, and lifecycle planning across operations, maintenance, engineering, and vendors.

The role requires strong communication, deep reliability knowledge, and a data-driven mindset to optimize performance and sustainment investments. Travel up to 40% is expected.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience sustaining/operating warehouse automation systems.
• Experience with Dematic, Witron, Symbotic, and KNAPP.
• Strong knowledge of PM/PdM, MTBF/MTTR, and governance routines.
• Ability to lead cross-functional problem solving with operations, maintenance, engineering, and vendors.
• Experience managing vendor performance and contract discussions.
• Excellent communication and data-driven decision making.
• Willingness to travel ~40%.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute an automation sustainment strategy to maximize uptime and continuity.
• Define a standard OEE methodology and reporting cadence across the network.
• Lead governance using KPIs to diagnose root causes and drive corrective actions with site teams and suppliers.
• Coordinate incident management and RCA/Corrective Action for automation systems.
• Own lifecycle sustainment programs and obsolescence risk mitigation with upgrades and planning.
• Manage multi-million-dollar annual CapEx budget and track outcomes against availability and risk metrics.

Skills

Reliability & maintenance

Communication

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or related field

Master's degree 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.

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

ACI Values

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