Strategic Automation Lead for Global Manufacturing

Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp; Saint James (MN); On-site; USD 115,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Smithfield Foods is seeking a Strategic Automation Project Manager to lead automation and capital engineering initiatives across facilities. You will direct projects from concept through commissioning, balancing technical excellence with budget and schedule performance.

Bring a strong engineering mindset, extensive automation experience, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams. Travel up to 50% to support initiatives is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Automation, Controls, or Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience; project leadership experience required.
• Strong understanding of automation systems including PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, instrumentation, and networks.

Responsibilities

• Lead automation and capital projects from concept to commissioning and handoff.
• Develop and execute multi-year automation roadmaps aligning with facility expansion and modernization.
• Partner across functions to define requirements, manage budgets, schedules, and risk.

Skills

Automation engineering

Project leadership

Industrial automation

PLC

Robotics

SCADA

HMI

Budgeting

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Automation/Controls/Industrial Engineering

Tools

Allen-Bradley ControlLogix

Siemens TIA Portal

Ignition

Wonderware

FactoryTalk

Job description

Smithfield Foods is seeking a Strategic Automation Project Manager to lead automation and capital engineering initiatives across facilities. You will direct projects from concept through commissioning, balancing technical excellence with budget and schedule performance.

Bring a strong engineering mindset, extensive automation experience, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams. Travel up to 50% to support initiatives is expected.