Digital Automation Staff Engineer

A day in the Life

• Partner with site Operations and process owners to select lighthouse projects, align workflows before digitization, and define user requirements, acceptance criteria, measurable benefits, and site readiness for deployment.
• Personally design, code, test, and deploy custom manufacturing applications, reusable services, data pipelines, and user interfaces.
• Deliver modular capabilities such as digital tier management, electronic work instructions, traceability, and selected MES or electronic batch record functions.
• Evaluate, configure, extend, and integrate off-the-shelf manufacturing software.
• Choose reuse, custom build, buy, or selective outsourcing based on functional fit, lifecycle cost, compliance, supportability, and differentiating value.
• Own technical integration with equipment, existing manufacturing systems, ERP, and other enterprise systems of record.
• Partner with the Factory Automation Engineers on equipment connectivity, data definitions, and dependable interfaces.
• Work with IT on approved infrastructure, identity, networking, cybersecurity, enterprise integration, and architecture.
• Build secure, supportable solutions with access controls, monitoring, backup, recovery, and data integrity appropriate to their intended use.
• Embed Quality and validation from requirements through release.
• Develop risk-based testing and validation evidence, execute user acceptance testing with sites, and manage controlled changes while preserving independent approval responsibilities.
• Lead pilot releases, production deployment, troubleshooting, and user training.
• Establish source control, release procedures, documentation, and support ownership; iterate from operator feedback and expand only after adoption and supportability are proven.
• Assess existing digital assets for reuse and co-development, and transfer knowledge for local support.
• Build reusable modules and reference architectures; collaborate with IT on approved AI and software tools, reviewing and testing generated code.
• Measure deployment time, lifecycle cost, adoption, reliability, and manufacturing outcomes against baselines.
• Share demonstrated wins, mentor site teams, and use lessons learned to improve reusable products and cross-site deployment playbooks.

Keys to Success

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software, Computer, Electrical, Industrial, or Systems Engineering, or equivalent qualified experience.

Experience: 7+ years in software, digital, or automation engineering, with hands-on custom development and off-the-shelf platform configuration and integration through manufacturing deployment, adoption, and support. At least 2 years supporting multiple sites is preferred, ideally in life sciences, biotechnology, medical devices, or another regulated manufacturing environment.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Strong software engineering skills in modular design, APIs, version control, automated testing, deployment, monitoring, and production troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing workflows, MES/EBR concepts, structured data models, contextualization, and shop-floor/enterprise integration.
• Sound build/reuse/buy judgment and ability to translate process needs into usable solutions; communication with operators, engineering, Quality, and IT, including on-site deployment support.
• Hands-on experience with application development with Python, C#, or JavaScript/TypeScript, plus SQL and APIs.
• Off-the-shelf manufacturing platforms, workflow configuration, extensions, and integration with existing systems.
• Industrial data brokers, OPC UA, MQTT, unified namespace (UNS), and edge/cloud integration.
• User acceptance testing, risk-based validation, access controls, required audit trails, and controlled releases.