Sr Automation Engineer

Discover Impactful Work

As a Senior Automation Engineer at Thermo Fisher Scientific, you will optimize production processes, implement new automation technologies, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. You'll work with cross-functional teams to ensure the efficient manufacture of high-quality products while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.

A Day in the Life

• Provide design, configuration, installation, and maintenance of automation software and associated hardware; including interacting with other teams as necessary.
• Working with IT, Quality, Production, and other departments, optimize existing automated processes while ensuring consistent product quality and regulatory compliance.
• Use analytical skills and engineering expertise to help drive cost reductions, improve efficiency, and enhance manufacturing capabilities across operations.
• Design, configure, and troubleshoot industrial I/O systems, including sensors, actuators, and field instrumentation, ensuring accurate signal mapping and reliable integration with control systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Troubleshooting & Support: Provide rotating on-call (24/7) technical support, troubleshooting, and optimization for manufacturing systems, including but not limited to: Allen-Bradley (Rockwell) family products, Emerson DeltaV, WonderWare, Honeywell, current DCS, and data historians.
• System Design & Implementation: Contribute to automation and control system design; oversee contractors during implementation, commissioning, and validation of systems for both production and utility systems.
• Documentation: Develop, review, and maintain documentation including, but not limited to functional design specifications (FDS), software design documentation, and validation protocols.
• Compliance & Validation: Ensure all systems comply with cGMP, GAMP 5, and FDA regulatory requirements.
• Project Execution: Partner with cross-functional teams (Process Engineering, Operations, Validation, Quality, IT) to execute automation projects, manage vendors, and support system upgrades and lifecycle management.

Supervision

Leads multidisciplinary project teams and manages third-party contractors and engineering service providers as required. Supervisory responsibilities and mentorship of less-experienced engineers may be required.

Education

BS in Engineering, Computer Science or related Engineering/Science field with 8 years of experience within regulated industries (pharmaceutical, medical device, or similar).

Preferred

Experience would include at least 5 years of hands-on experience with the Emerson DeltaV or Rockwell PlantPAx commercial Distributed Control System.

Experience

• Proven experience applying S88 in an automated environment and development of control system standards aligning with S88 methodology is required.
• Experience developing and supporting either Rockwell PlantPAx or Emerson DeltaV as a commercial Distributed Control System is required.
• Hands-on experience with some of a broad range of Allen-Bradley PLCs and PanelView display products is preferred.
• Experience with data historian program development, configuration, and maintenance with at least one of the following historians is required: OSI (AVEVA) PI, Rockwell FTHistorian, DeltaV continuous historian.
• Experience with virtual machine environment and hypervisor software is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience developing and supporting either Rockwell PlantPAx or Emerson DeltaV as a commercial Distributed Control System.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics and technical drawings with working knowledge of basic electrical circuits as related to I/O specification, selection and configuration.
• Exhibited knowledge of S88 batch control and configuration.
• Exhibited knowledge of batch reporting is required.
• Working knowledge of database structure including SQL Server, with experience in data queries, support, and basic database management.
• Working knowledge of IT/OT networking including managed switch, VLAN and firewall configuration and management.
• Strong knowledge of GMP and life sciences regulatory requirements.
• Proficiency in PLC programming, HMI/SCADA systems, DCS platforms, and industrial networking.