Automation & Digitalization Engineer

Zoetis•Buellton, CA

2d•$77,000 - $118,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Automation & Digitalization Engineer is the site execution owner for day-to-day delivery of the digitalization and automation roadmap under the technical direction of the Head of Automation. This role develops, deploys, and sustains machine and process control software and associated industrial data flows to improve safety, quality, throughput, and equipment uptime. This role is best suited to an engineer who has hands-on experience in OEM and on-site support environments, including commissioning, troubleshooting, and full project ownership from programming through acceptance verification. The position leverages practical experience programming Omron Sysmac and Allen-Bradley Studio 5000, building and standardizing HMIs (e.g., Omron NA / PanelView), and working across a wide range of automation and robotics platforms (including Omron, ABB, and FANUC). The position integrates controls hardware and components across electro-mechanical and pneumatic motion systems, optical sensing, data acquisition, conveyor control, and robotic pick-and-place. Typical project exposure includes conveyor systems, palletizing robotics, line efficiency/output improvements, and pharma line controls overhauls that improve downtime performance and production data visibility (e.g., SQL/OEE tracking).

Requirements

B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechatronics, or related discipline; or equivalent practical controls experience.
Bachelor's +5 years’ experience or Electrical degree with +10 years.
Engineering background aligned to Systems + Computing with a systems-thinking approach to automation design and integration.
Hands-on experience in industrial automation/controls including PLC/HMI commissioning and sustaining, with evidence of delivering controls changes into production safely.
Preferred experience in OEM / system integrator environments, including factory/site acceptance testing and on-floor support.
PLC programming/troubleshooting (Omron Sysmac) is a must.
PLC programming/troubleshooting (Allen-Bradley RSLogix/Studio 5000); familiarity with IEC 61131 concepts beneficial.
HMI development and debugging (e.g., Omron NA, PanelView, Ignition or similar).
Ability to integrate and troubleshoot sensors, electrically controlled pneumatics, motion/conveyance controls, and safety-related control interfaces.
Industrial networking fundamentals (e.g., Ethernet/IP), device communications, and basic troubleshooting methodology.
Strong structured troubleshooting, documentation, and change control practices for production systems.
Clear communication and cross-functional coordination skills in a manufacturing environment.
Robotics experience spanning multiple vendors and architectures; experience delivering palletizing, conveying, and line integration projects is strongly beneficial.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with IEC 61131 concepts beneficial.
Experience delivering palletizing, conveying, and line integration projects is strongly beneficial.

Responsibilities

Develop, configure, and debug PLC programs, HMIs, and (as applicable) robot controller code aligned to functional requirements and site standards.
Own code lifecycle discipline for assigned systems: backups, versioning, release notes, validation steps, and controlled deployment/startup.
Apply practical controls experience with Omron Sysmac / NA and Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 / PanelView to deliver robust changes into manufacturing environments.
Contribute to HMI/interface standardization across equipment to improve usability and consistency.
Integrate and validate electrical controls components including sensors, actuators, electrically controlled pneumatics, conveyors, and robotic interfaces.
Diagnose I/O, device configuration, and network/communication issues; implement corrective actions and preventive improvements.
Implement robotics solutions across multiple robot types (6-axis, cobots, SCARA, delta robots, and AMRs) and vendors (Omron, ABB, FANUC) depending on application needs and integration constraints.
Support tooling and mechanical integration collaboration (e.g., EOAT design support for robotic/cobot systems) as part of delivering complete automation cells.
Execute commissioning plans and participate in equipment runoff to verify control system functionality, safety interlocks, alarms, and HMI usability.
Document test results, manage punch-list items for controls scope, and coordinate closure with OEMs/system integrators.
Own or co-own end-to-end delivery on projects ranging from multi-programmer/multi-machine integration to solo controls ownership (programming, implementation, commissioning, and acceptance verification).
Provide on-call/as-needed troubleshooting for hardware–software integration and HMI issues impacting operations.
Lead or support structured problem solving (e.g., 5-Why/fishbone) and implement sustainable fixes to reduce repeat downtime.
Apply broad field experience across industries (automotive, food & beverage, material handling, pharmaceutical).
Implement and sustain machine data capture/tagging and support data architecture deployment through understanding of controls, data management, and industrial networking.
Support connectivity debugging and data quality validation to ensure reliable downstream analytics/monitoring.
Support digitalization initiatives such as SQL/database tracking of manufacturing performance (e.g., OEE-related data collection) to improve information gathering and reduce downtime loss.
Leverage supporting scripting/programming exposure (SQL, Visual Basic, Python) as needed for integration, data handling, or tooling around automation systems.