Automation Engineer Manager

Cushman & Wakefield•Rancho Cordova, CA

3d•$147,684 - $173,745

About The Position

As the Automation Engineer Manager, you will lead a team in driving equipment reliability and operational excellence across fulfillment centers. You will monitor and support the team’s controls automation and technical support work, help ensure effective troubleshooting of complex control systems, and analyze performance metrics. You will guide continuous improvement projects and ensure the team provides mentorship to junior engineers. The role involves state-of-the-art technology, including conveyors, sortation systems, scanners, cameras, print and apply systems, and SCADA devices and programs. Through technical leadership and design optimization, you will contribute to accurate and timely order fulfillment while building team capabilities and driving operational excellence. The position also provides subject matter expertise for engineering investigations and downtime mitigation, supports automation engineers with escalations, and includes 24/7 rotational on-call support for site hardware and software systems. Travel is up to 10–20%.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or automation engineering, or equivalent, or 7+ years of PLC programming or automation engineering experience.
Ability to work a flexible schedule, shift, and work area, including weekends, nights, and/or holidays.
7+ years of experience working in industrial controls and automation.
7+ years of process- or production-environment-related PLC-controlled automation and issue diagnosis experience.
7+ years of robotics work cells and control systems experience.
7+ years of Siemens, Allen-Bradley, or Codesys Ladder Logic and structured programming experience.
7+ years of electrical theory, robotics, controls components, and automated equipment experience.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or automation engineering.
Experience with HMI and control network components, including maintenance, troubleshooting, programming, and design.
Experience with programming software such as RSLogix5000, Studio 5000, FT View, and other controls software platforms.
MBA or other master's degree and/or Six Sigma Black Belt Certification.
Manufacturing or complex-industry experience leading Controls.

Responsibilities

Provide subject matter expertise for troubleshooting and in-depth engineering investigations; support automation engineers in identifying root causes and planning actions to eliminate or mitigate downtime of critical assets.
Program and source-code in-house-built solutions based on PLC or PC controllers and SCADA/OEE platforms.
Understand, maintain, and troubleshoot material handling control systems, including PLC/PC controllers, industrial networks, motor control systems, servo drives, frequency drives, and electrical distribution systems.
Monitor material handling equipment metrics and partner with maintenance and operations to address system performance issues and provide analysis across operations.
Provide escalation support to automation engineers during and after business hours, troubleshooting locally and remotely to ensure building hardware and controls software are repaired on time.
Establish training plans and mentor a team of automation engineers.
Escalate downtime situations appropriately to vendors or senior leadership to restore equipment operation.
Provide 24/7 rotational on-call support for site hardware and software systems.
Travel up to 10–20%.