Process Engineer II

U. S. Steel•Fairfield, AL

45d•Onsite

About The Position

The Automation Engineer - Quench & Temper will provide hands-on automation, controls, and technical support for capital project execution within Quench & Temper (Q&T) operations at Fairfield Works - Tubular. This role will help design, program, integrate, test, commission, and optimize automated systems that support safe, reliable, and efficient Q&T operations. The Automation Engineer will work closely with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, vendors, contractors, and plant leadership to ensure automation systems are ready for startup and sustainable long-term operation. This role will support PLC/HMI programming, controls troubleshooting, sensor and instrumentation integration, process data visibility, operating procedure development, and training for management and hourly employees impacted by new or modified Q&T equipment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent relevant automation, controls, or manufacturing experience may be considered.
Minimum of 5 years of manufacturing automation, controls engineering, industrial maintenance, process automation, or related experience is preferred.
Hands-on experience with PLC/HMI programming, industrial control systems, troubleshooting, and equipment startup support.
Experience supporting automation in a heavy manufacturing, steel, heat treat, thermal processing, or industrial production environment is preferred.
Strong analytical, technical troubleshooting, problem-solving, planning, and execution skills.
Effective communication and documentation skills with the ability to work across Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, vendors, contractors, and plant leadership.
Ability to support commissioning, startup, outages, project installations, and a 24/7 manufacturing environment, including weekend, holiday, off-shift, or extended-hour support as business needs require.
Demonstrated commitment to safety, environmental compliance, quality, cybersecurity, and operational discipline.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar PLC/HMI platforms.
Experience integrating sensors, instrumentation, drives, control panels, industrial networks, data historians, dashboards, alarms, and process monitoring systems.
Exposure to Quench & Temper operations, heat treatment, seamless pipe, OCTG, finishing operations, steel manufacturing, or other thermal processing environments.
Knowledge of process control, SPC (Statistical Process Control), metrology, process capability, manufacturing analytics, Tableau, Minitab, or similar tools.
Experience supporting capital projects, vendor coordination, equipment installation, FAT/SAT, commissioning, startup, and transition-to-operations activities.
Experience developing training materials, standard work, troubleshooting guides, or competency sign-off documentation for operators, maintenance employees, or front-line leaders.
Lean Six Sigma training, continuous improvement experience, or structured root cause analysis capability.
Experience working effectively with union-represented employees, operations leaders, maintenance teams, contractors, and technical support functions.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, test, deploy, and optimize automation and controls solutions for Quench & Temper capital projects and related operational improvements.
Program, troubleshoot, and support PLCs, HMIs, industrial control systems, drives, sensors, instrumentation, and equipment interfaces used in Q&T operations.
Partner with Engineering and vendors to review automation design, control narratives, electrical drawings, equipment specifications, network architecture, process parameters, and integration requirements.
Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, startup, punch-list resolution, and turnover of automation systems to Operations and Maintenance.
Collaborate with Q&T Operations and Quality teams to ensure automated systems support process control, inspection requirements, product consistency, equipment performance, and customer specification needs.
Lead Finishing Floor #3, IPS (Internal Processing Storage), and Quench & Temper automation initiatives, including integration of new technologies with existing operational and control systems.
Integrate process data, dashboards, alarms, trends, recipes, and reporting tools to improve visibility to Q&T performance, downtime drivers, quality trends, and process variation.
Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for automation, controls, instrumentation, and equipment interface issues that impact safety, uptime, throughput, or product quality.
Provide hands-on support to production and maintenance teams in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment, including off-shift support when required by project or operational needs.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, including control logic descriptions, operating instructions, troubleshooting guides, training materials, change documentation, and commissioning records.
Support development and execution of training plans for operators, maintenance employees, and front-line leaders on new automation systems, HMIs, alarms, control sequences, and standard work expectations.
Work with cross-functional project teams to support scope development, execution planning, equipment readiness, startup planning, process stabilization, and sustained performance after implementation.
Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities related to automation reliability, controls standardization, equipment capability, data integrity, process control, and operational efficiency.
Promote a strong safety culture by ensuring automation and controls work is executed in alignment with safety, environmental, quality, cybersecurity, and operating standards.
Communicate project risks, automation readiness gaps, controls issues, and implementation status clearly to project stakeholders and plant leadership.