Automation Engineer

Agrana • Brecksville, OH

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

Agrana Fruit is seeking an Automation Engineer to manage the reliability and continued development of plant manufacturing automation infrastructure, including PLCs, HMIs, Inductive Automation Ignition, Microsoft SQL Server, industrial Ethernet networks, automation servers, production data collection, and integration of manufacturing equipment with plant automation and business systems. The Corporate Automation Engineer serves as a first-line corporate technical resource for automation-related production issues across AGRANA Fruit U.S. facilities, combining controls engineering skills with IT/OT knowledge, troubleshooting ability, and a service-oriented approach to supporting plant operations.

This is a hybrid position based in Brecksville, Ohio, involving work from home, the office, and travel to AGRANA Fruit U.S. manufacturing locations as required. The engineer works with plant engineering, maintenance, operations, process engineering, IT, equipment suppliers, and system integrators to support manufacturing operations, resolve production issues, and implement improvements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Automation Engineering, or a related technical field; or an Associate Degree combined with significant relevant industrial automation experience.
• Demonstrated experience with factory automation and industrial control systems.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills across controls, instrumentation, networking, databases, servers, and manufacturing equipment.
• Working knowledge of Rockwell Automation and Inductive Automation platforms, including Rockwell/Allen-Bradley PLC and HMI systems and Inductive/Ignition HMI.
• Experience with Microsoft SQL Server and SQL, including manufacturing data and automation/database integrations.
• Ability to read and understand P&IDs, electrical drawings, and control schematics.
• Ability to develop functional specifications and control requirements for PLC and automation programming.
• Knowledge of electrical control systems, including three-phase motors, VFDs, analog instrumentation, digital I/O, and industrial communications.
• Experience creating or modifying electrical drawings and schematics using AutoCAD.
• Strong understanding of Ethernet networking, including IP addressing and troubleshooting communications between industrial devices and automation systems.
• Ability to support remote manufacturing facilities using approved remote-access technologies.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate manufacturing and process requirements into practical technical solutions.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize multiple issues, and respond effectively in a production environment where troubleshooting and service restoration may be time-critical.
• Strong organization, documentation, time-management, and status-reporting skills.
• Effective verbal, listening, and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively with operators, maintenance personnel, engineers, IT personnel, management, equipment suppliers, and system integrators.
• Ability and willingness to quickly learn new technologies and manufacturing processes.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Visio.
• Ability and willingness to travel within the United States.

Responsibilities

• Develop, support, maintain, and troubleshoot Inductive Automation Ignition applications, including Perspective applications, tag configuration, OPC UA communications, scripting, database integration, alarming, and production data collection.
• Support Rockwell Automation control systems, including Allen-Bradley PLC-based manufacturing systems and associated HMI and automation infrastructure.
• Provide technical support to plant locations for automation-related production problems and emergency issue resolution, remotely and on-site when required.
• Troubleshoot and maintain PLCs, HMIs, industrial communications, automation servers, SQL databases, data-logging systems, and shop-floor Ethernet networks.
• Maintain understanding of plant automation architecture and the interaction between manufacturing equipment, control systems, supervisory systems, databases, and plant business systems.
• Develop and modify PLC and HMI applications for new equipment, process improvements, reliability improvements, and production requirements.
• Develop functional specifications and control narratives for PLC programming and automation projects with process engineers, plant engineering teams, operations, and equipment suppliers.
• Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot Microsoft SQL Server applications and integrations, including queries, transactions, production data collection, reporting data, and interfaces between manufacturing systems and databases.
• Support integration between plant automation systems and ERP/business systems.
• Troubleshoot industrial Ethernet and OT network infrastructure, including IP-based industrial devices, communications between PLCs and supervisory systems, OPC UA connectivity, automation servers, and remote connectivity.
• Develop and maintain electrical drawings and schematics using AutoCAD for three-phase motors, VFDs, instrumentation, analog and digital I/O, Ethernet-connected devices, and control systems.
• Read, interpret, and work from P&IDs, electrical schematics, control drawings, and equipment documentation.
• Support commissioning, startup, troubleshooting, and optimization of new and existing manufacturing equipment and automation systems.
• Work with plant engineering, maintenance, operations, process engineering, IT, equipment suppliers, and system integrators to resolve automation problems and implement improvements.
• Improve manufacturing systems to increase reliability, productivity, ease of use, maintainability, and reporting effectiveness.
• Respond to and resolve production issues in a timely manner, with a commitment to customer service and manufacturing uptime.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, drawings, program backups, system information, project documentation, and status reporting.
• Develop working relationships with plant personnel and learn each facility’s manufacturing processes and automation systems.
• Expand technical knowledge and evaluate technologies that can improve the reliability, capability, supportability, and effectiveness of AGRANA manufacturing systems.
• Travel within the United States to support plant projects, commissioning, troubleshooting, system upgrades, and other engineering activities as required.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support employee health and well-being.
• Safe, collaborative, and technically challenging manufacturing environment.
• Opportunity to work across multiple manufacturing facilities and technologies and contribute to improving plant automation systems.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time