Senior Automation Engineer I, Drug Product Equipment Support

Moderna Therapeutics • Norwood, MA

104d

About The Position

The Senior Automation Engineer, Drug Product Equipment Support, is a critical technical and project role responsible for supporting the design, development, startup, and lifecycle of a state-of-the-art cGMP Drug Product (Fill Finish) manufacturing facility. This individual provides essential support, maintenance, and continuous improvement for automation systems that monitor and control drug product operations. The engineer will act as the Automation System Owner for filling, inspection, and packaging equipment and related digital systems, ensuring they are compliant, reliable, and optimized for both clinical and commercial production. This role requires strong collaboration with cross-functional teams, vendors, and OEMs to enable seamless equipment integration and operational readiness. This role involves 24/7 support coverage as needed and active participation in facility start-up and routine operations, contributing directly to Moderna's mission of delivering mRNA therapies to patients.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in automation engineering within the pharmaceutical or biotech sector, preferably drug product manufacturing.
• Strong hands-on experience with PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, and digital manufacturing systems.
• Proficient in cGMP, FDA regulations, and cleanroom operations.
• Experience with MES, process historians, and system integration.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Optima filling lines.
• Familiarity with serialization/track-and-trace systems (H2Compute).
• Experience with Cognex vision systems.
• Working knowledge of Emerson DeltaV, batch reporting.
• Robotics experience (B&R, FANUC, ABB, Panasonic).
• Familiarity with power electronics, PCB design, material science, and circuit analysis.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Digital/Automation owner for drug product filling, inspection, and packaging equipment.
• Manage regular maintenance and system updates to meet cGMP and industry standards.
• Troubleshoot complex issues across manufacturing systems (Allen Bradley PLCs, Siemens PLCs, AVEVA Wonderware, AVEVA Historian).
• Interpret PFDs, P&IDs, blueprints, and system diagrams.
• Maintain and update automation specifications and related documentation.
• Lead the development of automation-related SOPs, training content, and guides.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure proper integration of automation systems.
• Support equipment and facility startup, including debugging and system verification.
• Participate in system validations and ensure qualification efforts align with operations.
• Ensure validation and change control procedures are followed for automation-related modifications.
• Support audits as an SME on automation systems and procedures.
• Lead automation-related improvement projects (scoping, budgeting, execution).
• Stay up to date on automation technology trends and propose facility upgrades.
• Provide technical training to engineering and operations teams.
• Participate in the 24/7 on-call support rotation as needed.

Benefits

• Best-in-class healthcare coverage, plus a suite of voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs.
• A holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support.
• Lifestyle Spending Accounts to personalize your well-being journey.
• Family planning and adoption benefits.
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown.
• Savings and investment opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Chemical Manufacturing
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree