Senior Automation Manager

RTX•Asheville, NC

5d•$132,400 - $251,600•Onsite

About The Position

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world. Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power systems and has been revolutionizing modern flight for over 100 years. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense. Pratt & Whitney is executing a multi-year digital transformation strategy within our Manufacturing Operational Excellence division. Our state-of-the-art facility in Asheville, NC has been designated as the premier Lighthouse Site to pioneer this modern factory modernization. Serving as the Automation Leader, you will hold end-to-end strategic and operational responsibility for defining the vision, roadmap, and deployment strategy for next-generation smart factory execution. This high-visibility role bridges complex physical aerospace manufacturing with advanced digital infrastructure. You will scale a high-performing automation engineering team, champion the stand-up of Asheville’s Operational Technology (OT) Network, and collaborate directly with executive stakeholders to align multi-million dollar capital investments (CapEx) with enterprise manufacturing goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (such as Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, Automation, or Systems Engineering) with 10+ years of related experience, OR an Advanced Degree with 8+ years of experience. In lieu of a degree, 14+ years of related experience is required.
Engineering Team Leadership: Proven track record of direct people management or formal project team leadership overseeing engineering or technical personnel within industrial controls and automation manufacturing environments.
Core Controls & Industrial Automation: Hands-on experience or deep technical understanding of PLCs, SCADA systems, hardware, firmware, electronics development, and the utilization of CAD and/or PLM software packages to manage engineering data.
Industry 4.0 & OT Networks: Proven experience managing complex digital transformation projects, including the deployment of digital andon systems and building or scaling Operational Technology (OT) networks.

Nice To Haves

Proven capability to present complex technical strategies to executive-level leadership, manage large-scale cross-functional stakeholders, formulate ROI business cases, and govern CapEx budgets.
Technical proficiency within an aerospace or defense manufacturing environment utilizing enterprise systems including Siemens NX, Teamcenter, Solumina G7, SAP, and NC (Numerical Controls) programming.
Practical experience leading brownfield or greenfield advanced manufacturing modernization, digital thread implementations, Model-Based Definition (MB-DMI), and MES software integrations.
Practical experience deploying automated operational metrics (OEE/OLE), industrial robotics, and high-fidelity robot simulation workflows.
Deep understanding of structured, enterprise-wide continuous improvement methodologies and operating frameworks, such as Lean Six Sigma or RTX’s CORE system.

Responsibilities

Define and own the automation vision, roadmap, and deployment strategy for the Asheville lighthouse site — including SCADA, PLC/control systems, robotics, OT network infrastructure, and MES integration.
Lead a team of automation engineers to implement, optimize, and sustain factory automation across engineered processes, lean pull systems, and performance data integration.
Stand up and manage the Operational Technology (OT) Network as the critical enabling infrastructure for Industry 4.0 initiatives — including machine state monitoring, automated OEE/OLE, digital andon, and tiered metrics reporting.
Drive cross-functional alignment on process capability requirements, control tools, and data analytics optimization — including MB-DMI, MES execution, and quality systems integration.
Lead capital planning, equipment specification, ROI analysis, and budget management for automation investments — from initial business case through deployment and financial return tracking.
Develop and execute technical maturity and project plans; build and report transformation progress metrics at all organizational levels, including executive leadership.
Lead standardization efforts for automation equipment, system layout, fixture and tooling, ergonomics, and robot simulation.
Build and advance the automation organization's technical proficiency — including training development, documentation, and team capability growth.
Ensure all automation initiatives operate within CORE principles, EH&S requirements, and corporate ethical standards.